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glider-safe feathers
#1332774
03/12/13 08:26 PM
03/12/13 08:26 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826 Texas
Imbrium
OP
Glider Guardian
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OP
Glider Guardian
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826
Texas
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there was a discussion maybe a month or so ago about feathers and store-bought feathers being treated with nasty chemicals that make them unsafe for gliders... I'm getting ready to become a toy parts vendor and would like to be able to offer glider-safe feathers. I have a friend from the bunny forum I use who has 13 chickens and a rooster and she said she'd be happy to gather up feathers whenever one of her birds molts and send them to me (I offered to reimburse shipping when she sends me a batch and split whatever profits I make from them with her)... so now I have a few questions. 1) just to make sure - feathers from pet chickens, if properly cleaned/sanitized, *would* be glider-safe, correct? 2) how does one go about cleaning and sanitizing feathers? 3) she mentioned "I don't chemically treat them, but I do put diatomacious earth on them a few times a year. But that stuff is food grade and not harmful, but if it is to the gliders, let me know and I'll make sure I don't dust them before they molt." - is the possibility of food-grade DE on the feathers a concern? would it come off when they were cleaned or should I ask her not to dust the chickens? 4) what would people consider a fair price for glider-safe feathers and what size packages would appeal to potential buyers? I know they're super hard to come by if you don't have birds or a friend with birds... but I don't want to price gouge just because I have the opportunity. basically, I'd like to sell them for just enough to make it worth my friend's while to gather them up + shipping + my time spent cleaning them, but I don't want anyone to feel ripped off if they buy feathers from me . I've honestly never paid attention to the going rates for store-bought (ie unsafe) feathers, though, so I can't even use that for a baseline until I go window-shopping for feathers.
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1332927
03/13/13 05:56 PM
03/13/13 05:56 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826 Texas
Imbrium
OP
Glider Guardian
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OP
Glider Guardian
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826
Texas
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thank you for the great answers, JillMarie! I'll ask her about vet check-ups and such and talk to her about your recommendations for gathering the feathers . I'd love a few more opinions about the DE... Aimee's opinion seems to be that it doesn't matter whether or not it's "safe"; she doesn't know enough about it personally to be comfortable with it. that's a very valid viewpoint (I think most of us are the "better safe than sorry" sorts!) and I'd like to know if others who don't know much about DE are liable to feel the same way. I'm leaning towards asking her not to dust prior to molts on the grounds that some people might not be comfortable with it . (she does dust with DE just as a preventative measure) if anyone else has input, I'm up for hearing it... including any other questions people might ask (regarding her chickens, their care/health, how the feathers are collected, how they're cleaned/sanitized, etc.) before deciding for themselves whether they feel the feathers are safe. I want to be able to offer feathers that both live up to my own standards (as far as feeling that they're safe to use with my personal gliders) AND which live up to whatever standards potential buyers might have - there may be questions or concerns that I've overlooked. if there's ANY reason her feathers might not be safe to use with gliders, I want to know *before* I offer them for sale so that I can either work with her to address/remedy the concern or conclude that I shouldn't sell them after all.
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333023
03/14/13 04:40 AM
03/14/13 04:40 AM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826 Texas
Imbrium
OP
Glider Guardian
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OP
Glider Guardian
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826
Texas
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it's been a LONG time since I've seen a chicken, so I'm not 100% sure what size their feathers mostly are... I'm thinking I might go by weight (I've got a joey scale that can measure to the tenth of a gram); either way, I anticipate pricing them in a way that's comparable to craft-store feather prices (certainly no more than that). depending on how many feathers she supplies me with, though, there's a very good chance that I'll limit the amount that each person can buy unless demand is pretty low since glider-safe feathers are so hard to come by and I'd rather limit the quantity than set prices that discourage buying large amounts . I'll let you know once I actually have some feathers from her... if that's all you're buying from me, they're crazy light weight so I'm thinking padded envelope/first class mail would be a great way to go. for example, 6 oz (including envelope weight) would only be around 2.5 bucks plus the cost of the envelope.
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333078
03/14/13 12:05 PM
03/14/13 12:05 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,138 Lutz Florida
CandyOtte
Serious Glideritis
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Serious Glideritis
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,138
Lutz Florida
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6 oz (including envelope weight) You may be overly optimistic in the amount of feathers your friend can gather from 14 birds. Only the larger feathers would be useful for gliders to play with and there are probably no more than 6 oz of large feathers PER Chicken and they are not shed all at one time. http://www.smileyme.com/lprod.asp?lookup=4251
Candy Otte & the Glider Kids Sassy, Corky, Mehitabel & Missy Wacco, Yacco, & Dot Mindy, Kanobles, Elmo, & Chipper http://www.gliderkids-diet.comCandyOtte@aol.com
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333080
03/14/13 12:30 PM
03/14/13 12:30 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826 Texas
Imbrium
OP
Glider Guardian
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OP
Glider Guardian
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826
Texas
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it's more that I was erring on the side of "worst case scenario" shipping charges... and totally overestimated the weight of a padded envelope too - I just weighed a really big one and it only came out to .8 oz. now that I know what the envelope weighs, I'm thinking a decent sized order of feathers packaged in an envelope would be more like 2-3 oz, which would only be around $2 shipping on the plus side, she's apparently starting up a hatchery, so there may end up being more chickens to collect from :D
Last edited by Imbrium; 03/14/13 12:31 PM.
