I had heard from a friend that a bird could be sexed by a feather. In the February Bird Talk mag I found a place in Florida that does genetic feather sexing. It says it only costs $1. That just seems really cheap to me!

I guess what I’m asking is can feather sexing actually be done. And do you think this is a legitimate add?

I haven’t called to speak with these people yet. I wanted to get your impute first!

Kris

If I understand correctly feather sexing needs to be from a plucked feather so there's a little bit of blood at the tip. From what I understand a molted feather won't work.

Good luck!
Sally

Oh gosh. . . wouldn't that hurt. . . lol

There doesn't need to be blood, just skin cells- but no, a molted feather will not work. I plucked 4-5 feathers from Ollie's chest, she was annoyed, but it didn't appear to hurt her at all.

1$ seems very very cheap to me, and I would be wary about the accuracy of the results. It cost me somewhere around 20-30 to get Ollie sexed. Check out http://www.avianbiotech.com/. They are very reputable. They will send you a free collection kit for you to either get a bit of blood by clipping a nail into the quick, or by plucking some chest feathers. You then mail it back and they will post the results on the internet as soon as they get them, and then shortly after that you will get a certificate in the mail.

Awesome! I just ordered a kit.

Stupid question: Does it matter how old the bird is? Just old enough for feathers? Because as you know my "Nekkid One" has no feathers yet! When do greys start to develop feathers? Next time I go to visit I want it to be when Nekkid one has plenty of feathers so I can get a sample!

I'm not sure when they start to get feathers, but I'm sure it will be very soon for your little one. Ollie was almost fully feathered when I got her at 8 weeks, 2 days. It will be very easy for you to pluck feathers from your little one, and he's too young to be able to hold it against you like an older bird would!

I would say that he would have enough feathers by probably 4-5 weeks of age. Maybe even sooner...

zuppy got feather sexed purely because i kinda knew already he was a male i mean hes nearly twice the size of most greys out there (altho i know thats not a solid thing to base it on) my local vet who is not an avian vet but does treat birds reckoned its 6 of 1, half dozen of the other..she plucked 5 feathers all with skin tags and sent em off it cost €46

marley had blood taken while he was asleep getting his microchipping done,that cost €49 , i was asking my avian vet about it and she said that blood tends to be more accurate and less hassle as if you dont get skin tags on the end of the feather they cant test, she also said she has seen cases of birds being feather tested male and a few years down the line they lay eggs

These guys are 4 weeks old. That may not be quite old enough.

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If I had the opportunity to get some blood from Ollie then that is probably the way I would have gone, because I could have done some disease testing as well. However, I didn't want to give her any phobias of nail clippers making her bleed! By plucking 5 feathers which is what they ask for, chances are you will get enough skin tags for them to run the tests.

Edit: I hadn't heard that blood testing is more accurate than feather testing. I do know of several people who have had their birds DNA sexed only to find out later it was wrong. I should ask them if they were feather or blood sexed.

Oh my gosh. . . those guys are so adorable!! But I think your right, I dont think they're old enough yet.

I was looking around on the avianbiotech website and found these FAQ's. Just thought I'd post them if anyone else was wondering the answers to feather sexing.


Which is more reliable, blood or feather testing?
DNA remains the same regardless of where it is extracted. Both tests are equally accurate.



How many feathers are needed for testing?
We recommend sending at least five (5).



Are freshly plucked feathers necessary for accurate results?
DNA takes an extremely long time to break down, however, testing is likely to be more successful if feathers are freshly plucked.



Can molted feathers be used?
We do not recommend sending molted feathers simply because they tend to carry much less usable DNA, and we want to be certain that the feather is from the bird being tested.



Will feather sexing promote feather picking?
No. Feather picking is generally a neurotic disorder that is not started by plucking a few chest feathers from your bird.



Will the feathers grow back?
Feathers generally grow back in 4 to 6 weeks.



What tests can be performed using feathers?
DNA sexing and PBFD testing are the only assays we offer using feather samples. In the future, we will be able to DNA fingerprint from feathers as well.



Does a bird have to be a certain age?
From birth to death, DNA remains the same across all species, so there is no age range for the most accurate results.