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[Enko_chan]

Freyja's DNA was inconclusive. :omg:

I cleaned her foot carefully and used a brand new sterile finger-stick needle to get a drop of blood from her... the collection materials were brand new. I guess it just happens that way sometimes. :confused:

Maybe she is neither gender. :omg:

Seriously, though- we're trying again. I really don't know what gender Frey is. I go back and forth. I never would have questioned if it hadn't been for Sunni's fertilization of Cleo eggs!

Today Frey and Odie hung out with me for a long time, since Chris has started school again, and is at work all week, school all weekend and has a lot more on his plate I've been showing them extra attention. They've been really well-behaved! Both have been stepping up with no troubles and Odie likes spending time with me again!

Today I saw Frey behave aggressively toward Odie for the first time ever. She bit his foot, hard, three times! Both were out of the cage when this happened. After that, I kept a close eye on them and they were back to loving each other, but the first two times she did it, Odie just went right back to her, the third time he jumped away looking so hurt and hid from her behind my back. They spar playfully sometimes, but these were really mean bites! Why would Frey suddenly turn on him like that?!

[petermark]

DNA failure. Maybe your bird is sort of "both" like that track star from South Africa that's been in the news lately.

Biting the foot and then getting lovie-dovie. Sounds like birdie s&m to me. You got one messed up flock. (Just Kidding!)

[bookworm0550]

weird. what makes you second guess freya's gender? i must have missed a post. i have internet at home now so i'm trying to catch up on everyone's lives.

[linda040899]

Lily (Sunny's sister) went to live with Jennifer (Buy a Paper Doll) in Orlando, and Freyja (Sunny's supposed other sister) went with Odinn to MA to live with Enko_Chan. I thought all 3 were hens and that Sunny, who's living with Cleo (known egg laying female) was also a female.

When Cleo laid her last clutch of eggs, I decided to candle them just to ensure that they truly were blanks so I wouldn't worry if they were abandoned when I cleaned the cage. Much to my shock, the eggs were fertile so that makes Sunny a brother, not a sister! My parent birds have the genetics to produce male and female Creaminos but it hasn't happened......until now! :omg:

[Enko_chan]

I thought that Frey was positively a hen when she came to me... I didn't even know there was a genetic possibility otherwise, plus Frey always acted so much like a hen. It doesn't matter, as they are siblings and I never intended to breed them, but I AM CURIOUS! I want to know whether to worry about egg laying, if I can let them have a "club house" etc.

Linda was absolutely convinced they were all hens, and Frey really ACTED like one until shortly before the discovery about Sunni's gender caper...

there's a lot of ambivalence. Freyja and Odinn for the most part, act like a hen-cock couple, but lately Freyja has become the "top" bird in their mating, and despite all the mating and nesting, no eggs! Freyja goes through what seems to be nesty periods, but "she" doesn't tuck properly. The more I think about it, the less certain I am one way or the other.

As recent as two weeks ago, Lily (Frey and Sunny's sis/bro) had never acted nesty, nor laid any eggs. We're beginning to suspect the creamino hen trio is a creamino cock trio!

[linda040899]

Just an FYI to all this. Finding male Creaminos in the world of lovebirds is extremely hard to do!!! Most pairs are not set up properly to produce cocks. The odds of having 3 males in one clutch is ridiculously low!

[LovelySydney]

WHen you told me that it was inconclusive I was real surprised! That stinks, and I know that you probably gave an awesome sample. I am glad you are going to do it again, sometimes knowing is just better!

[NickyBeth]

Well, there's always the pendant/paper punching test!!

If all else fails, I'd let them keep on doing as they are doing. You haven't had eggs yet, and you may never have them. My uncle had a female bird that's 20 and never laid an egg!!

[linda040899]

Well, there's always the pendant
The pendant said hen several times for all 3. None of them have narrow pelvic bones. However, I have 2 blue series babies that I'm hand feeding right now that are the offspring of Cleo and Sunny. Cleo is a visual Opaline and Sunny's father is split for Opaline. One of the babies has a LOT of very fuzzy white down so that could indicate Opaline was passed from father to son but isn't visual because Sunny is a male.

Time will tell.......

I also didn't know that one of Cleo's parents is split for blue until now. Can't tell you which one but the babies would not be blue series if Cleo didn't inherit the gene.

[NickyBeth]

How on earth you keep all those genetics straight is a total mystery to me, Linda. Either way, I hope Kristi gets the answer she wants soon!

Either that, or use the Bubblelady test! She's always good at picking hens. ;)

[linda040899]

How on earth you keep all those genetics straight is a total mystery to me, Linda.
It's much easier to remember when you live with what I'm talking about. :)