# Male or Female?



## dcash690 (Mar 30, 2008)

Okay, how can you tell if your pigeons are male or female? I have a pair of fantailed pigeons, but I had to rub in between their legs and feel a gap to see if they were male or female. Is there an easier way, or any physical traits that might help?

Thanks!


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## Snowbird Sue (Dec 31, 2007)

How old are they? Did you buy them as a "mated pair"? I assume if you have them together, eventually IF you have a male and a female, they will mate and the female will lay an egg, then anothher..... Now, the male will take turns sitting on them and feeding teh babies. How long have you had them?


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## dcash690 (Mar 30, 2008)

i got them just today, no clue how old they are.


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## jbangelfish (Mar 22, 2008)

*sexing pigeons*

If you have a male and a female, first of all, they should like each other within a very short period of time. You can force mate nearly any pigeons within a few days to a week.
If they spend more time fighting with each other, you may very well have two birds of the same sex.

If you feel around the vent area, you are looking for the pelvic bones, two of them. The males tend be more rigid and close together, the females tend to be softer and farther apart for the passage of the egg. If an adult finger fits loosely between the bones, it is likely a hen.

They also have some physical features that make most of them distinguishable as to their gender. Males tend to be larger in all pigeon breeds but this is not always true. Some males can be small and some females can be large, especially with a breed that has come from many other breeds to make one.

Fantails are a somewhat feminine breed. That is to say that males and females can look more alike than in some other breeds. 

If the cere is white and powdery in appearance, then they are mature birds and should be easier to sex. Males tend to have a larger cere than females and the head will normally be larger and somehow more masculine in appearance, if that makes any sense.

Behavior is the best to show who is what. Males always court females, chase after them, show off and generally make spectacles of themselves. Both have the ability to coo or vocalize but females tend to coo when they are defending a space or fighting. Males do it much more often and will chase or court nearly every other bird, including other males.

Hope this helps.

Bill


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