Dry fly hackle feathers from Whiting Farms come from two distinct areas on the rooster.  The "cape" pelt comes from the top of the rooster's head extending all the way down the back of the neck to the base of the neck.  This particular pelt has long been referred to as either the hackle cape or neck.  The other source of dry fly hackle on our roosters comes from their back and is referred to as a "saddle" pelt or patch.  These saddle feathers are much longer than cape hackle feathers, and many tiers prefer them due to their ease of tying.  Whiting Farms is the only source in the world of truly high quality dry fly saddle hackle possessing extraordinary length, barb density, symmetry, size range and barb quality.