It is one breed of rooster - and the tail feathers are used for certain kinds of fishing flies - now hairdressers are putting them in people's hair and fly fisherman can hardly get these feathers anymore. It is true - the removal is painful and the roosters don't survive it well so they are euthanized to get the feathers.
The demand is so high, and the feathers are narrow and delicate, so they can't really wait for molting because it's not a frequent occurrence and they want the feathers undamaged in volume.
