The feathers can be from a duck, a goose or even a chicken. The best feathers come from water birds because the birds grow feathers that keep the bird warm, even when the water is very [...]]]> A pillow is considered to be a feather pillow if it is stuffed with any type of feathers.

The feathers can be from a duck, a goose or even a chicken. The best feathers come from water birds because the birds grow feathers that keep the bird warm, even when the water is very cold.

Since it requires some work to get the feathers from birds, feather pillows are usually much more expensive than pillow stuffed with man made materials.

The most popular type of feathers for pillows and comforters is down. Down feathers are the very soft, fine feathers found under the layer of outer feathers on water birds. The down keeps the bird warm even when they are immersed in very cold water. This explains why it works as such a great insulator in comforters and ski jackets. The down is able to keep a persons body heat from escaping.

The best quality down comes from mature geese that live in colder climates such as Hungary or Canada. More expensive down products are usually made from goose down, which is softer and has practically no odor. Lower quality down comes from younger birds whose down is less resilient. If a product is not labels “goose down” it is probably duck down, which is less costly.

The loft, or fill power is defined as the space that one ounce of down takes up, measured in cubic inches. The higher the fill power, the higher the quality of the feather pillow. The best feather pillows will have a fill power of 700 or 800.

When purchasing a feather pillow, you should also be aware of the thread count of the ticking that encases the feathers. The closer the thread count is to 800, the less likely the feathers will come through as your pillow ages. Encasings with higher thread counts will also be softer and more durable.

The down inside a pillow can become compressed when used daily, which is why it is always a good idea to fluff up your pillow as often as possible. You can do this by hand when you make your bed, or use your dryer to fluff up the pillows.

You can purchase feather pillows from department stores, from companies that specialize in down products or from many online stores. With proper care, a feather pillow can last a very long time.