Raising geese for down...anyone?

Beekissed

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I've been interested for some time in raising geese for down and making down comforters and pillows. Anyone here do this and could you tell me the details?

I think this would be one more way of being self-sufficient, plus another way of diversifying your income. I can find very little in the library, or online, that refers to breeds that are good for this and how it is done.

I've heard that geese and sheep make good pasture mates and geese need very little maintenance, so this sounds like a possible way to make my place just one more notch up on the SS scale. Meat, down, keeping the orchard mowed down, good guard "dogs", etc.

Edited to add: Please refrain from expressing opinions about the merits of plucking down, as this is not relevant to my questions. If you MUST express an opinion, then that is certainly your perogative, but I don't wish this to become a debate on animal cruelty. Thank you! :)
 

RLAZ

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I heard its a hard process. You have to kill the bird, get the feathers, clean the feathers etc. Bu I think It can be self sufficiennt if you make a lot of quilts or pillows. They can also be quite valuable, so...Like ticks said, "Go For It!" :D
 

Beekissed

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Yeah, I posted in both sites when it didn't look as if I could get an informed response on the BYC, but have since gotten several posts that are useful and insightful! Thanks for the link!
 

hensdeliverthegoods

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Funny you should bring this up, I just saw an epidsode of "How It's Made" the other day that showed the process. Now mind you, it was on a huge scale, but it does appear that you have to do a lot of washing and processing, etc. But then, our forbearers all did it to make their warm blankets, so I doubt it's too difficult on a small scale. Should be very interesting....
 

ticks

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hensdeliverthegoods said:
Funny you should bring this up, I just saw an epidsode of "How It's Made" the other day that showed the process. Now mind you, it was on a huge scale, but it does appear that you have to do a lot of washing and processing, etc. But then, our forbearers all did it to make their warm blankets, so I doubt it's too difficult on a small scale. Should be very interesting....
Yes, It does sound fairly hard to do9.
 

Rosalind

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You know what, I would imagine (and I have absolutely no evidence for this, it's just a thought) that work-wise and $$-wise it would be more economical to devote acreage to something like milkweed. It makes the same kind of fiber-fluff as down, requires minimal feeding and soil prep, and tolerates dry summers pretty well (in my yard, anyway).

Mother Earth News article
 

ticks

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Actually, that's not a bad idea at all. I think the price to buy, feed, and house the geese would be more than if you just bought the pillow.
 

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