Importance of Sampling

I am a little concerned about some posts that I have seen on some online pigeon blogs. I understand that there are some of you who do not want to pluck feathers from your birds and completely respect your decision. However, I do ask that if this is the case, you choose not to participate at all and please, please, please do not send feathers from the floors of the cages. One post I read mentioned that the DNA might degrade. This is true, but more importantly if it is not from the bird that you say it is from then my whole study could be jeopardized. It is crucial that the DNA is from the correct bird and that all the feathers are from the same bird.Please feel free to contact me. I am more than willing to answer any questions and address any concerns. The correct information is necessary for accurate results.

Round One Complete

We have successful extract DNA from the feathers that we have received so far. Thanks again to all of you who have sent in feathers thus far.

Thanks

Thanks to all those who have sent in feather samples and photos of their birds. Keep them coming! We have started to extract the DNA.

Collecting Feather Samples

Just in case anyone lost the instructions or is wondering what the requirements are for collecting and submitting feathers, I have posted them below.Thanks!

Collecting a Sample:
All of the feathers from a single bird can be placed inside of one envelope. If the feathers do not fit, the feather can be folded. However, please handle the base of the shaft carefully, as this is where the DNA is in the feather. DO NOT PLACE FEATHERS FROM MULTIPLE BIRDS IN ONE ENVELOPE. This will greatly jeopardize the accuracy and reliability of the study.
Also, the feather needs to be taken directly from the bird and placed in the envelope. Please do not collect shed feathers. The ideal feather sample is about five large feathers from each bird. The best feathers are tail or flight feathers.
Once the feathers have been collected from a bird they should be placed in the small envelope, and the envelope should then be sealed. Use a new small envelope for each additional bird.
Filling out the front tag: ·
Breed: The breed of the bird from which the feathers were plucked ·
Breeder: your name ·
Tag: The number that you use to identify the bird (for example- leg band number) ·
Sex: Male or female ·
Color: The color that you would call the bird
Mailing the samples back: Place all of the small sample envelopes into the larger envelope. Be sure to include the consent form as we can not use your samples without it. Please feel free to include any additional information that you have or think would be useful

Welcome

Welcome to the new Pigeon Genetic Project Blog. I will be working to post updates on our progress and some of the findings along the way. Also feel free to post any questions that arise and I will answer them to the best of my ability.
The first question that most likely needs to be addressed is what are we attempting to do with this project. The goal of the project is to determine the relationships between the various breeds of pigeons. We are doing this by looking at markers found within the genome.
We have had a huge response from many breeders both within the United States and internationally. Thank you to all of those that have already responded. If you have not yet sent me your information and would like to participate please send me an email with the number of breeds you raise and your mailing address. My email address is elissa.mulroy@utah.edu.
This is just the beginning and more posts will appear as more becomes known.