Maverick is NOT Happy!

[linda040899]

I finally decided to have Maverick DNA sexed so there's no doubt if he/she is an egg producer or an egg fixer. I pulled about 7 chest feathers and I will be sending them to Avian Genetics in Tallahassee tomorrow, Monday. I really want a male but I will still love a female just as much!!! Will update once I get the results.

[Z28Taxman]

maverick says "grow your own feathers mama!"....

[linda040899]

Pretty much! Plum Heads are sexually dimorphic so I could wait until he's about 18 months old (another year). Males have plum colored heads, while females have grey heads. However, the suspense is killing me. He's really quite the character! I got a new watch that has a magnetic closure on the band. Took him about 3 minutes to figure out how to loosen the magnet so the watch will fall off my wrist. He will entertain himself with the MedicAlert bracelet I wear on my right wrist but that one has to be unclasped to come off. However, he loves to chew on it and twist it around. lol

[Z28Taxman]

Parrots do love to watch things fall. Ditto used to take things off my desk and drop them off the edge to watch them fall...

[linda040899]

Ain't that the truth!!! Great fun to drop something and hear the crash sound on impact! Any toys that Maverick has in his cage that can be pushed out through the cage bars end up on the floor. Then he gets as close to the bars as he can and looks down!

[linda040899]

Got a notice from Avian Biotech/Avian Genetics. Sample has been received and is being processed. The suspense is killing me!

[linda040899]

Results of the DNA sexing of Maverick are in.......................................

Drum Roll.......

Maverick is a ..................... MALE!

[Z28Taxman]

Yay,

[linda040899]

I'm happy the feather sexing confirmed my suspicions. I'm not sure what his adult coloring is going to look like. The breeder I got him from purchased his parents from a breeder in CA and she was very disappointed that the entire clutch of 3 babies were all visual green (normal) color. Maverick's baby feathering does not look like what you see when you look at pictures of young Plum Heads. Right behind his nares, his feathering has a pinkish hue to it so I'm not sure what his adult coloring will look like. I know he carries split genetics from his parents so his breeder may regret not keeping the clutch to see what she would get if she bred them. All I know is that he's adorable and I have no regrets in adding him to my flock!