Aussie Finch Forum

I find emu feathers are used more as a nest building material rather than for nest lining, must be the colour.

how would you go about sterilizing the feathers?
plenty of them suckers around here

You could put the in a pillow case and tie the end up and put them in your clothes dryer, the heat should kill of any bugs.

I buy a pillow from the op shop.wash is in bleach in the washing machine,then dry in the sun in a onion bag.
When posible i get emu feathers from a emu that has fallen over.Leave the feathers on the bench in the sun untill completely dried.then do the same as for a pilllow.when i cant find one which has fallen over,I buy them from the bird club.

buy emu feather from the local club or when travelling look out for a dead one and plucket it .whith white feathers either pluck it from me dads ducks and chooks and put in the dryer
thanks chris

While we r on the subject of nest building found a plant up near work the other day looks like it could b good nesting material and wanted 2 know if it was harmful in anyway 2 my birds. Dont know the name of the plant but i can try and explain it. Its a tall reedy type plant the reeds are quite rough they grab on2 u when u walk past it. The head of the plant is like a feather duster really soft this is the part of the plant that looks useful. Any ideas????

Is it pampas.The one on this link with the fluffy white seed heads.
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/ag/nox_weeds.htm

If it is this it is a nocious weed.but some finches love to use the heads as a lining for thier nests.You find them growing along roadsides.Where there is one you will find more.Local councils poison them.So make sure you contact your local council to find out if they have been sprayed.I use them as nesting material.

Always dry them out before use.As the birds can get pnomonia,from any green material used in nesting,So i have heard.

Thats it by the looks of it it on our property at work so i dont think it would b poisoned but will ask around b4 use. looks like good nesting material anyway thanks again

I give my birds access to pampas grass as a nesting material all the time.
to collect it all I do is cut the stalks off about a foot below the seed heads and then hang them in the shed for 2 or 3 months to dry before using