The latest hot trend?  Using plumage in your hair.   Extensions are out, people.   Chicken feathers are in.   And giddy girls have bombarded local fly-fishing stores from coast to cast.   In fact, there’s been such a run on certain types of feathers that supply can’t keep up with demand.   Supplies at stores from the coasts of Maine to landlocked Idaho are running out.   In fact, some feathers sold online are fetching hundreds of dollars more than the usual prices.

According to a recent MSNBC.com article: fly fishermen are not happy about it. Online message boards have been lighting up ” pointing blame at so-called “feather ladies.”

But how did feathers go from being on boas to being weaved into hair?

Well, American Idol judge and rocker Steven Tyler began sporting the look in his long hair this season.   And we all know ” it can’t get much more mainstream than AI.

As hair extensions, the feathers can be brushed, blow-dried, straightened and curled once they are snapped into place. Most salons sell the feather strands for $5 to $10 a piece ” but they’re considerably cheaper at your local fly-fishing store where they’re sold as bait.

The feathers are not easy to come by in the first place. They come from roosters that are genetically bred and raised for their plumage. In most cases, the birds do not survive the plucking.  I recently did a story on it … uh, not the plucking, but the actual extensions.  Check it out:

If you want to get your mitts on some of these difficult-to-find feathers, don’t hold your breath.   Some fly-fishing and tackle stores are refusing to sell the lures to women.   Yep ” you read right.   As fly shops try to hold onto their regular customers, they’re denying sales to hairstylists.   Can’t wait to see what happens from here.   I predict chicken feathers on the black market … and NO good can come of that.