Processing goose down!

[Roadrunnr72]

If you weren't in CZ (where my family is from), I'd ask for you to send any extra my way!

I would love some too!! I was doing some research myself, trying to find down, more info on down and found this. They are using wild geese, but don't see why it wouldn't work. Freezing the down should kill anything in it.

[Col_M]

Well I'm off to the US in December this year and springtime next year for work so I'll see if I have any spare

[Ramblinrev]

Many years ago... too many to count... my wife brought a washed fleece back from Scotland into the US. The customs officials were trying to decide if it should be allowed in. It seems they took a dim view of animal products coming in from overseas without the proper documentation and permits. She managed to get get it through it seems, cause we've carted that thing around for ages. But I guess for a while there it was dicey.

[Lonely Raven]

I'd be quite skeptical of anything coming from Scotland as well...unless it was in a bottle.

[warbonnetguy]

i've never done anything like this before, but if it were me i'd seperate out the feathers, and then enclose all the down in some sort of breathable bag (breathable ripstop perhaps, probably something downproof), probably even sew the bag shut (i'm thinking a pillowcase looking bag), and then hand wash and rinse till the rinse water came out clear/clean, might as well use a little down soap for the first wash/rinse, and then just continue to rinse till it seemed clean, then toss in the dryer with some tennis balls till it was totally dry and call it good

[PuckerFactor]

A thought for getting the feathers out of the down. Put the down in a non-downproof bag. and just fluff the bag and all the feathery bits will start poking out. Maybe. It's just an idea I had.

Acer

[Col_M]

i've never done anything like this before, but if it were me i'd seperate out the feathers, and then enclose all the down in some sort of breathable bag (breathable ripstop perhaps, probably something downproof), probably even sew the bag shut (i'm thinking a pillowcase looking bag), and then hand wash and rinse till the rinse water came out clear/clean, might as well use a little down soap for the first wash/rinse, and then just continue to rinse till it seemed clean, then toss in the dryer with some tennis balls till it was totally dry and call it good

Thanks WBG that was pretty much what I was planning to do. I'll see how it goes

[Blutack]

Hi Col,

I'm in a similar position to you, in that I have a load of ducks and a few geese running around outside which are now nearly ready for the wok or roasting tin! . IMO, the best way to show respect to animals you raise is to use as many bits of them as you possibly can, which got me thinking of a new down underblanket for my hammock........

So Col, if you're still around, any chance of an update on how you got on with this one?

Cheers!

Blutack.

[Shewie]

Hi Col,

I'm in a similar position to you, in that I have a load of ducks and a few geese running around outside which are now nearly ready for the wok or roasting tin! . IMO, the best way to show respect to animals you raise is to use as many bits of them as you possibly can, which got me thinking of a new down underblanket for my hammock........

So Col, if you're still around, any chance of an update on how you got on with this one?

Cheers!

Blutack.

You'll probably get him easier on BCUK or SOTP buddy

[gmcpcs]

Well, I was wondering when I would see a post about getting down from the bird. I used to have some geese, and I would clip their wings for arrow fletching, but didn't harvest the down. I saw something on dirty jobs, maybe(?), where a game processor would process ducks and geese, and I think they separated the good stuff from the feathers using fans in a "winnowing" process. Good luck!