Badminton players need feathers from the left wing of a goose

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It’s only now that bird flu has hit Australia that I’ve realised just how bad it’s been in other countries and the impact it’s had. Now, a new-to-me consequence has turned up. The sport of badminton involves hitting a shuttle-cock with a racquet. The best shuttle-cocks use 16 feathers from the left wing of a duck or goose. Each bird usually only has two or three feathers that meet strict specifications. Most of the feathers come from poultry farms in China and the huge numbers of birds being decimated from bird flu has meant that the price of shuttle-cocks has risen dramatically. Add in freight costs, oil prices and competition for cork (used in the head of the shuttle) and players are finding the cost prohibitive. Synthetic shuttles are regarded as much inferior but players and clubs are having to consider switching because of the cost. I found this all very interesting but I might need to join others down rabbit-holes researching why it’s the left wing feathers that are needed. Anyone have any ideas? The photo is mine.