The Origins of Down
What is down? The outermost surface of a bird are the feathers, which are characterized by a quill
and stiff feathers extending from it. Underneath these so-called flight feathers is another layer
known as plumules or down. It is much softer, quill-less and forms little round clumps much different from the
outer feathers. However, note that many products will have both types of feathers.
Quality Matters
Not all down is created the same. There is low quality and high quality. Although China is now the biggest
producer of down products in the world, many people regard the quality to be inferior to products from
other parts of the world. Whether or not this is true, the fact is that there is great variation in
quality of merchanidise. To insulate yourself against accidentally buying something low quality for a
high price, look at the quantifiable measurements of your merchandise next time.
Why is there variation in quality then across the world? The main reason seems to be the age of the bird
at harvesting. It's been reported that geese in China are harvested at young ages, because geese are
a high volume source of meat. Down is usually collected after the birds are slaughtered for consumption.
In other places, the fowl are permitted to grow until adulthood to accommodate specific times for feasting.
Younger birds tend to have smaller clusters of down feathers, whereas the older birds will have larger ones.
The small clusters results in lower fill power ratings and are cheaper, of less insulating ability, than
the large clusters from mature geese.
Fill Power
The fill power is one of the most important numbers. Most products are rated to have fill powers of 400-900
cubic inches per ounce. What does this mean? Basically, the higher quality down is fluffier, with more loft,
and therefore occupies a greater volume ounce-for-ounce compared to the lower quality item. The highest
fill power is around 900 cubic inches per ounce, whereas the lowest is around 400. Some items have lower ratings
than that, and these will unappealing and flat, and not able to retain heat well.
Harvesting
How is the down harvested from waterfowl? As mentioned, most birds are killed for food and the collection of
its feathers takes place after the fact. There is a small minority of birds that are live-plucked instead.
Harvesting starts from young birds less than a year old up to four years old. The organization PETA has
proclaimed live-plucking to be a cruel practice, citing evidence that the birds suffer greatly. Measurements
of stress hormones show doubling in levels in these birds, which is usually interpreted as a sign of tremendous
distress. Many people choose down alternatives to avoid participating in what they perceive to be a form
of animal cruelty.
Either Eider?
There is another type of down known as eider, named after the ducks. In Iceland, eider ducks are a protected
species. Down harvesters are still able to harvest by collecting feathers from nests. The problem is that
these feathers are used to line a nest in order to improve its insulation. Harvestation damages the
ability of the nest to help hatch eider duck eggs. Again, many people are picking down alternatives to
avoid this type of indirect harm on eider ducks.
