dna testing kits?

[Barbary Boy]

has anyone used these and where did you get yours? i am getting quite a few enquiries for imprints and have allways found sexing by eye unreliable in young so small as to be young enough to return to their parents. ?

[Kentish Falconry]

has anyone used these and where did you get yours? i am getting quite a few enquiries for imprints and have allways found sexing by eye unreliable in young so small as to be young enough to return to their parents. ?

Keith........ I use
AVIAN BIOTECH INTERNATIONAL
tel 01872 262737

They will send you packs and addressed envelopes so you just put the sample in and post it with cheque and a few days later you get the results by E-mail and then a certificate is posted to you.
If you do a few at a time then they will reduce the costs
Terry

[GregMik]

Web addy.... http://www.avianbiotech.co.uk/

Greg

[Falconry Equipment International]

Re: dna testing kits , I presume you are talking of kits for taking samples and sending them to a laborotary to test for dna ( usually by PCR these days ( Polymerasr chain reaction (sp) ) as highly specified equipement is required for this. hope this makes sense & HTH J

[ColdZero]

how do you remove the required number of feathers? I tried to test my RT (2lb 5oz but bought as female) but when i tried getting 3-4 chest feathers i soon decided i didn't think trading my eyes for the information was worth it.

[Barbary Boy]

imtalking about dna testing babies or there egg shell remains?

[Renton]

imtalking about dna testing babies or there egg shell remains?

What about the possibility of cross-contamination of samples in that case?

[Barbary Boy]

i know a lot of the big boys use this service, just wondered what others thought?

[Talon]

dont think that would be a problem if each egg shell with the bits of membrain and remains of the ambilicle cord are put in reperate cotainers and sent off.

[Renton]

dont think that would be a problem if each egg shell with the bits of membrain and remains of the ambilicle cord are put in reperate cotainers and sent off.

Still the risk of cross-contamination.

[Talon]

yes but if the eggs are hatched in a incubater then eggshells taken out and put in seperate containers.surely the risk must be very small.
would of thought it higher if there shells were out of a nest hatched by parents and the shells get moved about braking up touching each over the risk would then be greater.
im no exspert or out ..but suppose kentish terry would be the one to ask.

[Falconry Equipment International]

Renton , BBB et al all yoiu can do is think bio security,bio security,bio security, & then more bio security. send different samples with different dates, , different n recorded delivery slip s etc etc & even then you still have to trust the labs:mad: ??

[Renton]

Renton , BBB et al all yoiu can do is think bio security,bio security,bio security, & then more bio security. send different samples with different dates, , different n recorded delivery slip s etc etc & even then you still have to trust the labs:mad: ??

Can't be too careful!

[Altai]

I did it for several birds a few years ago. It worked very well.
Just took a sample of shell membrane from each egg a few minutes after hatch using sterile foceps. The sample is sellected to have blood in it but no faeces. Forceps steralised after each sample is placed in the little bottle of liquid.Or you can use a clean Q-tip and swob the blood from the navel of the chick, hold the tip over the bottle and cut the tip off with scissors.
Marking the chicks and good record keeping at your end is essential if the system is to be of use.

[FalconMews]

We have used DNA sexing by both companys for a number of years, on the falcons only once was there a mistake made on a pure Gyr,when the result was female the bird was sold to a client for imprinting, when seen a month later it was clearly a male. Money refunded and totally ****ed off Avian Biotech simply said 'Oh sorry we ticked the wrong box !' . W**kers.

On Goshawks i now know of at least 6 results from both companys which have stated females but have been males. These have been fro several breeding projects including our own.

[Sparrow Hawker]

Biobest is supposed to be very good recommended by the IBR. Biobest send you the kits and the easiest most unintrusive method is to mouth swab the young and then send the samples off to the lab.

You can contact them on 0131 445 6101 or http://www.biobest.co.uk/

SH

[Miguel]

at least 6 results from both companys which have stated females but have been males.

That happened to me a couple of times too... A vet told me that bop's are the hardest to test. It's specialy hard to sex more "unusual" species as they have no samples to compare...

[Goshawks00]

I have used Avian Biotech over here in the states for 7 years now and with over 120 eggs DNA tested every one has been right on. Most were goshawks with a smattering of spars , sharpies and EEO. A lot of the problems are , according to them, poorly handles samples which makes it very hard to test.

Don't send wet shells, or shell with **** still in them, the shell should be marked immediately with an permenant colored marker which macthes the color applied to the chick so you know what egg and ultimately water sex goes to each chick. Then dry shell out cmpletely for at least 24 hours, set it aside and when you have enough eggs send them all in together. For me that is usually once a week. send next day with tracking ability to make sure of arrival. I also have them call to confirm arrival. Once they get the egg(s) it takes 24-48 hours to complete the sexing. They send an email confirming which egg is what sex and within a week , you get a certificate for each egg which is passed on to the owner at time of possesion.

I like using them and friends that use them all have the same regards as I do, at least as far as I know as I've never heard any complaints.
Varry

[Fawkes]

how do you remove the required number of feathers? I tried to test my RT (2lb 5oz but bought as female) but when i tried getting 3-4 chest feathers i soon decided i didn't think trading my eyes for the information was worth it.

CZ, were you trying to pluck them? Shouldnt think you'd need to lose you're eyes just cutting the feathers, which would be better for the bird anyways as, with raptors, plucked feathers dont always grow back. Also, you can get dna from more than just feathers - other people have mentioned mouth swabs... (though that might really be chancing your eyes :lol:)

[Miguel]

just cutting the feathers

Feathers for DNA test can't be cut, you have to pluck it cause they analise the end of the shaft, the end that is "inside" the bird's skin.

I normally pluck some small feathers (really small ones) from the back while the bird is eating on the fist. It works for me.