>If you're feathers are plucked I liked the microwave trick Joyce told >me. I throw >them in the microwave for a minute and let them cool >then repeat it a couple times. > That will kill everything.
Hi everyone, Being a 'lab rat', I felt I had to mention this one: A pressure cooker works wonders. Those fancy hospital sterilizers - autoclaves, they are called - work in the same way. Pressure to 15psi, and some steam, creates a condition which kills everything shy of a spore. Seeing as our birds don't have Bacillus anthraxis (that is anthrix - at least one would hope they don't have it!), you're fairly safe with a simple pressure-cooking for, oh, 15 or 20 minutes. Just make sure the feathers aren't in the liquid-phase (water) or it warps and even fades the feathers. I use a raised grate, myself. I use this on lamb's wool, too, and it works just fine. My color stays, even after a vinegar-fixed dyeing, so I'd *GUESS* that feathers are similar after dyeing. Just my 2 cents... -Pete ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
