Treating turkey feathers?

[Biathlonman]

I've recently acquired a large quantity of turkey feathers from my hunting buddies and I'm curious if you all typically treat them with some kind of pesticide, what you use, and how you do it.  Thanks.

[Charlie Lamb]

I put them in an air tight container with a couple of mothballs. Some guys object to the odor, but they come in a more pleasant cedar scent too.

Freezing goes a long way toward killing the mites that live on the feather.

[macbow]

Same as Charlie. I usually put whole wings in the freezer till I get to them.
If you don't like moth balls a little Seven dust will also work.

[darin putman]

My first year grinding my own, just walked in from grinding a few for some surewoods I'm making. A friend recommends Borax so that's what I use seems to work great for me.

[Sockrsblur]

I've read the freezer and microwave kills the Mites. I went with the freezer this year. I really like the 2 gallon freezer ziploc bags for keeping them in. I keep right and left in different bags. Write on the bag with permanent marker. Works great.

[Jon Stewart]

Freeze for a few days, thaw, freeze for a few days, thaw, freeze for a few days. Seems to kill the mites and future mites.  Been doing this for years and have never had any trouble.

[Doc Nock]

Magnus recommends the Borax treatment.  I found once frozen, then thawed, the "meat" on the wing bones comes off nicely with a standard box cutter...then more borax to dry the bones and off to Magnus they go!

[two4hooking]

I freeze for a week and then sprinkle with borax.

[Mike Vines]

I literally have a freezer full from successful friends.  My wife asked me last weekend to "please clean out the freezer", so I guess Magnus has a package inbound really soon.

[magnus]

You can spray them with mite spray you get at the pet store and seal them tightly afterwords. Moth balls work great like Charlie said. The smell goes away after a few days. Besides if a dear smells your feathers he smells you PERIOD! Freezing them for a few days will kill any bugs on them. You just need to prevent them from getting new bugs such as moths on them later. Storing with moth balls or cedar bedding from the pet store or Borax works great. Borax stops the decaying of meat and bones on whole wings. Plastic bins or big ziplock bags work great for storing feathers with one of the afore mentioned things. Pieces of broken cedar arrows work too.