Chicken Feather Fletchings??

[Jeremiah]

I have a few questions about using chicken feathers to fletch some cane arrows.

I read a great how to by madcrow on removing turkey feathers quill intact only problem is I don't have access to any turkey feathers.... but I do get a fresh batch of a quarter million chickens or so every 8 weeks.

So do chicken feathers make good fletchings?
If so, how you tell a primary feather, and if its left or right, if you just came across it on the ground?
Any way to humanely nab a few good primaries off a fat chicken about to head out to the choppin block?

Might seem silly, just tryin to finish up my first batch of arrows and don't want to have to wait around til the spring to get a turkey.

Thanks for any advice!

[half eye]

Jer...
    The primaries are the hard feathers on a birds wing. Primaries have two different sizes on @ side on the quill.....a skinny side and a fatter side. Take your "found" feather and put the shinny side up. Now hold the feather with the skinny part facing forward and fat side facing backward.....if the feather "droops" to the right it's right wing.....if it droops left, well ya get the idea.
     Dont know any reason why they wont work as far as mechanics goes. Only question is are they long enough for what ya want (if ya want 6" fletch ya might have a problem....but if your looking for 4" or maybe 5" they might make it)
     Most poultry places scald the dead birds to get the feathers out easier, so ya can just pick some out of the "big mess". Being wet and all matted up dont hurt the feather at all....just dry it out and whack it couple times in your hand and it will be good as new. Matter of fact you can actually wash them in a dish detergent solution in a bucket, rinse, and shake them up in a sack full of sawdust and ya got clean, well manicured feathers.
    Hope that helps ya some....Ya dont know for sure less ya try it, nothin wrong with usin what ya got.
rich

[Jeremiah]

Hey half eye, thanks for the reply. Thats enough to go on and like ya said can't hurt to try. I'll post some pics if it works out alright.

[FlintWalker]

Good to see ya around Jeremiah!  You still shootin' the "chicken" bow   I never got a chance to see it after you put a finish on it. Bet it looks good.

[JackCrafty]

Chicken feathers are very delicate compared to turkey, but they work, of course.  I've used guinea feathers and rooster tail feathers and they work fine as long as you don't get them oily, muddy, or bloody....any type of liquid besides water will make 'em look like they came out of a cat's mouth. 

The upper arrow has duck and pheasant wing fletching.  The lower has guinea wing....notice the helix.

[Cacatch]

Like Jackcrafty said. Use what ya got. Chicken feathers will work, just don't get them wet if you can help it. Also, if you are using wing primaries, you will have to work with the curves of them. I wouldn't hesistate to use chicken feathers if that's what I had available. Smaller feathers than chicken have been used with very good success.

CP

[JW_Halverson]

I've seen mallard secondaries used...the ones with the iridescent blue across them! Sweeeeeeet looking fletching.  Waterfowl season is coming up, got any duck hunting guides in the area that might save wings for you? 

To help you determine the primaries from secondaries, imagine the wing as your arm.  The primaries are out on the "finger" section, secondaries are on the forearm and upper arm.  Primaries work better because they are stiffer, but secondaries work fine, too.  Just leave a bit more height to the feather when you trim them up.

And don't forget tail feathers, ducks, geese, and other game birds often have good fletching on BOTH sides of the quill.

[JackCrafty]

Hmmm...careful.  Not all feathers are legal for fletching.  All the feathers I use come from domesticated birds.

[JW_Halverson]

I've checked with both the staties and the feds on the subject, legally harvested game animal feathers are perfectly legal in all 50 states. 

I went further and asked if non-native species raptor feathers would be legal.  Of course I got a bad case of "fish eye" from both, but when pressed, they both said it was legal.  Now the problem I got is that the African auger buzzard feathers are indredibly close to their American cousin, the redtailled hawk.  The wing feathers of the African King vulture are also virtually identical to black vultures and turkey vultures.  So....I sure as Aitch  Eee Double Hockey sticks ain't gonna use them!  Cuz once they look at you with that fish eye, they are gonna keep looking.  And who needs that?  I'll stick with the legally harvested game animal feathers with a few purchased turkey feathers from Custom Feather. 

[lowell]

Jeremiah, 

  I would use what ever I had.....but if you would like some secondary turkey and maybe a few primary..I'd be glad to send you some.  I like turkey!! ..... and would be glad to have you try some!!

  Let me know and an address if you want some!!. ....and if you prefer left or right!!      Lowell

[Jeremiah]

Hey sorry for just gettin back to everyone... I've been away from the computer for awhile - which was nice!!!

You can always count on the PA community to lend some great advice. Good explanation on the primary v. secondary JW, I'm gonna put your knowledge to use!

 Jack those are some nice lookin fletchings and I'm itchin to give the chicken feathers a try. I'll post pictures along with the finished chicken bow Saw Filer!

Just so happens that Akransas has some great duck huntin, and I got some great friends that would give me wings no problem. I'll callin them after posting this!

lowell I'm gonna PM you and we can work out a trade and addresses.

Hey another question, I was readin the forums and came across someone who mentioned splittin cane to put in the fletchings, I was just gonna glue/wrap mine. Any words of wisdom how to split cane instead? I'll like to try both techniques....
Thanks yall

[mullet]

Coowachobee, makes arrows that way. He splits the cane and inserts a short length of turkey tail feather. Then wraps sinew in front of the feather and behind it to hold the split together tight and hold the feather in place. This is a two fletch arrow using one feather.

[Jeremiah]

Sounds interesting Mullet, thanks for the info.

Just an update on the chicken feathers... all the ones I found from our chickens just weren't big enough to do anything with. Luckily I got in a shipment of turkey feathers from one of yall so I've been workin on straightenin cane and cuttin nocks. Big thanks to the support of the PA community! I'm hopin to have atleast 3 arrows or so ready to shoot by openin deer season this weekend!