Good to see that everybody has conflicting advice on this question!
They say that stiffness in the feather helps create disturbance in the water, and softer feathers move more easily in the water. My experience is that genetic cock necks tend to be stiffest. Next softer would be indian cock necks and genetic cock saddles which tend to be on a par for stiffness. Then chinese and genetic hen are a bit softer and similar to each other for stiffness (differing in feather shape), then finally cheapo indian hen is softest of all. Not tried chinese hen so can't comment on those.
On the basis that I tend to use these patterns on the bob and dibble them in the surface at the end of the retrieve, creating a wake, my priority is for something stiff for the palmer. I'll often tie a few turns of something soft at the head for a bit of added movement. Even metz cock saddles can have feathers on them which are soft and webby and much like hen - usually longer in the fibre than the other feathers on the saddle which is ideal for tying a few turns at the head and having the fibres sweeping back over the body.
So while I wouldn't claim to fish often enough or catch enough to be an expert, for what it's worth, my order of preference for the palmered body is:
1. Shannon saddle - good combination of softness and stiffness seems about right to me.
2. Metz cock saddle - pretty stiff and with good density of fibres needing few turns to make a bushy fly
3. Indian cock neck
I find chinese cock quite long in the fibre but still with a relatively short feather which makes it difficult to get a feather long enough to palmer easily but with a short enough fibre to fit the hook size. Same for indian hen.
Probably fair to say that the best place to start is just to use what looks good to you and what you're happy with.
Enjoy your tying.
Neil
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