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Feathers

Down

Origin

Feather extraction

Cover

Quilting

Filling

Heat insolation

How can down and feathers be sorted?

In the separation process down and feathers are sorted with the aid of air which is blown into a special sorting machine consisting of three or four chambers. The airflow generated in the machine achieves that due to gravity the single components fly different distances. The lightest components fly the longest distance and the heaviest elements fly the shortest distance. Correspondingly, the lightest parts, i. e. the down, fly the longest distance and get into the posterior chamber whereas the heaviest parts, i. e.

The different components can be separated by varying the intensity of the airflow.

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

How are down and feathers collected from the birds? Are they plucked from the living animal?

Down and feathers as a by-product

Down and feathers are a by-product of poultry meat production. The amount of the geese and ducks kept for this purpose are closely connected to the corresponding meat consumption. In Asian countries, for instance, poultry meat is one of the main foods of the population.

Down and feathers as a by-product

In this context have a look at further information at: What are the regions of origin of down and feathers?

Plucking

Down and feathers are usually collected after slaughtering of the birds.

The moulting, the natural shed of the plumage, also plays a role for the collecting of down and feathers after the slaughtering. It is important that ducks and geese are slaughtered exactly at the time of their moulting period in order not to hurt their skin. For most birds, this is the case when they reach the first moulting period, i.e. ducks at the age of 8 to 12 weeks and geese at the age of 14 weeks.

Those birds that are not primarily destined for meat production, but for instance kept for breeding purposes (breeding geese) live longer and undergo a process during which the feathers are shed due to hormonal reasons (moulting season). Down and feathers from those birds can be collected manually.

The material harvested from the living birds is of particular high quality as it usually comes from older, further developed birds which make it more expensive, too. Nowadays, there is a high demand for such collected down and feathers predominantly in Asian countries (especially Japan).

Hand plucking

Geese reach their moulting period at the age of 12 to 14 weeks which means that the down and feathers shed and are replaced by new ones.

Thus, down and feathers are harvested by hand when the natural moulting process takes place.

One has to wait until the down and feathers have reached the right degree of maturity. Feathers then grow again after 6 to 7 weeks and the cycle repeats itself. Harvesting of feathers concerns the traditional breeding geese (which lay eggs and produce offspring). They reach the moulting period 3 to 4 times a year.

Only a fraction of the traded down and feathers is collected from geese by hand. According to estimates, over 98% of the worldwide supply of down and feathers are harvested after the slaughtering of the bird as the consumer prefers young meat from smaller birds (statistic calculations of the European Down and Feather Association, EDFA).

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

How are down and feathers processed into bedding articles?

The raw down and feathers must be processed before they may be used as filling material for bedding articles.

First of all, the raw down and feathers are cleaned of coarse dirt. Then they are placed in special washing machines and undergo 6 to 8 washing cycles using a specific detergent suitable for bedfeathers.

The raw down and feathers must be processed before they may be used as filling material for bedding articles.

In a next step, the down and feathers are dried and sterilized in a steamer at temperatures exceeding 100 °C.

After the drying process they are placed in the dedusting machine to remove fine dust which has not yet been cleared during the washing cycles and are cooled down to normal temperature.

Finally, the down and feathers are sorted. The basic types obtained from sorting are used to confect special down and feather blends according to the customer´s order.

The requirements for the hygienic state of the filling material are specified in EN 12935. The Daunasan^® / Downafresh^® brand indicates that bedding articles labelled with this brand are consistently monitored by means of mystery shopping to ensure at the best that products labelled with Daunasan^® / Downafresh^® meet the hygiene requirements.

Further information at :

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

Who defined what is “harvesting feathers and down from the live animal at the moment of moulting” or “live plucking” and when was it defined?

How the harvesting feathers and down from the live animal at the moment of moulting has to be carried out, is laid down e. g. in the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes (see also: first publishing of the German translation of recommendations by the Standing Committee of the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes on February 7^th, 2000 in the Bundesanzeiger [German Federal Gazette], volume 52 No.

Although we have triggered this process, we merely forwarded the topic to a working group of experts, in order to have it dealt with on a supranational European level.

This convention specifically forbids inflicting any harm or injury on farm animals. Thus, it is forbidden to harvest feathers and down from live animals outside the moulting season, for example.

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

What is the basis of the insulating effect of down and feathers?

The insulating capacity which acts as a barrier against cold is one of the most outstanding properties of down and feathers (the capacity to store warmth, heat insulation). This property is grounded on the capability of down and feathers to store millions of insulating air-filled buffers.

You know that air is not a good heat conductor.

You know that air is not a good heat conductor. For instance double glazed windows and cavity bricks benefit from this property.

The air between the two layers of double glazed windows has an outstanding heat insulating effect.

The same physical principle works with a down- and- feather- filled quilt. The down and feathers form countless air-filled pockets which make up a large percentage of the volume of the quilt. These air-filled pockets make up the insulating layer which prevents the heat of the body from disappearing.

It is almost impossible to examine the filling of finished products and check, whether the composition of the filling was reported correctly on the label.

At this point, you should pay attention to the indications reported on the label. The product properties are confirmed there and the quality standards that apply to the product are indicated.

The TRAUMPASS and Daunasan^® / Downafresh^®refer to the filling. It is stated by NOMITE that the quilt is suitable for house-dust-mite-allergy-sufferers, and the KIS^®Komfort Information System is a valuable assistance for you to choose the optimum quilt.

Source: Verband der Deutschen Daunen- und Federnindustrie e.V.

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