ShuttlePower
Regular Member
I've heard that all these feather shuttles are being taken from the left wing of a goose. But my question is are geese killed for these feathers.???? Someone who knows please answer me...
Feather shuttles
- Thread starter ShuttlePower
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Gollum
Regular Member
No, geese are not killed for feathers. Geese are killed for meat, which is far more profitable than feathers.
Shuttles are a by-product of killing geese, and without killing geese there would be no shuttles. But no geese are killed in order to make shuttles.
Shuttles are a by-product of killing geese, and without killing geese there would be no shuttles. But no geese are killed in order to make shuttles.
I would be interested to know the real answer to this. I have read that the feathers are ripped from live goose but also that only when they are dead, I have read that they are not used for food but I have also read they are. Up to 8 birds could be used for 1 shuttle etc. conditions of breeding? no idea(I assume appalling).
The truth is, as far as I am aware, nobody has really investigated the shuttle industry as a whole and nobody has the answers.
I would be interesting to actually find out, but as a player who loves playing feathers, maybe best that the questions are left unanswered
The truth is, as far as I am aware, nobody has really investigated the shuttle industry as a whole and nobody has the answers.
I would be interesting to actually find out, but as a player who loves playing feathers, maybe best that the questions are left unanswered
Charlie-SWUK
Regular Member
Just a bit of common sense really. Why would they take them from live geese? That would be substantially more effort. As for 8 birds per 1 shuttle, that might be possible, but only on the basis that feathers might get mixed in together, and you therefore might have feathers from different birds on one shuttle.
Geese meat is quite valuable, I suspect the only event that geese are used for feathers but not also for food is if the goose is diseased or unfit for consumption.
Conditions for rearing and breeding are a different matter altogether, but I suspect the food industry is more on top of that.
visor
Regular Member
If geese are only reared and killed for those few feathers on the left wing, feather shuttles would be 100x more expensive than it is now...
Well they might pluck them from live geese to preserve oils etc in the feather/fresher, maybe a load of other reasons to do with age of feathers vs meat. Common sense?
I have read for top notch shuttles after sorting can be only 2 from bird could be suitable (just interested not for cruelty as much, obviously others could be used for lower grade shuttles)
Goose meat is not valuable but must be more valuable than a few feathers but again only a complete assumption. (even if not it should surely be used for sale for food as well but I have read different, as I said I don't know but wouldn't assume)
Conditions for breeding is crazy even in more animal right charged countries like UK, but most shuttle geese are from China and well... enough said.
Charlie-SWUK
Regular Member
They often bleach feathers, which does a good job of destroying those oils.
I know they bleach them but does that remove oils from within the feathers/stem bit?
If geese are only reared and killed for those few feathers on the left wing, feather shuttles would be 100x more expensive than it is now...
I think for lower grade there are more taken than just a few from the left wing.
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.
Almost 100% of the feathers come from China. The condition for the animals are actually better then in Europe, as it is not centralised. Small individual farms have small stock, and they are all living outside, most of them on water. The feathers are sold by individual farmers to collectors.
The feathers from the left wing and from the right wing are set apart, because you cannot mix them into a shuttle. But they are both used.
16 feathers on each duck or gooses are taken. The feathers are divided into 4 or 5 grades, depending on the company. So one grade only have two feathers (right or left). We cannot mix the grades in a shuttle.
So it takes a pool of 8 ducks or geese to produce 8 shuttles.
If you have other questions please feel free to ask. Our shuttlecocks are little marvels that not only require beautiful feathers, but also a great deal of sweat and craft, from sorting the feathers to assembling the shuttle to testing each one of them.
Cheers
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.
Almost 100% of the feathers come from China. The condition for the animals are actually better then in Europe, as it is not centralised. Small individual farms have small stock, and they are all living outside, most of them on water. The feathers are sold by individual farmers to collectors.
The feathers from the left wing and from the right wing are set apart, because you cannot mix them into a shuttle. But they are both used.
16 feathers on each duck or gooses are taken. The feathers are divided into 4 or 5 grades, depending on the company. So one grade only have two feathers (right or left). We cannot mix the grades in a shuttle.
So it takes a pool of 8 ducks or geese to produce 8 shuttles.
