The Feather Industry

Feathers

The most prominent feature of the bird kingdom is their feathery plumage. Feathers are part of a bird's skin structure; their primary function is insulation, maintaining body heat. The insulation capabilities of the down feathers of certain water-fowl are the best in the animal kingdom - unfortunately for them, as these feathers have become prized by the bed linen industry. The feathers most sought after are down or fluff - the gentle, fine feathers of chicks, also found in the plumage of mature ducks and geese. The base of the feather, the calamus, is set firmly in the skin. It is only during molting season that this firm hold gradually lessens. The tissues around the calamus are rich with nerve cells, and every feather plucked causes great pain.

The Extent of the Industry

The feathers of tens of millions of geese and ducks are torn off them every year, while still alive and fully conscious. Despite the invention of synthetic down in the 1960's, geese and ducks are still being raised in America, Asia and Europe for their feathers. The down industry also profits from selling the meat and leftover feathers of the birds, slaughtered at around the age of a year and a half. Some of the birds are even transferred to intensive force-feeding facilities. The main countries that participate in live bird plucking are China, Poland, Hungary and France. About 50 % of the down and about 42 % of the coarser feathers used to fill pillows and blankets world-over were torn off birds while they were still alive. The remainder of the feathers and down comes from birds plucked after slaughter.

Crowding and Violence

In nature, ducks and geese live in small flocks, pair off to form couples (geese mate for life), and fly over tens of thousands of kilometers during their many years of life. In the plucking farms, however, around 20,000 birds are crammed into a limited space. Eggs are artificially incubated, and the chicks never get to enjoy their mother's protection and care. Instead, they are force-fed, kept on a special diet that stimulates feather growth but is insufficient for the chicks' proper development. When they mature, their wings are clipped, so as to prevent them from flying. The tough living conditions and the pain from the wounds afflicted upon them increase the birds' aggression, such that sometimes they peck themselves till they bleed. The farmers deal with this problem simply: by cutting the geese's beaks close to the nostrils with a special instrument, a burning-hot metal blade. Debeaking is a painful and traumatic experience, since the beak tissue is full of nerve cells. Negligent cutting may result in a burned or cut tongue, damaged nostrils, or cause the growth of scab tissue, which will pain the geese every time they eat for the rest of their lives.

The Plucking

Geese and ducks in the feather industry are plucked four or five times during their short lives, two to three times a year. The British organization 'Beauty Without Cruelty Charity' documented this live-plucking on video. The video depicts horrified geese, held by their backs and wings while all their feathers are torn from their bodies. Some have their legs tied to their backs in order to keep them from moving. The tortured goose struggles and tries to escape till the point of exhaustion, muscular damage and broken bones. The pluckers' payment depends on the rate of the plucking, according to how many geese they've plucked. The fast pace is another cause of severe damage and horrible pain for the birds. Every feather torn can cause bleeding and wounds. The trauma from the plucking is still apparent days afterwards: after the first spasms of pain, the bird seems paralyzed and barely moves. Plucking live birds is such a cruel method, that even some countries which haven't forbidden the force-feeding of geese, have forbidden the live-plucking of birds.

What Can You Do?

It's easy to avoid buying products that include feathers of any kind - all these products have synthetic replacements which are cheap, readily available, and of high quality. Feathers are commonly found in pillows and blankets, as well as ornamental objects and other accessories. If you find yourself in a hotel that uses feather-stuffed blankets or such, don't hesitate to speak up to the owners or to write them that you found it difficult to sleep quietly on feathers plucked from screaming birds.

לחצו כאן כדי להרשם לשבועוןOriginally published in "Animal Rights this Week",
Anonymous for Animal Rights' Weekly Online Magazine for Animal Rightsלחצו כאן כדי להרשם לשבועון