How to take the feathers of my bird to sex it
DNA gives your animal a unique and indelible genetic imprint, thanks to it we can determine the gender of your pet. This DNA can be obtained from blood, feather or egg. Sometimes it is difficult to get enough of it to be able to analyze the sample and get a result. The type of feather influences the result of sexing, with the rectrices feathers (they are the feathers located at the back, near the tail) being the best and the down feathers (molting feathers) the worst.
Next we will explain how to get the most optimal feathers to get the amount of DNA we need to be able to analyze your feathers:
FEATHERS MUST BE PULLED OUT
It is important that the feathers have not fallen off the animal, as they may not contain enough DNA for the lab. When our bird is changing its plumage, it is more likely to select a feather that is falling or is detached. For this reason, it is convenient to notice a small tug when we take the pen to make sure that it has been pulled out and also if it has a little blood on the barrel, much better.
FEATHERS NEAR THE SEWER AREA
It is the least invasive area for our bird where we can pluck a feather and it is also the area where our feather can have the greatest amount of DNA.
SIZE MATTERS?
The percentage of success in small feathers or down is half that of large feathers. The size of the bird does not matter, but the size of the feathers it has.
The feathers in this image on the left are very small and the barrel is barely distinguishable
DO YOU SERVE WITH A PEN?
Sometimes analyzing a single pen is enough, but it is not usual, so we recommend customers to send between 4 to 6 pens.
I ALREADY HAVE THE FEATHERS, AND NOW?
Once the feathers have been plucked, we have to keep them in a dry place and without extreme temperatures (neither too cold nor too hot). The worst thing for a feather is humidity and temperature changes, since DNA loss can occur. If you choose to put the feathers in a bag, make sure it is well closed and that there is no moisture.
All these recommendations increase the probability of success in the analysis of the feather, so we suggest that you take them into account when sending feathers to our laboratory.
Thank you very much.
