# Is it possible to determine the sex of pigeons by examining the vent area ?



## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

Hi everyone , 
I wanted to know whether it is possible to determine the sex of pigeons by examining the vent area ?

Thank You


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071012185905AAQJde2

_How do you tell male from female pigeons apart?

There's three ways:

1. Males coo. Since you only have one, it probably won't coo anyways. The cooing you normally hear from pigeons is from the male. Male's will also display and court by puffing up the neck feathers, spreading and dragging it's tail, and chasing the female while cooing.

2. Males tend to have a bigger, rounder head. If you look close at most females' heads, you'll notice it's sort of flat on the top. This isn't always accurate, but it's a good method when you can't catch the birds. Going strictly on how big the body is, is never a good way to go. Some pigeons are bigger than the other in body size reguardless of sex because their genetics came from big pigeons to start with. Also when the squabs are in the nest, it isn't always the male who dominates and fights for food more, so in this case the female would be bigger because it gets more food.

3. This is the almost guarenteed way to do it, the only other sure way is DNA. *Look at the underside of the bird. Place your finger below and between the knees, near the beginning of the tail. Somewhere near the vent you should feel two bones pointing in towards each other. If you can fit a finger between them easily, it is a sexually mature female. If they are or almost touching, it is male. Some young newly weaned females will have theirs close together, but there is still a very small gap. These bones are called the pelvic bones, and the rule goes for any bird. Some females will have wider spaces depending on how big the bird is and how large of eggs they lay.* _


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071125181505AAjGzfC

_(2) Cradling the bird in both hands, run a forefinger along the keel bone (runs down the mid-line from the breast. At the end of the keel bone there's a space, then, toward the vent, 2 small thin bones will come together in a "V". If you can fit a small finger between where they come together, you have a hen(this is where the egg passes). If they are only 1mm-2mm apart, you have a cock. Older hens and cocks are easier to sex this way-it doesn't work well with babies._


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## nancybird (Jan 30, 2011)

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you have a female or male.


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

Pijlover said:


> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071012185905AAQJde2
> 
> _How do you tell male from female pigeons apart?
> 
> ...


I actually know this method and it works for mature birds but sadly it does not work for young birds.*Is there any way of determining gender in young birds ????*


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

You asked a differnt question previously, anyways here is a thread that might help 

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f5/male-female-difference-in-squabs-52078.html


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## Pijlover (May 5, 2010)

From the same thread:
_Hopefully I will be able to relay this properly: At the age of banding, place your right hand over the top of the bird with your thumb aiiming at the head of the youngster. Then turn it up side down so the vent is facing you. If the vent is a smiley face it is a cockbird, a frown is a hen. I band even numbers for a cockbird and odd for hens. Can honestly say it is not 100%, but its the best method I found._

Probably that is what you asked for


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## Nazmul (Dec 8, 2009)

sounds interesting ...i'll try it ...thank you for sharing this ...


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