The use of raven feathers for quills
The photograph above shows the six primary feathers from a Canadian raven. These are used individually and the black 'feathery' part is cut away. The lower part of the photograph shows two feathers ready for their initial preparation. The part of the feather used is not the sturdy part where the feather is attached to the bird, but rather the light outer part that sticks out into the air when the bird is flying.
I have used the feathers just as they are without trying to treat them in any way. I do not oil them or heat them or subject them to any other sort of treatment. Many of the instruments in the Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments at the University of Edinburgh are voiced with raven quills which have not been treated in any way, and so far I have found that they last just as long as plastic quills and do not need any more attention or regulation than plastic. There is one important difference that needs to be noted however between plastic and natural quill. As time goes on and the quills get older, plastic tends to harden up a bit and become stiffer whereas natural quill gets softer and therefore quieter. Therefore natural quill needs to be voiced slightly too strong at the beginning so that it does not end up undesireably weak after time has passed and the quills become older and more used.
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