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333115
03/14/13 05:37 PM
03/14/13 05:37 PM
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826 Texas
Imbrium
OP
Glider Guardian
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OP
Glider Guardian
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 826
Texas
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my friend says "I only dust as a preventative. They don't have mites or anything else, I've checked and checked. They're all about to be tested for pullorum/typhoid and avian flu. I'm pretty sure they're clean, but I'll wait to send any feathers until I get negative results from all those diseases. I don't know if they're glider communicable but I want to make sure they're clean and safe." she takes care of her chickens like they were pampered house pets - they're *very* well cared for and get frequent vet check-ups. in fact, they're about to be spoiled as hell today - she mentioned considering mealies as an occasional treat for her chickens, so I priority mailed her a little container with about a cup of mealies/bedding out of my 3,000 pack of vita-mealies and they arrived this afternoon. impressively, despite being at least a month into their "up to three months" storage life and getting sent through the mail for the second time in their lives, there was only ONE dead mealie out of probably 200-300+! vita-mealies are such hearty little things. she's also a total animal lover and cares just as much as we do about making sure the feathers she sends me are 100% glider safe. she's even insisting on washing them for me even though I keep telling her I'd be happy to do that speaking of washing, is there a particular kind of soap to use? for some reason I'm thinking dawn, just because I know it's totally animal safe...
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333124
03/14/13 07:36 PM
03/14/13 07:36 PM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511 Texas
Jackie_Chans_Mom
Glider Addict
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Glider Addict
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511
Texas
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I have not had to investigate this for many years due to the steady supply here at my own home..... but, are glider safe feathers really that hard to come by? (I'm starting to feel like I'm sitting on a gold mine here. LOL).
~~ Val B ~~ 806-803-0318 Daily giving the abused, unloved, unwanted and neglected SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR SUGAR GROUP SURVEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Jackie_Chans_Mom]
#1333126
03/14/13 08:00 PM
03/14/13 08:00 PM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,039 Finally in the Mountains!
sitkasmom
Glider Addict
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Glider Addict
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,039
Finally in the Mountains!
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Psst!! Psst!!! me me me!!
"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." Two Boys Sitka, Pudge Monkeys: Nanuk, Dayz & Elfie MudBug & Tista Teemo & Rune (Cyndra ) Lils, Razz & Nut
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333129
03/14/13 08:03 PM
03/14/13 08:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 928 Concord, NH
cathy1229
Glider Guardian
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Glider Guardian
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 928
Concord, NH
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I think I may save my sun conures feathers when he molts and clean them for my gliders!
Cathy
Wife to a very special man &
Proud Mommy of: 1 aussie/bordercollie/husky/plotthound Wimpy 1 Sun Conure Cisco 3 Amazing fuzzbutts Akiah (my little princess) & her brother Acoose,Princess 'Tudie, and Tochee
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333204
03/15/13 09:22 AM
03/15/13 09:22 AM
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511 Texas
Jackie_Chans_Mom
Glider Addict
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Glider Addict
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511
Texas
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I don't sell them, I just give them away. LOL. Been giving them away to my customers and friends and at SUGAR Group events for years. Except the long tail feathers. I do sell some of those to crafters and such. And, Cathy, if it is your pet bird, you don't have to clean the feathers (unless you let them sit and they get pooped on ). Just give them to your gliders.
Last edited by Jackie_Chans_Mom; 03/15/13 09:24 AM.
~~ Val B ~~ 806-803-0318 Daily giving the abused, unloved, unwanted and neglected SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR SUGAR GROUP SURVEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: glider-safe feathers
[Re: Imbrium]
#1333205
03/15/13 09:31 AM
03/15/13 09:31 AM
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 928 Concord, NH
cathy1229
Glider Guardian
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Glider Guardian
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 928
Concord, NH
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Yes he is my pet bird Val, so that is great to know!
Cathy
Wife to a very special man &
Proud Mommy of: 1 aussie/bordercollie/husky/plotthound Wimpy 1 Sun Conure Cisco 3 Amazing fuzzbutts Akiah (my little princess) & her brother Acoose,Princess 'Tudie, and Tochee
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