I have a nice pintail that a guy brought to me that has bent tail feathers because of how he wrapped it prior to freezing. How do I straighten these feathers and make them stay in place.
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I have straitened some pretty distorted pheasant tails by using the old tea kettle. And a little gentle persuasion.
I have encountered the same problem in the past. With a steady hand and a little patience you can cut the lower part of the quill of the feather and insert a straight piece of 20 or 22 gauge wire into the feather. Now you can straighten the feather and it will hold it's shape. The lower part of the quill can then be reattached with a small drop of Zap-A-Gap. Take your time, you might even practice a little on some discarded wing feathers. (I keep a few goose wings throughout the year so Rover doesn't forget his job.) I usually make the cut with a new scalpel blade, but it takes a very steady hand. Or you could steam them.
If the spine is bent beyond repair, you can fix the bend by steaming, straightening and then using a polyethelene tooth pick, a piece of dermal tape and a micro drop of CA. Straighten the spine, tape the toothpick into a bracing position on the underside of the feather and then apply a tiny drop of CA to the site with a round, sharp toothpick. The CA will not stick to the polyethelene and the tape will not adhere to the feathers. A second drop on the upper surface for "insurance" may be required. Be careful not to get the CA on the barbules themselves.
If they are just bent from curling and the spine is intact, steaming them is the only way to go. The tea kettle or a steam iron will do the trick.......DO NOT IRON the feathers, just pass the steam jets over the surface.....LOL. You can also place the feathers in position on a cotton diaper and apply a second damp diaper on top and steam iron it a bit to get things going...BE CAREFUL!
Good Luck