# ways to determine the sex of a pigeon?



## The Pigeon Girl

Ever since I've had pigeons i thought by looking at the behavior was the way. But later i found out it wasn't, any suggestions? Thanks Jamie.


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## horseart4u

well some people can tell by their head shape, you can look at their vent area ( how i am not sure )the cocks middle toe is longer then a hens. or follow the breast bone down to vent area and feel the "V" shape bone if its small and you can't put your finger tip in it's a cock, if you can then its a hen she has room to pass the egg,,but different people do it different ways..


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## rpalmer

http://www.pipa.be/en/newsandarticles/pigeonandloft/cock-or-hen-how-determine-it


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## Heedictator

and also hens bows more frequently without coo and sound while the cock dances in front of her


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## spirit wings

If it lays eggs she is a hen.. if not it still may be a hen..lol.. usually when they mature and pair up and you get two fertile eggs and they act as a pair you know which is which.. the cock sits the nest in mid morning to afternoon... usually.


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## swagg

Yeah pretty much if they lay an egg is the best bet. You will get to know the different ways the cocks and hens act, but even that isnt 100%


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## Keith C.

I am good at sexing pigeons, but not perfect. Without a DNA test or seeing the pigeon lay an egg perfect sexing is very hard.

The first thing I check is the spacing on the pelvic bones. If you take the pigeon, turn it upside down and feel where the pelvic bones come together, on most hens, the bones will be spaced far enough apart, that you can place a finger and on large breeds, sometimes two fingers, between the pelvic bones. Young hens' pelvises will generally spread if you apply light pressure. On cocks the bones may touch and on some cocks the tips of the pelvic bones will curve towards each other.

The reason for the spacing is that hen has to pass an egg.

Pigeons like homers and rollers generally are easier to sex this way then breeds like American fantails, which usually have loose pelvises. It helps if you have a lot of pigeons of the same breed to check for comparitive differences.

The next difference I look for is the shape of the head. Hens typically have smaller more rounded, feminine looking heads. The frontal, which runs from the base of the beak to the top of the head, on roller and homer hens is usually softly curved. Males usually have larger, more squared off blockier looking heads. When comparing pigeons of the same breed, strain and age males usually have larger eye ceres and wattles too.

For me, pigeons with crests are harder to sex by their head.

A secondary sex characteristic to look for, is that on hens the inside front toe will generally be longer then the outside front toe. Cocks generally have longer outside toes. 

This is true for most humans too. Woman usually have longer index fingers and men usually have longer ring fingers.

Another secondary sex characteristic to check is the shape of the oil gland. I was taught this by some men from Pakistan and we had 100% agreement on sexing this way, with birds I knew the sex of. The oil gland is above the base of the tail, buried in the soft feathers there. Hens usually have two distinct bumps on the oil glands, cocks usually have 1 longer thin bump. 

Behavior is another good way to sex. Most cocks will coo, puff and bob, but a few hens will too. I like to place a bird I am unsure of in a cage with a dominant, unmated cock. If he struts the bird is probably a hen. If he acts agressive towards it is probably a cock.

Another thing to look for is how the bird drinks. Hens when drinking seem to sip more daintilly then a cock. Cocks will often put their head in the water up to the base of the beak. Hens typically just use the tip.

Hens also grunt more when you catch them than cocks do.

I hope this helps.


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## re lee

Geting to know the breed you have makes a big difference And then having poigeons long enough to notice the differences in them. You can then rather well sex some by the time they are 2 weeks old. But agin time with the birds. BUT even the best will get fooled as every so often a cock has that hen body. And on a rare time a hen has that cock body But that is rare.


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## MaryOfExeter

I still don't understand the toe thing. I just heard about it today from two different people. Out of everyone in the house, I'm the only one with my index finger longer than my ring finger  I just looked and my parents thought I was crazy for studying their hands. My index finger is almost as long as my middle finger, LOL.
I'm fixing to go look at my birds again to see.


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## Pigeonfan94

rpalmer said:


> http://www.pipa.be/en/newsandarticles/pigeonandloft/cock-or-hen-how-determine-it


Has anyone had any success with this method?


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## MaryOfExeter

I've only tried it with adult birds or older YBs with no success. But then no one told me they HAD to be 3-4 weeks old. It makes sense why the tail up would mean hen and tail down cock, as that's how they mate, but I don't understand how pulling the beak is supposed to make that happen, LOL.
I never worry about sexing the birds until pairing OBs or breeders. By the time I'm ready to breed them, I already know what sex they are because they are old enough to show it. I don't see why everyone is always in such a rush to know the gender! But of course when buying birds it is pretty important to know so you don't end up with same sex pairs or way too many of one gender and not enough of the other.
Personally, I prefer feeling the vent, watching how they act, and guessing by their looks. Cocks usually have a bigger, rounder head while hens usually look more dainty with a flatter head. But that can be totally opposite depending on the breed or strain of homer. I have some very round headed hens in my loft, and one cockbird in particular that looks so prissy it's not even funny


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## horseart4u

hey mary do you have a pic of the "prissy" guy?


