Bird Gender Determination Pet Service: Sample Collection by Exotic Wings and Pet Things

DNA sexing has quickly risen to become the method of choice for determining the sex of avian monomorphic species. With accuracy rates greater than 99.9%, it is no surprise that this method of sexing has become number one with bird owners and aviculturalists worldwide.

Over the years, HealthGene Laboratory has conducted literally thousands of DNA-based bird sexing tests for an array of clientele; ranging from individual bird owners and breeders to entire zoo populations.

You may be wondering what makes DNA based avian sexing so accurate. The answer can be found in the technology underling this approach. Advances in molecular diagnostics have brought a technique known as PCR to the forefront of DNA diagnostics. Using PCR, differences in the DNA of male and female birds can be amplified and detected in the laboratory.

Here's how it works:

DNA based avian sexing utilizes the fact that male and female birds have different genes or chromosomes, much like mammals. The only difference is that the female bird (carrying a ZW chromosome pair) determines the sex of the offspring, since the male (carrying a ZZ chromosome pair) can only contribute a 'Z' chromosome (this is just the opposite of what occurs in humans). Using PCR in the laboratory, a region of DNA that differs in size between the Z and W chromosomes is amplified. Thus, this method yields one PCR product for males and two PCR products for females, making visual detection in the laboratory easy.

This is a service that we provide in-store to determine the gender of your bird. DNA is taken from your bird and sent off to Health Gene Laboratories. It takes up to two weeks to get the results back; and a further six weeks to get a certificate, which includes band number and the bird's name. The cost for the service is $30.00; payable upon sample collection.