Feathers of Art !
Emu feathers vary in size from less than 1 inch to roughly 18 inches long. The smaller Emu featherthe feather, the softer. As the feathers increase in length, they become more straw-like in their feel. All of these feathers are double plumed, or have two feathers coming out of the same shaft. Feather color ranges from a soft off-white to shades of brown and seal.
The lower part of the shaft is called the quill. The upper is called the rhachis. The quill is very tiny. The primary and secondary rhachis comes out of it. The reason the emu father is so soft and flexible is because the vanes are not held together by barbs like on most other bird feathers.
There are 1 1/4 pounds of feathers on an adult bird. Of these, 3/4 to 1 pound are usable. Emu feathers are finding niches in a number of different industries, including the fashion, fishing, automotive and craft industries.