Does anyone use a laboratory to sex their silkies?

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bauerdog

bauerdog

Songster
Sep 6, 2012
579
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central jersey
Hi all! A couple years ago I recall someone mentioning that they send a feather off of their Silkie chicks to a lab for sexing. Does anyone do this? I have just three chicks I would like to do this with, so the cost shouldn't be too bad.
 
bauerdog said:
Hi all! A couple years ago I recall someone mentioning that they send a feather off of their Silkie chicks to a lab for sexing. Does anyone do this? I have just three chicks I would like to do this with, so the cost shouldn't be too bad.
Click to expand...
I haven't done that. Welcome to BYC!

We did order chicks that were already sexed. Maybe thats what they do… I just learned something new!
 
Thanks for the welcome. The sexed chicks from the hatcheries are sexed by a person looking into their vents at their "private" parts. I don't think I would be able to be very successful that way. So I was hoping someone who has used a lab would share more information
 
Last edited:
$25
Love ok ing for actual antibodies used in their ELISA assay. I wanted to try it at work since I work in a lab. Getting blood sounds hard. Alternatively DNA testing in theory should be inexpensive but looking for the protocol online.

Yes I'm obsessed with knowing because what if I'm the 10% who accidentally gets a roo.

http://www.avianbiotech.com/Pricing.htm
 
oops the dot blot assay is a DNA assay as well. Very inexpensive reagents and test to run in a lab. detecting the female only chromosome.
 
redapple said:
$25
Love ok ing for actual antibodies used in their ELISA assay. I wanted to try it at work since I work in a lab. Getting blood sounds hard. Alternatively DNA testing in theory should be inexpensive but looking for the protocol online.

Yes I'm obsessed with knowing because what if I'm the 10% who accidentally gets a roo.

http://www.avianbiotech.com/Pricing.htm
Click to expand...


Just wait til you try hatching! Each chick is a surprise. One hatch of 5 polish chicks all wound up male. Since silkies take FOREVER to figure out the sexes, I figured paying a little for a lab to just tell me would be awesome. They can get DNA off the root of the plucked feather, right? Does this test sound accurate to you?
 
Should be 100% as longs as no one mixes up samples.
Females have 2 different chromosomes, males have 2 of the same ones. Great opportunity for a small lab to setup. Even uses the blood from the hatched egg.
 
Sounds pretty cool. Just $25/bird sounds a bit steep. Whomever originally posted about lab testing said it as about $10/ bird. Just not sure where she said she sent them...
 

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