Rooster feathers look best on their rightful owners, but the strange trend of feather hair extensions is on the rise. To obtain the feathers (which are traditionally used as fishing lures), roosters are typically confined for 30 weeks—the majority of their short lives—in tiny, stacked cages inside deafeningly loud barns before they are killed and skinned.
The owner of Whiting Farms in Delta, Colorado—one of the largest feather farms in the U.S.—described the cruel conditions in which he keeps roosters:
[We're] sentencing [each rooster] to a solitary cage for the last 6 months, with nothing to look at or listen to other than lots of other confined roosters ... [y]our sentiments can quickly shift from wanting to evaluate their necks to wringing [t]hem. Some of my most sheepish moments in life have been after hurling an especially bad rooster across the barn in utter frustration ....
Would you support the slaughter of thousands of animals each week just so that you could jump on board with the latest fashion trend? That's exactly what you are doing when you purchase feather hair extensions for your locks.
Upon first glance, feather hair extensions might seem innocent enough, but they are in fact the reason that many roosters lose their lives. Roosters used to make these extensions are bred and genetically altered to produce long, luxurious saddle feathers (the ones on their backsides, which can take years to grow) before they are killed and de-feathered for their precious plumage. What costs these animals their lives in turn costs anywhere from $40 to $500 per saddle and can only be worn by the consumer for a scant two or three months.
Fortunately, you don't need blood on your hands in order to strut your stuff like a peacock (if you're into that): check out PETA's DIY ribbon version of these accessories, and be sure to have a look at Sarah's Etsy store for some super pretty feather-inspired vegan hair extensions.
Source: Feather Hair Extensions: A Trend Worth Killing For? and Fashion Fad Is Fatal To Roosters
Pictures are from We Heart It and Google Images
