Chicken Feathers

[Squeezy 0]

Odd beginners question…. At my in-laws hobby farm and they’ve got a dozen or so laying chickens. Story short, there is a plethora of feather lying around. Curious, if I gather a bunch is there anything I’d need to do to preserve them or can I just utilize them?  Not sure if the store bought stuff has anything on them?  Looks like some could be used for tails on poppers and some maybe even for hackle. 
Thank You

[Squeezy 0]

[niveker 0]

I would use them for whatever you think is appropriate. 

During upland bird season I come across a lot of feathers that I bring home and use, mostly ringneck pheasant, while walking the fields with my dog. Also the occasional dead duck. A few years back we came across a dead owl, that was a hard one to pass up, I still can't believe I did, but I'm glad it was gone when I went back the next day. Another time after dropping my daughter off at school in the morning and going home on the same road I was just on 5 minutes before, there was a dead tom. That poor bastard went right into my trunk. 

I'll take whatever I think is useful.  Matter of fact, I just took a black squirrel out of the freezer that I picked up last week, a still warm gift from the Goodyear gods.  I'll be skinning it later today when it's thawed. I'll post some photos. 

There are certain precautions I take to prevent any type of infestation. First, I store the loose feathers and or skin in a sealed bag in the freezer until I have the time and enough to make the work worthwhile.  The process differs on what I have, but for feathers, I next wash them in a solution of dish soap with a few drops of bleach, rinse until the water runs clear and put them between sheets of newspaper to dry, usually only takes an hour or two  When dry I again put them in a ziplock bag with Borax and then into the deep freezer for a week or two, I thaw them out for a day or two, then back into the freezer for a week or two. At this point when I take them out I consider them safe, they get sorted and stored. Others I'm sure have a different process but this works for me. 

Does the store-bought stuff have anything on them?  Sure you can pick out exactly what you want as far colors, stiffness, size, etc, so you can follow that pattern recipe exactly. But I seldom follow a pattern recipe exactly. In fly tying, the tradition of harvesting your own material goes back a lot longer than the tradition of running to a fly shop and buying a high-grade Whiting or Metz skin. For me it's all part of the fun of tying flies, however you slice it. 

 

[SilverCreek 0]

The fluffy fibers below the stiffer fibers at the end can be used as marabou. So if you can find some feathers with long enough fibers, you can use them for flies like a woolly bugger.

https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/what-is-marabou/453617#:

[mikechell 0]

I believe the fluffy barbs are called "rachis".  I use it a lot for tails and places I want movement.  It flutters and waves almost on it's one in the water.  Makes a fly look alive even when it's sitting mostly still.

 

[Squeezy 0]

Appreciate the comments. 

[flytire 0]

16 hours ago, mikechell said:

I believe the fluffy barbs are called "rachis".

rachis = Stem

The Feather Atlas - Feather Identification and Scans - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory (fws.gov)

[mikechell 0]

Thanks, flytire.  The pictures I was looking at, the line for "rachis" was in the fluffy section, and I didn't see that it went all the way to the stem.

 

[DarrellP 0]

I have chickens and use some of their feathers for soft hackles and Steelhead flies.  Larger feathers for wet fly wings.  Not any suitable for dry flies.

[Silkworm moth 0]

Squeezey. I’m new at fly tying but I’m surprised at what I have started to see just walking around in wooded areas   If the feathers look good I try to use them. Sometimes I surprise myself with what I created. Helps to save a little money on feathers. Good luck tying

[Squeezy 0]

Same here Silk!  Odd how random items have recently stood out differently. Never once looked at feathers in the manner I do now. Sure is fun- glad I started the hobby. 

[Silkworm moth 0]

Squeeze I wanted to load some pictures of my own. Some reason I’m not sure if I’m getting it right to load a picture. Any advice on loading pics to submit

[Squeezy 0]

When typing a subject, I use the “click to choose files” link, the photo library and select from my phone. Never had an issue. 

[Guest]

You might work out a deal with your in-laws for future feathers. Like buy bitties and maybe help with feed bill.  This is kinda long range.  Not recommending anything just what I do or have done.  Back when we had our menagerie I got “Domineckers” that are Grizzly color.  They lay brown eggs.  Managed a few neck skins over the years.  Gotta skin the necks and saddles then  tack on a board and salt/ Borax.  Careful to bug proof them!   My daughter has a few now and I got a great rooster Badger neck when he croaked.  I got my eyes on a few more.  The Wyandotte are like reverse Badger.  Never see those on a fly.  Here’s a few of the better necks I’ve gotten.  The 3 top ones were purchased.  
 

[Guest]

You might find some duck hunters.  Lotta duck feathers in tying.  Pheasant, Grouse, turkey hunters too.  Kinda rare but there are Peacocks, Gennies, but not song birds, hawks, owls.  Not even if you find them on the ground. Again bug proof!!!