It is useful to know what kind of down and why it is the best.
The grade of down, the type and its origin affect the quality and price. Down is not feathers. Occurs on the bird separately, 35-45 rays hold the cone (the point that holds the rays). A separately occurring ray is not fluff. Down covers the entire bird. It helps the bird maintain its body temperature. The bird has down on its head, neck, wings, underbelly. Its length depends on where it is located. Fine, with short rays occurs on the head and is called head, on the neck cervical, on the wings winged. These are down short. Thick downs occur on the underbelly and sides of the bird. And these down because of their length are the most valuable.
Only floating birds, namely geese and ducks, have down. Burrowing birds of the hen type replace themselves with down so-called. A bolster attached to the root of the feather. A drenched hen, frozen is moody. Thus, by lifting the feathers that cover her, she uses a feathered pad clinging to her body. And this protects it to some extent from temperature loss. But we are interested in down, which is used to make quilts and jackets. In total, there are two types of down origin:
1. rural down from small farms. Feathers with down from the countryside are beautiful, fine feathers and down, but often long and poorly stored and therefore crumble, break. They are often attacked by parasites, such as moths. Another disadvantage of this raw material is often that the housewife keeps geese and ducks and after slaughtering collects these feathers into one bag. Therefore, in feathers and at the same time in down there is adulteration with another species, in this case the cheaper, less valuable duck feather. The down obtained from rural feathers after processing in processing plants reaches 5-15% of duck down, which significantly reduces the price of down.
2. Slaughter fluff, which is obtained from raw material from broiler and mother poultry slaughterhouses. Down from mothers is the most valuable due to its length, purity of species and freshness.
It should be noted that goose down is far superior to duck down. The reason for this is that duck down has shorter rays, is softer, more brittle, the lifespan of this down is shorter than goose down. The most important reason is musk. It is fat, which is only found in duck feathers. Musk is very difficult to remove in the washing process. Occasionally, it can cause allergic symptoms.
We already know that down comes from geese and ducks. We know that from the farm geese or ducks delivered to the slaughterhouse, we will get the slaughter raw material, and after processing, the slaughter down, which gives us a guarantee of the purity of the species of down in question. Here there are no moles, damage or adulteration. Therefore, the resulting down is very valuable and expensive.
We already know about the rural raw material, which is harvested by the so-called “rural”. Buyers, traveling feather buyers. A beautiful story, however, already dying. It happened that before the holidays they would go to the innkeepers with extra money, often much needed, which was used for the holidays or used for the spring purchase of young birds. By the way, you can mention the ruffling of feathers for pillows and quilts. It is also a dying tradition and history. Meeting neighbors ruffled feathers by stripping the feather flap, or pennant, from the hard pile. They obtained soft feathers for the pillow. I will also mention the purchase of used feathers obtained from quilts, quilts and pillows. It is the least valuable raw material, which even after the best processing will not recover. Down and feathers used after processing are called reconditioned or simply used. And so the quilt should be honestly labeled, that is, that the input is from feathers or used down.
To summarize: the best down is the down of geese from mothers, sometimes hand-removed, from the slaughterhouse.
If the abattoir uses plucking divided into wing, neck and underbelly feathers, the down obtained from the underbelly is the most valuable. Called A1 in processing plants. In the past, such raw material was also extracted from the so-called “raw materials”. plucking live geese. The best was the first post-winter pluck from the mothers, very rich in down. Several pluckings were used, even 4. One pluck, the so-called. cosmetic, the weakest was made from young geese, broilers. These pluckings were performed during the bird’s moulting period, just as a cat or dog, for example, moults. At certain times it loses its coat, and the bird feathers and fluffs. However, organizations protecting bird welfare have strongly banned plucking from live birds. And they were the best feathers and down, hand-removed. I am surprised why such a decision was made. After all, feathers and down birds will lose during moulting. But since it’s not allowed, it’s not allowed.
It is important that the raw material purchased from an abattoir or from a so-called “slaughterhouse. buyers should go to a professional processing plant, where under the control of professionals it is subjected to sorting, washing in appropriate detergents, dust removal. The percentage, quality of the species and many other parameters are then determined under laboratory control. Down well washed and sorted reaches approx. 90-93% down content. The processing of goose or duck raw material, and therefore obtaining goose or duck down, follows a similar cycle, except that different chemicals are used.
Now you know that pure goose down is the best, followed by duck down. The weakest and cheapest is regenerated (used) down. When buying a quilt of the best grade, it is worth paying attention to who produced it, whether it has a certificate of the input, i.e. down. The certificate should include the name of the down species, its origin, and the percentage composition. In the case of down blends, the proportions should be listed. Nothing can replace a quilt made of goose or duck down. I will conclude by mentioning why down is irreplaceable. The secret is hidden in the construction of down. Earlier I mentioned that down is a suppository, from which grows 35-45 rays from 1.5-4 cm long. Well, and this very ray is made of so-called triangular pouches (FIGURE), which act like lungs – they exchange air. A well-ventilated quilt, the down of which has drawn fresh air into the pouches, used during sleep by pressing gives up fresh air, and takes what a person has evaporated during sleep…. Then by airing the quilt, pressing, gently fluttering, the down gives back what it has taken in during the night, and takes in fresh air. And so the cycle closes. Proper use of a quilt extends its life. However, after a couple of seasons, the down wears off, it withers, and loses its value. It is then necessary to buy a new quilt. After all, we spend half of our lives sleeping, resting. It is necessary to take care of health. Shoes, clothes we buy often, and what is most important, that is, our health we forget. Therefore, for the sake of health, you should buy a new comforter and pillow. The easiest way is to buy a quilt made of synthetic or remake an old quilt from grandma. With this quilt, it’s like getting your shoes refurbished at a cobbler’s. It will also last a while. A synthetic quilt will never replace a natural product, i.e. down. By the way, I am amused by people selling the famous quilts from woolies and their trotted out tales of feathers and mites, but that’s not this topic.
Take care of a healthy sleep and leisure. Without the wonderful goose or duck down, you will not truly rest.
Jerzy Slowinski
