regarding a wire rib: adding a wire rib will not affect the fly at all. 3-4 turns of of soft copper wire is negligible.
if you really want a rib with no weight: leave a 3-4 inch long piece of thread at the bend of the hook and color it with a dark marker, tie in the tail fibers and wrap the body forward, then spiral wrap the colored thread forward as the ribbing.
regarding the use of biots: get some turkey biots. they are much longer than goose biots. lay them on a moist parer towel prior to tying them in. that helps to soften them and are less prone to breaking/cracking.
all about biots (these make excellent bookmarks)
Summer Biots
All About Biots