Feather Harvesting - Any reliable sources for how this is done?

[Jonathan!]

I've been trying to understand how the feathers are harvested for shuttles but there is a lot of conflicting information. Unfortunately, I've not came across anything that I would consider to be a "reliable source". I was wondering if anyone had anything concrete that they could share or, even better, share models of shuttles that declare how they source their feathers?

There are claims online that range from the majority of feathers being a) "picked up from the floor" to b) "being a byproduct of the meat industry and are plucked once the bird has been killed" (i.e. it's morally similar to leather products) to c) "plucked from a live bird". I'm okay using shuttles that fall under categories "a)" and "b)" but I personally can't justify playing with "c)".

From what I've read, it seems most sensible to me (due to economics) that the birds are raised for their meat ("b)" above) but I can't find anything to definitively back this up from either Google or from the website of a major manufacturer.

If possible, I'd appreciate it if we could focus any replies on the production methods rather than debating the ethics of it (since each of us will have very different views on it)! The relative merits of feathers vs synthetics vs plastics have also been debated at length in other places too so I'd appreciate it if we left this out of the discussion too!



Some quotes and sources from my research:

"While reputable manufacturers adhere to ethical practices, there have been instances of unscrupulous suppliers engaging in unethical sourcing methods, such as live plucking. Of particular concern is the exploitation of birds solely for their feathers, disregarding their overall well-being."

https://www.thepadelemporium.com/ba...nsition-from-feathers-to-synthetic-materials/ (note: this blog does not declare its sources)

“Geese or ducks are held down by their necks and the feathers are plucked out of their wing. And because it’s only plucked out of one wing, the bird is imbalanced. There is a lot of pain that goes on,” he said.

https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/...to-make-ethical-and-sustainable-shuttlecocks/ (note: although this is from the website of an educational establishment, this is a direct quote from a student rather than a reviewed paper or an article with sources)

"I am in the feather business, and I can answer some of the questions above.
There is some live plucking of feathers, but it is very rare. As it is very hard to pluck the feathers if you do not first put the wing into a bath of very hot water, so live plucking takes time and can damage the feathers.
The meat of goose and duck is very valuable, much more then chicken. Some country love this food, particularly China and France, but other as well. Moreover, the down from geese and ducks are worth 10 times the wing feathers. No duck or goose is farmed for shuttlecocks."

https://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/index.php?threads/feather-shuttles.154194/#post-2349275 (note: this seems sensible but I've not been able to confirm this person's identity. He claimed that he worked for a small company so it's also unclear if this scales to larger manufacturers as well)

"Another thing is the geese industry in France in the past. Geese are killed only once a year there, because geese are farmed almost only for their liver (foie gras) that is fully ready only at about one year of age. There was probably down plucking during this one year in the past, but that is certainly not the case anymore, as live plucking is forbidden by european law and the enforcement is very strict.
But Hungary, another big producer, might do differently."

https://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/index.php?threads/feather-shuttles.154194/#post-2349367 (note: this is from the same user as the previous quote)

"Badminton shuttlecocks are made from plucked feathers of live ducks and geese, causing much pain to animals"

https://www.firstpost.com/living/ba...ese-causing-much-pain-to-animals-3964761.html (note: this article doesn't declare its sources)

"The reality is that very few farmers still live pluck. For centuries farmers plucked the geese and ducks for use in bedding. Within the past fifty years this process has almost stopped completely. Only in a few remote Eastern European countries does this practice still exist. "

https://idfl.com/info/harvesting-and-live-plucking-truth/ (note: this is the closest that I've found to what I would consider a "reputable source" but it is in reference to down feathers rather than shuttle feathers)

"There's a website for a Chinese company that makes shuttles. According to them, they select feathers from the floor of farm buildings where the geese are kept. The building is a vast hall with thousands of geese and the floor is covered in a thick carpet of feathers that have fallen off. Apparently the geese shed feathers continuously like people shed hair. They collect the feathers in giant bags and sort them out at the shuttlecock factory. It says they only use feathers from the tip of the left wing."

https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...-what-happens-to-the-goose.18049/#post-179305 (note: it is unclear what company this post was referring to)

"Interesting article from www.sosan.com [...] Our feathers are hand picked and the ones we choose are the whiter feathers. These feathers are generally picked before the goose is slaughtered.

https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...happens-to-the-goose.18049/page-2#post-181449 (note: sosan.com no longer exists so I can't check it)

 

[michael23]

From the article linked in https://www.badmintoncentral.com/fo...lecock-price-keep-rising.189442/#post-2882572, method b is more likely.