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## RodSD

Keith C. said:


> I am good at sexing pigeons, but not perfect. Without a DNA test or seeing the pigeon lay an egg perfect sexing is very hard.
> 
> The first thing I check is the spacing on the pelvic bones. If you take the pigeon, turn it upside down and feel where the pelvic bones come together, on most hens, the bones will be spaced far enough apart, that you can place a finger and on large breeds, sometimes two fingers, between the pelvic bones. Young hens' pelvises will generally spread if you apply light pressure. On cocks the bones may touch and on some cocks the tips of the pelvic bones will curve towards each other.
> 
> The reason for the spacing is that hen has to pass an egg.
> 
> Pigeons like homers and rollers generally are easier to sex this way then breeds like American fantails, which usually have loose pelvises. It helps if you have a lot of pigeons of the same breed to check for comparitive differences.
> 
> The next difference I look for is the shape of the head. Hens typically have smaller more rounded, feminine looking heads. The frontal, which runs from the base of the beak to the top of the head, on roller and homer hens is usually softly curved. Males usually have larger, more squared off blockier looking heads. When comparing pigeons of the same breed, strain and age males usually have larger eye ceres and wattles too.
> 
> For me, pigeons with crests are harder to sex by their head.
> 
> A secondary sex characteristic to look for, is that on hens the inside front toe will generally be longer then the outside front toe. Cocks generally have longer outside toes.
> 
> This is true for most humans too. Woman usually have longer index fingers and men usually have longer ring fingers.
> 
> Another secondary sex characteristic to check is the shape of the oil gland. I was taught this by some men from Pakistan and we had 100% agreement on sexing this way, with birds I knew the sex of. The oil gland is above the base of the tail, buried in the soft feathers there. Hens usually have two distinct bumps on the oil glands, cocks usually have 1 longer thin bump.
> 
> Behavior is another good way to sex. Most cocks will coo, puff and bob, but a few hens will too. I like to place a bird I am unsure of in a cage with a dominant, unmated cock. If he struts the bird is probably a hen. If he acts agressive towards it is probably a cock.
> 
> Another thing to look for is how the bird drinks. Hens when drinking seem to sip more daintilly then a cock. Cocks will often put their head in the water up to the base of the beak. Hens typically just use the tip.
> 
> Hens also grunt more when you catch them than cocks do.
> 
> I hope this helps.


Very nice. I agree with what you said. I have observed the same. The only thing that throws me off is the head shape idea. You need to have experience on that one to see the difference. Sometimes they fool me off.

With respect to the toe sexing I like to theorize that is has something to do with mating evolution. Since most cocks top off the hen, they need their outside toes to hold longer and not slip.


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## MaryOfExeter

His head looks so small compared to his body, and is very flat on top. But he is full of himself and has tight pelvic bones to make up for it.


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## whytwings

Keith C. said:


> I am good at sexing pigeons, but not perfect. Without a DNA test or seeing the pigeon lay an egg perfect sexing is very hard.
> 
> The first thing I check is the spacing on the pelvic bones. If you take the pigeon, turn it upside down and feel where the pelvic bones come together, on most hens, the bones will be spaced far enough apart, that you can place a finger and on large breeds, sometimes two fingers, between the pelvic bones. Young hens' pelvises will generally spread if you apply light pressure. On cocks the bones may touch and on some cocks the tips of the pelvic bones will curve towards each other.
> 
> The reason for the spacing is that hen has to pass an egg.
> 
> Pigeons like homers and rollers generally are easier to sex this way then breeds like American fantails, which usually have loose pelvises. It helps if you have a lot of pigeons of the same breed to check for comparitive differences.
> 
> The next difference I look for is the shape of the head. Hens typically have smaller more rounded, feminine looking heads. The frontal, which runs from the base of the beak to the top of the head, on roller and homer hens is usually softly curved. Males usually have larger, more squared off blockier looking heads. When comparing pigeons of the same breed, strain and age males usually have larger eye ceres and wattles too.
> 
> For me, pigeons with crests are harder to sex by their head.
> 
> A secondary sex characteristic to look for, is that on hens the inside front toe will generally be longer then the outside front toe. Cocks generally have longer outside toes.
> 
> This is true for most humans too. Woman usually have longer index fingers and men usually have longer ring fingers.
> 
> Another secondary sex characteristic to check is the shape of the oil gland. I was taught this by some men from Pakistan and we had 100% agreement on sexing this way, with birds I knew the sex of. The oil gland is above the base of the tail, buried in the soft feathers there. Hens usually have two distinct bumps on the oil glands, cocks usually have 1 longer thin bump.
> 
> Behavior is another good way to sex. Most cocks will coo, puff and bob, but a few hens will too. I like to place a bird I am unsure of in a cage with a dominant, unmated cock. If he struts the bird is probably a hen. If he acts agressive towards it is probably a cock.
> 
> Another thing to look for is how the bird drinks. Hens when drinking seem to sip more daintilly then a cock. Cocks will often put their head in the water up to the base of the beak. Hens typically just use the tip.
> 
> Hens also grunt more when you catch them than cocks do.
> 
> I hope this helps.


Thats how I was taught also .........by feeling the spaces between the pelvic bones


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## al g

The Pigeon Girl said:


> Ever since I've had pigeons i thought by looking at the behavior was the way. But later i found out it wasn't, any suggestions? Thanks Jamie.


you look at nostrills to tell if male or fem males are bigger


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## mercedes15

The Pigeon Girl said:


> Ever since I've had pigeons i thought by looking at the behavior was the way. But later i found out it wasn't, any suggestions? Thanks Jamie.


Its very easy, you have to get to know your birds. 
You can usually tell as they are growing up.


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## JOHN JOSIP

The Pigeon Girl said:


> Ever since I've had pigeons i thought by looking at the behavior was the way. But later i found out it wasn't, any suggestions? Thanks Jamie.


 HI THE BEST WAY HOLD THE PIGEON UPSIDE DOWN IN YOUR HAND IF IT REMAINS CALM IN YOUR HAND IT IS A FEMALE MALE WILL FLICK BACK ANOTHER WORD MALE WILL NOT REMAIN ON HIS BACK GUARANTEE YOU.


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