If you have other questions please feel free to ask. Our shuttlecocks are little marvels that not only require beautiful feathers, but also a great deal of sweat and craft, from sorting the feathers to assembling the shuttle to testing each one of them.
Cheers
Gollum
Regular Member
Thanks renbo for your insight.
It's interesting that this account contradicts a common Western assumption that animals suffer more in China because Chinese people don't care about them and the law protects them less. No doubt this is sometimes true, but not always. We have our own problems in Europe too!
Let he who is without fault cast the first stone...
Great thanks for the knowledge. I know that down is way more expensive than the meat and birds can be plucked three time (after regrowth of feathers takes about 5 weeks). overall birds are not replucked but geese it is very high percent apparently. The meat is worth next to nothing relatively.
Are shuttlecock feathers able to regrow and be plucked 3 times before slaughter or for badminton is it a one time deal?
Feathers are used for a lot of products in bedding etc and since the feathers can regrow and are valuable are you sure this is not some farms primary purpose and not meat sale? (not that it makes a difference cruelty/non cruelty wise)
I have seen pictures of battery farms in china it is bad but I suppose that is a perspective/opinion thing. better just add no worse than europe not a dig at China
Are shuttlecock feathers able to regrow and be plucked 3 times before slaughter or for badminton is it a one time deal?
Feathers are used for a lot of products in bedding etc and since the feathers can regrow and are valuable are you sure this is not some farms primary purpose and not meat sale? (not that it makes a difference cruelty/non cruelty wise)
I have seen pictures of battery farms in china it is bad but I suppose that is a perspective/opinion thing. better just add no worse than europe not a dig at China
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Sounds like condition in geese farm is better than chicken farms in the us!
Thanks renbo for the insight.
Thanks renbo for the insight.
You're all welcome.
Ducks and geese are killed when seven weeks old, because at this moment it is fully grown and there is no economic sense to keep it longer for farmers. To pluck the down and wait for it to regrow would take as much time as to farm a new duck/goose, so it would be a big loss.
Everything in the duck or goose is used, including the head, neck and feet, which are delicacy in China. Moreover, the plucking of down is difficult, if you want to be torough you have to kill the bird. So there is not multiple plucking of birds, at least that I know.
Ducks and geese are killed when seven weeks old, because at this moment it is fully grown and there is no economic sense to keep it longer for farmers. To pluck the down and wait for it to regrow would take as much time as to farm a new duck/goose, so it would be a big loss.
Everything in the duck or goose is used, including the head, neck and feet, which are delicacy in China. Moreover, the plucking of down is difficult, if you want to be torough you have to kill the bird. So there is not multiple plucking of birds, at least that I know.
ShuttlePower
Regular Member
thnqz [MENTION=2233]Gollum[/MENTION] [MENTION=57143]visor[/MENTION]
ShuttlePower
Regular Member
Great answer [MENTION=63377]renbo[/MENTION].. But as you've said are feathers of both left and right wings used for the shuttles???
There is multiple plucking of bird's for down for sure, or at least has been widely reported that there is in mainstream media.
Yes, oth left and right wings are used. We just have to sort the right and left wing feathers, so we don't mix them in one shuttlecock.
Of course I cannot talk for everyone and for every countries, but what I know (what I have seen practiced) is that down is plucked by machine, when the birds are dead.
But as I think about it, there might be a possibility (something that makes sense economically): the baby duck (or goose) would be plucked of its down at about 3 or 4 weeks, and then killed and plucked again at 7 or 8 weeks. I did not ear about it but I guess it is feasible.
Of course I cannot talk for everyone and for every countries, but what I know (what I have seen practiced) is that down is plucked by machine, when the birds are dead.
But as I think about it, there might be a possibility (something that makes sense economically): the baby duck (or goose) would be plucked of its down at about 3 or 4 weeks, and then killed and plucked again at 7 or 8 weeks. I did not ear about it but I guess it is feasible.
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.
But Hungary, another big producer, might do differently.
China is a big producer of fois gras too are these geese ever used for shuttles? would it be possible to pick shuttlecock feathers more than once from these birds live?
But it is good to know that as far as your shuttles are concerned they are from dead geese from small outdoor farms. That's great news, what is the brand please?
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