The very best time for feathers (7)
I believe the answer is:
plumage
'feathers' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the very best time' is the wordplay.
'the very best' becomes 'plum' (informal term for best or top-class. I am not sure about the 'very' bit.).
'time' becomes 'age' (an age is a period of time).
'plum'+'age'='PLUMAGE'
'for' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for plumage that I've seen before include "One's feathers" , "Cover for diver" , "Birds' clothing" , "A bird's feathers, may be fancy" , "Bird's covering of feathers" .)