Egg Shell
When a chick hatches it leaves behind useful material for DNA sexing — the inner membrane of the shell. You do not need to draw blood or pluck feathers. Handle the shell so the inner surface stays clean, let the moisture dry, and send it to Beaks Lab.
When this sample works
Best collected as soon as the chick has hatched and the shell is free
Works for most companion and breeding bird species we already sex from blood or feather
Useful when you do not want to handle a very young chick
Not ideal if the shell sat in a dirty nest, was washed, or the membrane is gone
How to collect
Pick up the shell by the outer surface only. Do not touch or scrape the inner membrane. If two halves are present, keep the piece with the most intact inner lining. Place it on a clean paper towel in a dry, shaded spot until the moisture has gone — usually a few hours. Do not bake, microwave or sun-dry the shell.
Once dry, wrap the piece in clean paper and put it in a labelled envelope. One hatchling per envelope.
What to send
A shell piece with visible inner membrane — a large fragment is better than dust
Species, clutch or cage ID, hatch date and your mobile number
The test required (usually DNA sexing)
If several chicks hatched the same day, mark each shell before they get mixed
What to avoid
Washing the shell or wiping the inside
Sending a shell that sat in droppings or wet nest material
Sealing a still-damp shell in plastic — mould ruins the DNA
Combining two chicks on one label
If the membrane looks poor
Send it anyway and tell us. We can often still extract DNA. If the sample fails we will ask for feathers or a dried blood spot from the same bird rather than charging a repeat without talking to you.
After testing
Results are issued as a certificate you can track online. Eggshell sexing uses the same PCR confirmation as our blood and feather workflow.