Do female GCCs lay eggs without a male present?

[Peeko]

I know some species of birds will not lay an egg until they have a male present. I was wondering if this applies to GCCs? I don't know for certain that Peeko is a male, but if females lay eggs regardless of whether or not they have a mate, I'd like to be able to expect that and prepare for it in any way that I can.

 

[Riio]

I have read that yes they can. You can do a DNA test with just a couple plucked feathers and approx $20 through avian biotech I believe

 

[MarciaLove]

yes they can and sometimes will its dangerous if they do it before they are over a year old though and if they do lay eggs you will need to add extra calcium to the females diet also watch out for egg binding it can be serious google to find more out about egg binding.

 

[Peeko]

I know about egg binding, which is why I was hoping for a male. Unfortunately the breeder wouldn't perform a DNA test before I chose my baby unless we paid for DNA tests for the whole clutch of four, which was out of our budget. I'm not comfortable pulling feathers or anything of the sort, so unless a health reason pops up in the future, I don't plan to get a DNA test done. I was just wondering what to expect, if he does turn out to be a girl.

 

[Gizmomania]

I was wondering about the feathers/DNA thing. Do you have to send freshly plucked feathers, or can you use several that they've molted on their own?

 

[Peeko]

As I understand it, you have to pluck them fresh.

 

[MarciaLove]

they must be plucked fresh I don't get DNA done on birds by feather plucking I do blood drawn by just clipping a toenail a bit too short then stopping the bleeding with flour, I don't clip the toenail myself I know a breeder friend of mine who does it for me it's $20

 

[MonicaMc]

You can use molted feathers, however the amount of DNA on the tips of a molted feather is not as high as that of a freshly plucked feather, so it may be harder to extract enough DNA from a molted feather to find out. You can also use blood, and either have an avian vet draw some extra blood for you when doing a blood panel or snip a toe nail a tad too short. A broken blood feather would also great great!

Honestly, DNA sexing is good to know for health reasons alone. A male parrot can't lay an egg. Think about how many "male" parrots have been rushed to the vet for panting and having trouble pooping, then "plop" - there's an egg!

A few health issues can be ruled out by knowing the birds sex, since there are some sex-related problems that the other sex can't get, eggs being a big example.

About DNA Bird Sexing


-kicks self in the butt for having an 18 year old conure that has never been DNA sexed and has never laid an egg, but have heard of, and knows of, hens who didn't lay their first egg until 18+ years of age-

 

[Kokihi]

When I called my vet to ask about DNA tests with feathers, she told me the only way she could do it was with a blood test. It's possible that it's only because her clinic didn't offer DNA tests with feathers, but I can say that with the blood test we used for my Tori bird, it was quick, I didn't have to pluck any of his feathers, and I found out within a week that he was a boy.

 

[Peeko]

I'm not going to get him sexed unless I absolutely have to. Our vet charges $95 for a DNA test on top of a $50 office visit fee. We don't feel comfortable collecting blood samples ourselves, nor do we know anyone who could do so safely.
I just wanted to know if I should potentially expect eggs every month like with my doves.

 

[MonicaMc]

It shouldn't cost more than $25 for a DNA test (and some shipping) through Avian Biotech or Zoogen. Between the two, I recommend Zoogen.



There's honestly no way to say if, or when, a hen will lay. If you knew Peeko's parents mutations, and knew that the mother was not a yellowside, then that would mean Peeko is a female. If the mother was indeed a yellowside, then Peeko could be male or female.

 

[Peeko]

I didn't know that, about the yellow side mutations! I'm honestly not sure what mutations the parents were, but I do know that she told me the pair has only ever produced yellow sided babies.

 

[MonicaMc]

If all offspring produced are yellowsides, then that indicates that both parents are yellowsides. If one parent was yellowside and the other wasn't, then you'd get all normals, or half normals and half yellowsides - depending on which parent was yellowside and which one wasn't.


Hopefully, Peeko doesn't surprise you sometime in the future!

 

[LoryLover]

You can use molted feathers, however the amount of DNA on the tips of a molted feather is not as high as that of a freshly plucked feather, so it may be harder to extract enough DNA from a molted feather to find out. You can also use blood, and either have an avian vet draw some extra blood for you when doing a blood panel or snip a toe nail a tad too short. A broken blood feather would also great great!

Honestly, DNA sexing is good to know for health reasons alone. A male parrot can't lay an egg. Think about how many "male" parrots have been rushed to the vet for panting and having trouble pooping, then "plop" - there's an egg!

A few health issues can be ruled out by knowing the birds sex, since there are some sex-related problems that the other sex can't get, eggs being a big example.

About DNA Bird Sexing


-kicks self in the butt for having an 18 year old conure that has never been DNA sexed and has never laid an egg, but have heard of, and knows of, hens who didn't lay their first egg until 18+ years of age-

The breeder told us our Chattering was a male when we got the bird at 6 weeks old. When our chattering was 9 years old, it laid it's first egg. The egg laying was brought on by allowing our bird to explore and spend time in a lower towel cabinet.

She was egg bound and the vet had to put her to sleep to remove the egg and then give her stitches because of tearing in her vent. It took 3 years for her to heal completely, meantime she was incontinent. It's now been 6 years since that egg bound situation and we are very diligent to not let the chattering go in places that will bring on nesting behavior.

 

[MonicaMc]

The breeder told us our Chattering was a male when we got the bird at 6 weeks old. When our chattering was 9 years old, it laid it's first egg. The egg laying was brought on by allowing our bird to explore and spend time in a lower towel cabinet.

She was egg bound and the vet had to put her to sleep to remove the egg and then give her stitches because of tearing in her vent. It took 3 years for her to heal completely, meantime she was incontinent. It's now been 6 years since that egg bound situation and we are very diligent to not let the chattering go in places that will bring on nesting behavior.

That information alone should be enough to have every bird owner looking to get their bird DNA sexed! Nothing is worse than have an egg-bound hen that can't physically lay her egg because it's too large, or some other egg laying issue!


I've only ever DNA sexed one of my birds, and I should have done Charlie at the same time. The one I DNA sexed I did after he had passed away. I honestly don't care one way or the other, and realize how important it can be to know just for emergencies alone... but it's just not something I've ever felt the need to find out. I still did the DNA sexing though because I still wanted to know.


In my case, it was the opposite. I had always assumed that Noel was a female due to a lack of male behaviors and vocalizations (then again, he didn't act female either), but I always did wonder about some of the displays. I felt worse knowing that he was in fact a male and then imagining just how bad he must have felt to not act like a normal male conure should. Charlie is the complete opposite of Noel and doesn't act in any way as a female, and he does have some male behaviors. Granted, the behaviors he displays are not the same as what Noel did. If he ever does lay an egg or a DNA test comes back as female, I'd be pretty shocked! LOL

 

[Peeko]

I know the signs of egg binding - so I know what to look for. I constantly have to watch my female dove, and our chicken flock. Its just not practical for us to get him sexed right now. I'd rather save the money for a real medical emergency.