Where do the feathers come from in a pillow?

Question

Are birds killed for feathers alone? Often things are made from goose down and I don't see too many people eating goose. Also are birds ever killed just for the down white the rest of the feathers are thrown away because of lack of demand?

Answer 1

Check the movie Earthlings ,to see what we all do to animals.

Down is plucked from ducks and geese that come out of the winter and don not need the down any more .but my guess is that plenty of birds are killed for meat and the down is also collected

Answer 2

No birds are killed soley for their feathers.  Maybe by ancient tribes or Indians.

The under feathers are considered down.

Some are discarded.  Colorful ones may be used in a decorative setting.  Some are even dyed for that use.

Look at some women's hats.

Answer 3

I think they raise animals for ANYTHING based on the demand.

Its very sad  but true,

They do have an alternative to down product out now..

I have been looking for that product in a blanket for my grrls!

peAce

Answer 4

Pillow birds from South America

Answer 5

Well, plenty of geese are raised and killed for their goose down.  But, feather pillows often use Chicken Feathers.  (and certainly- there's plenty of them being killed for food)

Answer 6

No, the birds are not killed for their feathers alone.  Indeed, the very best, and most fabulously expensive down feathers come from the Eider duck (yes, a duck, not a goose).  The native people where the rare Eider ducks nest collect the Eider down, after the duckling have hatched.  The mother duck plucked it herself from her breast feathers.  COMPLETELY natural, no animals harmed.  Eider down is fabulously expensive, but their is no better down.

Most of the down for feather quilts and pillows are actually chicken feathers these days.  Chicken feathers are a VERY POOR substitute for actual down.  

Are you SURE you actually want to know what happens to the feathers from ducks, geese, and chickens that are not used for down?

I'm a small farmer....I know.  They end up in animal feed, as "Hydrolyzed Feathers."  They grind the feathers up, make a soup out of them, and add them back to animal feed, as an ultra cheap source of protien.  Hydrolyzed feathers are fed to dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, other poultry,  horses, dogs, cats, ect.

Here's a link:

http://www.animal.ufl.edu/amaral/Feather...

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years