This is the Star*Soldier gloss for the first Port Broughton page: -- Original update published on October 2, 2008
IIRC, they are mentioned to molt when agitated, in Freedom Flight during the escape after breaking the captured Firekkans out of their cells. Of course, worst case you can pluck them. I can't imagine eagles voluntarily giving up their feathers for Indian headgear, for example...
I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but the Port Broughton article is my absolute favorite part of Star*Soldier. It's a necessary and elegant way of bringing the seemingly random modes of Arena into a greater context. It would have been cool though if, like the battleship map, that the habipods and other antenas and whatnot could be detroyed by the enemy to visualy tell us what kind of state the carrier/station was in.
But...you can destroy the little thingies on the Midway in the gauntlet mode. Or did I misunderstand you?