When SHTF, you need to consider everything around you as a valuable survival resource. It’s even better if you can find ways to use things that are renewable, such as feathers.

Feathers are a renewable natural resource you can find anywhere and are taken for granted in everyday life. However, I’d like to show you how ordinary bird feathers can be used to make useful survival gear.

Tinder

Bird feathers are very flammable, and when they’re dry, you can quickly build a fire with just a small spark. Small feathers can be used as is, but with larger feathers you should cut them into smaller pieces.

Stack the feathers in a small pile and place your fire starter at the base of the feather pile. Strike the fire starter to send sparks down a rod and directly into the feathers. The feathers will quickly catch on fire, and you can then add kindling to grow your fire.

Fishing Lures

Feathers can be used to make your own fishing lures, which work almost as well as synthetic lures. Try to find feathers that are colorful and shiny because that’s what most fish are attracted to. It’s also best if the feathers you use are fairly small.

You’ll have to experiment to find out which types of feathers attract certain types of fish. Once you do, you’ll have an easy way to catch dinner whenever you’re low on food. You’ll still need a hook and lure to go with your homemade lure.

Pillows

Have you ever slept on a genuine feather down pillow? People gladly pay lots of money for the privilege of sleeping on them…and with a bit of work, you can make your very own feather down pillow for free!

Goose feathers are what’s usually used, though any type of feather will work. It can take a while to find enough feathers to fill a pillow, but if you raise chickens, this won’t be a problem.

Before you use the pillow, stuff the feathers into a pillowcase and wash them to get the germs off. Dry them afterwards and enjoy your fluffy new pillow.

Comforters

You can also use feathers to make a feather down comforter. It’s the same process as making a feather down pillow. Just collect the feathers, stuff them into a comforter, wash them, and then enjoy.

You’ll need a lot more feathers to make a comforter, so if you don’t raise your own chickens, you can expect this process to take a while.

When making your comforter, sew sections into it so the feathers don’t all fall to one side of the comforter. Using sections keeps the feathers evenly distributed so you stay nice and warm at night.

Turkey Wing Hunting Call

Instead of waiting around for your prey to show up by chance, why not make your prey come to you?

You can make a turkey wing call out of turkey feathers that will bring them to you. A wing call mimics the flapping sound a hen makes when landing. Male turkeys hear that noise and come rushing over to greet the hen.

You’ll need to have the primary feathers of a turkey and something to attach the feathers to. You can cut up the wing bone of the turkey as the base for the call, as in the video below, or you can make your own base out of something else, such as a stick.

Writing Quills

Before modern pens were invented, we used feather quills dipped in ink.

Shave off some of the fibers so you have enough room to grip the stem, then cut off the very tip of the stem. Use a razor to cut off part of the tip so you have a pointy end to write with.

Compost

Feathers are perfectly safe to add to your compost pile.  If your chickens are healthy and don’t have any parasites, they make a nice nutrient-rich addition to your pile.

Arrows

A bow and arrow is a great weapon to have in a SHTF scenario. It’s even better if you can build your own bow, or at least make your own arrows. That way, you’ll always have a way to hunt and you’ll never run out of ammo.

Feathers can be used to make the fletch of your arrows. The fletch is what helps your arrows fly straight, fly further, and more accurately hit their target.  Turkey feathers are best for this, though you can use other feathers too.