Patent ID: 8460396

Claim:
A method comprising: washing a plurality of feathers on a conveyor belt via a wash system, the plurality of feathers moved from a first tank to the conveyor belt via a rotating drum comprising pickup paddles partially submerged in the first tank, a first aqueous flow provided to the first tank from the wash system, the first aqueous flow a portion of a second aqueous flow, the second aqueous flow provided to the wash system, the feathers moved to the first tank via a spiral drum adapted to separate the feathers from a residual portion of a plurality of foreign material, a third aqueous flow provided to the second tank from a third tank, the third aqueous flow a portion of the first aqueous flow, the plurality of feathers, the residual portion of the plurality of foreign material, and a fourth aqueous flow moved to the spiral drum from a fourth tank, the fourth aqueous flow a portion of a fifth aqueous flow, the fifth aqueous flow provided to the fourth tank from the second tank.