This is my first feather bed experience. I have never purchased any item with feathers before, so I dont know if it's normal for them to poke out of the casing. The first few nights I slept on top of it I started to get 'poked' by sharp ends of the feathers. I have t-shirt sheets so I thought that maybe I need thicker sheets to protect myself from the feather jabs. So I ordered 600 count sheets & it helped a lot, but I was still getting jabbed at night. Now, I don't know if this is what you are supposed to deal with when purchasing down items, but its pretty hard to believe if it is. So, now I am to the point where I am going to put down two sheets on top of the feather mattress and see if they cant poke through, but it seems to be an extreme measure. I'm still going to use it as long as possible so that I get its money's worth. It is really nice & soft and would be perfect except for those darn sharp feather ends!