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Someone in a backyard chicken group we below to on social media posed the question, “What does everyone do with their chicken feathers?“

We definitely took an interest in uses for chicken feathers since we have baskets, tins cans, and a few vases with loose feathers we’ve picked up over time and have been planning to put to use.

Below are some of the answers, but first on the list is one of the projects were were inspired to create as a result of finally putting some of those feathers to use other than collecting dust.

1. Cat toy.

This was pretty easy to make. It just took feathers and a rubber band to wind them together. Then we used some elastic string to attach a few bells. We tied on a ribbon and secured it with decorative duct tape. Motor, who is shown below, loves this toy! I think the fact that there is probably a scent from the chickens on the feathers caught her attention, and the bells and ribbons also help to make it very irresistible.

2. Dreamcatchers.

A few people responded that they make dreamcatchers with the feathers. Some sell theirs on Etsy, perhaps making a small profit or perhaps just being able to afford more chicken feed.

We haven’t tried this yet, although, as you can see, we do own a dream catcher (which was a gift from a former student).

But, if you’re interested in making your own (let us know if you want to borrow some feathers, lol) we do recommend the following youtube video, which shows how to make a dream catcher for beginners:

3. Feather jewelry.

More than a couple of people responded that they make jewelry with their feathers. We went to Etsy to check out the chicken feather jewelry scene and were surprised not only by the incredible assortment of earrings, necklaces and more, but to see quite a few pieces of chicken feather jewelry we wouldn’t mind owning.

4. Fishing lures.

Yet another response was fishing lures. One of our family members is an avid fisher and says feathered lures can be very good for reeling in some fish. Here’s a how-to link:

5. Feather Christmas tree ornaments and trees.

Some said they make them to give as gifts as holiday time, which we think is a great idea. Some people simply take feathers and place them inside those round, clear plastic ornament balls that you can open and put anything inside before hanging on your tree.

Here’s a video that, although it’s still a bit early, may get you in the Christmas spirit.

While we were looking for feather ornament examples, we stumbled across instructions for how to make feather Christmas trees. Below is one how-to video. These are really pretty, but even with what we have collected from our Silkie Chickens, we’d probably have to buy more feathers to have enough for the project.

6. Wreaths.

This was a popular answer too, and, again, some make theirs to sell on sites like Etsy. But others keep theirs. One person mentioned that they have their wreath hanging up in their living room and simply add feathers to it as they accumulate new ones — an egg-cellent idea (yeah, we went there). We found this beautiful feather wreath at Hobby Lobby and took a picture to help inspire us to make our own (hopefully, somewhere near as nice) creation when we have enough feathers (maybe we need more Silkies!).

And, if that puts you in the mood to get crafty, here’s a how-to video for a pretty feather wreath:

So, we covered a lot of ground! From dream catchers to fishing lures, and from ornaments to jewelry. Do you have any other ideas or photos of what you’ve done with your chicken feathers? We’d love it if you’d share them with us.