Even though this method is very accurate and quick, it may put the bird under a lot of stress. Unlike the DNA sexing method, this one provides immediate results for the owner, in case this one is interested in breeding the bird. The procedure is quite safe, but, on some occasions, it may generate some post - operative or anesthesia complications. The primary concern was the injected anesthesia because it induced a long period of sleep and vomiting. Researchers have discovered new anesthetics for the birds, gases that eliminate the side effects caused by the injected ones. Those new anesthetics are considered by the experts to have negligible risks and the bird will wake up in a matter of minutes after the gas mask is removed.

In the past, veterinarians used to tattoo birds after their genders were determined through surgery. Males were tattooed under the right wing and females under the left one. More recently, microchips or leg bands were used for marking them.

The Blood Feather Analysis (BFA) method:

This method requires a blood chromosome test. This test is performed on cultured tissue from the bird’s blood feathers. If the bird has no blood feathers, some will be pulled out and in their place new ones will grow in two or three weeks. Those feathers are put in a special container with cold packs and sent via priority mail to the laboratory where their tissue is grown and researched under a microscope. The results will appear in around two weeks.

As in the case of DNA sexing of the birds, this method is accurate and safe; and it works on any bird regardless the age but the results are not prompt. As negative sides of this testing method are the higher costs for priority mail and the impossibility of checking the sexual organs of the birds in the cases of breeders.

The Fecal Method of gender determination:

This method is not as accurate as the others and it depends on more than one factor. It consists in collecting fresh fecal samples from the bird in special conditions and mailing them to the lab. The specialists will determine the gender by the hormones (estrogen and testosterone) level from the fecal sample. This method can only be applied on mature birds and it depends on the health of the birds and on the conditions of the sample’s collection.

The fecal method is not expensive, is safe and should bring the results in one week.

Every person will choose the sexing method for his or her bird as it best fits his or her needs. Probably, the breeders will choose the surgical method because of it’s advantages, while those who own a pet bird will choose DNA or BFA methods.

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