# lesbian pigeons?



## mike (Jun 9, 2014)

I have two female pigeons That were caged together while I built my new loft. They became mated and started laying eggs. Both had wings broken at one time and now they nest in a box I built for them on the floor. I thought once I put them in the new loft they would separate but they did not and remain mated. They are able to fly good enough to make around the loft. Single males show interest in them but they stay together. in early June they laid 4 eggs in there nest about the same time a pair of homers laid eggs. I threw out their eggs and gave them one of the homer eggs. They hatched it out and have taken great care of the baby. They have been mated for about a year now. One of them acts like the male and climes on the back of the other.
Has anyone heard of this before? What do you think? Is it healthy for them to raise the young? Do you think they are producing pigeon milk? The baby seems OK.


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## DoveSvN (Apr 4, 2013)

This is very odd indeed. Are you absolutely sure that both pigeons are laying those eggs? One of my female pigeons laid 4 eggs in 1 week, maybe your pigeon is doing the same?

If those chicks grow up healthy, then I guess there's no problem with both of them raising the young.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

mike said:


> I have two female pigeons That were caged together while I built my new loft. They became mated and started laying eggs. Both had wings broken at one time and now they nest in a box I built for them on the floor. I thought once I put them in the new loft they would separate but they did not and remain mated. They are able to fly good enough to make around the loft. Single males show interest in them but they stay together. in early June they laid 4 eggs in there nest about the same time a pair of homers laid eggs. I threw out their eggs and gave them one of the homer eggs. They hatched it out and have taken great care of the baby. They have been mated for about a year now. One of them acts like the male and climes on the back of the other.
> Has anyone heard of this before? What do you think? Is it healthy for them to raise the young? Do you think they are producing pigeon milk? The baby seems OK.


*Yes, I have heard of this happening before, and I knew someone who had two males who hatched and raised babies successfully. 

Pigeons are very good at adapting to situations. Your hens adapted to the situation when no males were available. They are bonded together and you can try to separate them, but do not allow them to see each other. They have to be producing pigeon milk or they would not be able to raise the hatchling. If they are healthy and acting fine, I see nothing wrong in them raising babies, it is fulfilling their need to hatch and raise squeakers.*


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

mike said:


> I have two female pigeons That were caged together while I built my new loft. They became mated and started laying eggs. Both had wings broken at one time and now they nest in a box I built for them on the floor. I thought once I put them in the new loft they would separate but they did not and remain mated. They are able to fly good enough to make around the loft. Single males show interest in them but they stay together. in early June they laid 4 eggs in there nest about the same time a pair of homers laid eggs. I threw out their eggs and gave them one of the homer eggs. They hatched it out and have taken great care of the baby. They have been mated for about a year now. One of them acts like the male and climes on the back of the other.
> Has anyone heard of this before? What do you think? Is it healthy for them to raise the young? Do you think they are producing pigeon milk? The baby seems OK.


Same sex pairs are not that uncommon in pigeons. Especially for those who keep genders separately. My cocks pair with each other oftenly. An old cock would coo and a young one unsure of his gender roles would give in to his coos and they would pair up. Hens do pair up. Many hen-hen pairs start to fight each other when they/one of them lay eggs but some act like mated pairs when one of them assumes roles of a cock pigeon. All the eggs from such pair must turn infertile if they're not seeing another cock.
If yours are raising young successfully then you can let them stay together and enjoy sisterhood if you want to use them as fosters. But the original pair and foster pair must lay eggs simultaneously for successful egg swapping.
So if you wanna keep them that way your will,or you can separate them to pair up with different males. As advised if you wanna break the pair don't let them see eachother by removing one of them from loft until the one in loft lays eggs with another cock and the removed one also gets paired with some other cock before you put her back in the loft,on the safe side.


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## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Does this phenomenon imply that the birds meant to be raced are supposed to kept in solitary confinement during the training period and until the race(s) end to ensure their prime physical health during the race(s)?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

mike said:


> I have two female pigeons That were caged together while I built my new loft. They became mated and started laying eggs. Both had wings broken at one time and now they nest in a box I built for them on the floor. I thought once I put them in the new loft they would separate but they did not and remain mated. They are able to fly good enough to make around the loft. Single males show interest in them but they stay together. in early June they laid 4 eggs in there nest about the same time a pair of homers laid eggs. I threw out their eggs and gave them one of the homer eggs. They hatched it out and have taken great care of the baby. They have been mated for about a year now. One of them acts like the male and climes on the back of the other.
> Has anyone heard of this before? What do you think? Is it healthy for them to raise the young? Do you think they are producing pigeon milk? The baby seems OK.



It is not unusual or a "phenomenon"... lol. most keepers have a story of a same sex pair, usually hens. here is mine. 

two hen figuritas that were paired and sat on the nest together, they even went around to other's nest boxes and fed their babies while they were out eating or bathing...


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## Ananth_Tvli (Jun 26, 2014)

Thats still crazier..... feeding other's babies - call it mom instincts ? Would this be the case if it were two cocks together?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

really it is pretty common in pigeons to have this strong pairing , mating and nesting and feeding squabs.... so love the one your with!.. really it is all what pigeons think about except eating, it's just sometimes the mate is the same sex.


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## pigeonraiser (Mar 23, 2001)

Ive had it happen through the years more times than ive got fingers on one hand.l would say its not that uncommon.


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## pigeonjim (May 12, 2012)

After race season I separate the cocks and hens. A handful of hens always lay eggs all winter with a hen of their choice, and sometimes I leave them together to raise babies from my race team. My hens and cocks also help feed other babies all the time. I look at it as they are lucky to have all the help!!


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## paramount (Aug 6, 2014)

*Common*

This is actually a very common behavior in pigeons when they are segregated by sex.

Such pairs will in fact, produce milk and can be used as fosters.


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## Elkhorn Pack (Aug 14, 2008)

how bizarre! I have never heard of lesbian pigeons. I have a pigeon (she's named Foresta...very famous!) that's funny!!!


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## kunju (Mar 14, 2012)

I have two ferals outside...I guess both are male as they have not laid eggs for the two years I am seeing them, nor do they mate. The more aggressive of the two, Jaico dotes over Rani by preening her and bringing her (him) nesting material. Jaico openly flirts with other single females outside, but always comes back to Rani. 
No mating, no eggs, I am wondering if they are brothers (siblings) who decided to stick together forever.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Elkhorn Pack said:


> how bizarre! I have never heard of lesbian pigeons. I have a pigeon (she's named Foresta...very famous!) that's funny!!!


There is no such thing as lesbian or gay pigeons. But they are good at assuming roles of opposite sex if they're kept in separation by gender. Or 2 young birds unsure of their gender roles pair up together or a young will pair up with older bird of same gender(happens more often in my loft.)
That's does not make them lesbian or gay. They don't pair up out of choice like that but out of loneliness and desperation because pigeons are social and very sexually active birds. In normal/free situations they won't pair up with a same gendered bird.
So pigeons are straight LL


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Elkhorn Pack said:


> how bizarre! I have never heard of lesbian pigeons. I have a pigeon (she's named Foresta...very famous!) that's funny!!!


*It is usually they are just adapting to the situation given (for example: if there are no male pigeons in the loft) and their instinctive need to mate and have offspring. *


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