All that remained of this turkey found in a coyote lair were its beautiful flight feathers. The kill was so fresh, clumps of flesh around the quills were still red with blood.
A bunch of these zebra striped turkey feathers in a vase I thought might be attractive. And too perhaps our neighborhood kids may like some to make quill pens with. Knowing that bird feathers are rife with parasites and lice, rather than picking them up with bare hands, I went home and got a large plastic bag and secured that tightly around the collected feathers. The feathers were kept in the freezer for over a week. Next step is to store the feathers at the ambient air temperature for another week to allow eggs of any remaining parasites and lice to hatch. After the week in fresh air, they will be placed back in the freezer for another week. Feathers that are dirty will be washed very gently in mild soapy water. The quill ends will need to be soaked in a light bleach and water solution to sterilize and remove residual clumps of turkey skin.
Interestingly, while looking up how to make quill pens, I learned that the word pen comes from the Latin word penna, which means feather.
Good Morning Gloucester 