Sexting (DNA sexing) my baby?

[Scotty T]

What are the best places on the web to send in my feathers for sexting.

Any experiences out there?

 

[IcyWolf]

I think you mean sexing... lol, sorry couldn't resist There are lots of DNA labs you can go through, I've never had it done, so I'm not much help :/

 

[Scotty T]

Oh no, my bird get's text messages.

haha, yes I meant genetic testing.

 

[Echo]

I use Avian Biotech. I like the fact that they are fast and you can get the results online.

 

[Riio]

I also used Avian Biotech just a month ago or so, they were very fast, cheap $20 and I could see results as soon as they were done on their website plus the certificate that came in the mail.

 

[Rio Mom]

Yep, avianbiotech here too. They emailed me the results really quick. The longest time was waiting for my snailmail to reach them lol.

 

[Amber]

Alex was done by 'DNA Solutions' by his breeder. I have a DNA sexing cert for him. I assume since we are in Aus though, that it is an Aus company, and I have no personal experience with them. They seem to be the place of choice around here for sexing though!

 

[oled]

what i have learned is that the only sure dna sextest in done by blood test

 

[Amber]

what i have learned is that the only sure dna sextest in done by blood test

If uncontaminated feathers are used, they just as good. DNA is DNA, wherever you source it from. Admittedly, feathers are much easier to contaminate then a blood sample, but with adequate care, I don't see a difference.

DNA sexing isn't 100% accurate regardless of the sample taken. Their will always be the few who get wrong results, whether due to contamination, chimaerism (some cells of the opposite sex in a creature, due to merging twins in the egg), other abnormalities, or lab issues. Blood testing can and is wrong sometimes (and at a rate comparable to feather or shell testing) too.

Interesting note, you can also send in hatched shells and the fluid remant from hatching can be used to test.

 

[noodles123]

This thread makes me so happy lol!

 

[EllenD]

Avian Biotech is pretty reliable, I've used them many times as well...Just make sure that you pluck fresh feathers out of your bird's chest, and that you send a few and not just one.

Feather DNA-testing is extremely reliable, but you have to make sure that you send fresh feathers that were just plucked, and you send more than one to them, because what happens is if you only send one feather it may not have any genetic material on it to properly test (just like pulling a person's hair to DNA-test or Drug-test, etc., but without the root attached)...If it's not freshly-plucked there won't be any material to properly test, and if you only send one freshly-plucked feather and it doesn't have any genetic-material attached and they test it, depending on what method they use to actually process the test after the PCR is run, sometimes they actually ALL come back as female, because all mammals are female to start out, and they only turn into males when the Y-chromosome is added. I have actually done human sex-testing using gel-electrophoresis/PCR in college/grad school labs, and we tested ourselves, and some males came back as being female on the computer system they were using to do the control tests, and it's just because they didn't have a full root on the hair that they pulled...

Otherwise, hair/fur/feather DNA-testing is just as reliable as blood DNA-testing is, they use exactly the same test that they use on the hair/fur/feather test, it's just the preparation of the sample that differs, and in blood you're always going to have the correct genetic material you need to be accurate. But if you pluck fresh feathers and send 3-4 of them, the test will be accurate.