# Anyone ever use HealthGene out of Canada for DNA test?



## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

Has anyone heard of or used HealthGene for DNA testing for their birds? I was looking some up and looking at different prices. Most everyone is around $20 but these guys say they are only $12. Heres the site. http://www.healthgene.com/avian-dna-testing/
Also, has anyone ever used blood from a blood feather instead of cutting their nail? Can you do that?


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I've not heard of anyone here using healthgene, but I wouldn't be against it. It sounds just like the services Avain Biotech provides, but at a cheaper rate. 

And I think meaggiedear used the blood from a fallen blood feather from Ama to do his dna test.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i used healthgene blood test for both lovebirds, very fast and efficient! i highly recommend them 

tiny drop of blood on the corner of the card they provide taken from a toenail clipped slightly short. quick and easy.

i received my kit within a business week and had my results in under 2 weeks (counting mail time). but, i'm canada. but they're fast. they email you the results first, then mail you the certificate shortly after


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

I requested a kit so ill try them out.


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

I just used them. I found it it last month. They are great, had results in a week. Very fast and a nice certificate.


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

I also used them. I actually took my sample right to their office (I'm not far and it saved a couple days of waiting). I had results by email consistently within 3 days of giving them the card. With time needed to mail in the sample it should take no more than 1-2 weeks. Interesting that they have this $12 deal going on, when I used them, they charged $19.99. Would have saved quiet a bit of money since we did 5 tests :/ they actually still have the $20 price on the form you submit with the sample 
http://www.healthgene.com/wp-content/themes/healthgene/pdf/HGAvian.pdf
I guess they didn't update it.


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

A friend of mine used them and said it was $20 but when I went to order the kits the price was only $12. Great price!!! I got results by e-mail in 3 days after mailing it, but check your junk mail. I got the certificate in a week.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

i paid $20 too, but it's still reasonable


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

MeanneyFids said:


> i paid $20 too, but it's still reasonable


It is reasonable to an extent, but that depends how many test you need to do. 

On the other hand, considering how much it costs the company to run these tests, it's overpriced (like anything else...). I work in a bio research lab and we have all the equipment I would need to run the test and it would only take about an hour of manual work and a couple more of waiting for the PCR machine to run. If there was a kit with the reagents I needed, depending on how much the kit costs and how many tests need to be run, it may have been a cheaper option. I can imagine how the company operates, a possible scenario: ~$200 kit, each kit can probably be used for 100 tests. Each run on the machine can usually accommodate 48 or 96 tests. So lets say 1 kit = 1 run = ~2 hours labor and you can do at least 2 runs a day. Although they probably don't get that many samples, so if we assume 1 run a day, that's ~$200-300 to run 96 tests ($1920), so they make at least ~$1500. Even if they run at half or quarter capacity, it's still an amazing profit to make, with barely any competition. Even the original equipment would be paid off within max a couple weeks, and space requirements are very minimal. Any one up for a start-up?


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## RedQueen (Feb 21, 2012)

http://accu-metrics.com/avian.php?gclid=CMDrtv-Mr7UCFYtaMgodlkkA0Q

$10 - even cheaper!


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

RedQueen said:


> http://accu-metrics.com/avian.php?gclid=CMDrtv-Mr7UCFYtaMgodlkkA0Q
> 
> $10 - even cheaper!


Well I went on the site and looked and found that it was odd that it was $10 each up to 10 samples and $12 each for more than 10 so I contacted them through their online help and she said what I though. It is wrong. They are really $12 per test up to 10 and after that then $10 each test. Here is the convisation we had.

Call accepted by operator Sarah. Currently in room: Sarah, Tammy. 

Tammy:
Hi, I'm looking into getting some of my birds DNA tested to find out if they are male or female and I am on your site and it says 1-10 $10 plus tax and then more than 10 $12 plus tax. Is that right because on other sites I've gone on, the more test you have done the cheaper it is.
Sarah:
It is the other way around
Tammy:
so your website is not correct?
Tammy:
1-10 is $12 each test and 10 or more is $10 each test?
Sarah:
correct. Someone was supposed to correct our website a while back
Tammy:
Oh, ok well they have not and it is very missleading and someone should really get onto it soon.
Sarah:
i will right now
Sarah:
thank you for telling me
Tammy:
ok thank you. have a nice day.


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## Brendainnj (Oct 11, 2012)

*DNA test...using blood feather*

Just a note, on the card I got from one of the labs (sorry, can't remember which one) it said specifically that broken blood feathers should NOT be used. They need to be freshly plucked! I had the same thought--what an easy way to do it, but I'd hate to spend the $ then have the test have to be repeated.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

$20 is still reasonable for a home kit. it's much more being done at the vet. 

i did two tests, one for each lovebird.

blood feathers can be used, but it's because they do contain blood. molted feathers dont contain much DNA so they're not recommended


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

Im waiting for my kit from HealthGene. I think Im going to try to pluck a blood feather from the tail. I personaly think its alot less painful than cutting their nerve in their toe nail.


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

for feathers, the chest feathers are the best to use  just a few plucked and it's good to go


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## Erinsmom (Sep 7, 2012)

sweetnsour924 said:


> Well I went on the site and looked and found that it was odd that it was $10 each up to 10 samples and $12 each for more than 10 so I contacted them through their online help and she said what I though. It is wrong. They are really $12 per test up to 10 and after that then $10 each test. Here is the convisation we had.
> 
> Call accepted by operator Sarah. Currently in room: Sarah, Tammy.
> 
> ...


Sorry this information is totally incorrect. I am not doubting you got bad info but it is for AMERICANS 10 bucks for either blood, feather or egg shell no taxes. It is 12 for Canadian people to cover taxes. I just got my results today 

There has been alot of confusion as they just changed their prices and have been actively searching out breeders to get them to try them ...hence the confusion.


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## Brendainnj (Oct 11, 2012)

*DNA test from Canada*

Hmmm, that's funny I just got my collection "kit" from Healthgene today...it says $12, adding 13% HST(?) for Canadian clients only. I don't see a $10 price anywhere. There is a toll-free number, so I think to be on the safe side I'll just call. 

I had planned to pay using a money order, but I don't see that as an accepted method of pmt...I guess our m.o. 's are no good up there.

I'm too chicken to cut Rio's toenails by myself so I plan to wait til he goes to the vet for his wing clip & have the vet do it!


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

I acually just sent mine out today to http://accu-metrics.com/avian.php?gclid=CMDrtv-Mr7UCFYtaMgodlkkA0Q for my yellow sided green cheek conure baby. I did cut his toe nail but didnt get much out of it so I also plucked a blood feather from the tail and put one of each on the card (I know I'm so mean, I felt awful but we cuddled for a long time after). They said it was fine and I printed the card out so I didn't have to wait for it to come in the mail. It says $10 online but when I printed out the form to go with it, it said $12 but I emailed them and they said no they lowered it to $10. So we will see. They take checks, money orders and credit or debit.


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