It’s All the Rage

So apparently there is a rooster shortage starting due to our need to make fashion statements. Rooster feather extensions, worn by Kesha, Steven Tyler, and Miley Cyrus, are getting quite popular among those who want to stay “in fashion”.

These roosters are being bred for their saddle feathers, and the rooster is allowed to live till these feathers reach desired lengths (and then they are sadly euthanized).

At Whiting Farms Inc., in western Colorado, one of the world’s largest producers of fly tying feathers, the roosters live about a year while their saddle feathers — the ones on the bird’s backside and the most popular for hair extensions — grow as long as possible. Then the animal is euthanized.

As hair extensions, the feathers can be brushed, blow dried, straightened and curled once they are snapped into place. Most salons sell the feather strands for $5 to $10 a piece. The trend has become so popular a company online even sells feather extensions for dogs.

The craze has also left hairstylists scrambling to find rooster saddle feathers, as fly shops hold onto a select few for their regular customers. The businesses will now ask if the feathers are for hairdressing, said Shelley Ambroz, who owns MiraBella Salon and Spa in Boise.

“If you go in and you’re a woman, they won’t sell to you,” said Ambroz, who started to eye her husband’s fly-fishing gear after stores ran out.

Spread the word to stop the craze! I love my feather earrings as much as the next person, and you need to be careful where you source those as well. Check out etsy stores such as BelleEpoch who use molt collected feathers as to not harm any birds.

I’m going on vacation for awhile and working on a certain upcoming project so I won’t be blogging very much this summer. Take care and much love xo

Stace