Sexing Alfie

[aw64]

I start reading things on the net then give up and always come back on here its so much easyer and always had good advice and support from you guys, for once this post is'nt because Alfie is being a little devil!

Alfie is now 10 months old and I have know idear if he is a he or a she and have got to the point I would like to know, no real reason as he will always be Alfie my baby.

I myself would not be able to remove a feather he would have my whole hand off if I even tried and I would not feel confident in trying but would a vet do it if so how much pain and stress would it cause Alfie..........and me, guess Im asking is it worth it?

[Pixburgh29]

Ive sexed quite a few birds over the years but for the really difficult ones, my vet is always more than willing. I've never sexed them by pulling a feather though. The vet and I have always done it by a blood sample. It's still not fun for them by any means. It consists of clipping a toe nail little by little until you get a few drops (usually 2 drops is enough). being that a Greys trust is so important, I didn't even do my own baby's DNA. I let the breeder do it. Point is, there are many many options for you and alfie. Either way, your vet shouldn't have an issue doing it and has probably done it before. I use avian biotech for sexing, their website is http://www.avianbiotech.com/. They have a ton of info for all options that they offer. Good luck and can't wait to hear what alfie is!

Edited February 8, 2013 by Pixburgh29

[aw64]

Thanks for the link pixburgh, there's one in the UK which was intresting reading but how do you pull a feather out, sounds unforgivable, and they recommend 5, would love to know if Alfie is male or female but worried about him having to go through the stress.

[danmcq]

Thanks for the link pixburgh, there's one in the UK which was intresting reading but how do you pull a feather out, sounds unforgivable, and they recommend 5, would love to know if Alfie is male or female but worried about him having to go through the stress.

 

To pull a feather out, you would need to towel him and get a pair of tweezers to precisely pluck the small feathers out. Knowing that you are trying to build trust with Alfie, rather than destroy it. I would take Alfie to the vet to have it done. Also, since you said in a previous thread you have never had him to one, it is a perfect opportunity to find a recommended avian vet in your area so you will get acquainted with them and they will be able to give Alfie a good check up while there as well. They will then decide which method to use i.e plucking feathers or getting a drop of blood. This will get Alfie on their "Books" and also have a baseline started on him should you ever need to take him there for an illness for example.

[aw64]

yes danmcq I think your right, I have a week off the end of this month so will aim for then just finding one ! so anyone in UK who can recommend one local to West Midlands Worcestershire would be helpful.