# sexing pigeons



## niall (Apr 25, 2008)

how do u tell a cock from a hen?


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## Avion (May 28, 2007)

There are a certain few that have their own views on sexing birds. I am too inexperienced to begn to think of sexing them. There are a lot of if's depending on the age of the birds, or how they feel. Hopefully someone will come on with some experience and hopefully they can help.

George


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## Fbirdie82 (Jul 24, 2007)

Wait to see who lays an egg...


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

If you're trying to sex one bird.....it can be difficult for most of us. If you've got a hen or a cock that you can put this bird with for just a few minutes, that may tell you. Cocks coo, bow, drag their tails.........but, sometimes hens can do the same. The EASIEST and most ACURATE way is like you've already been told. Wait to see who lays an egg.


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## zimmzimm3 (Aug 17, 2007)

niall said:


> how do u tell a cock from a hen?


Just to let you know that next time you ask a question there different sections for different questions. For example there is general disscussion and i think you will get more answers if you put it in a section of the website that is more suited for the question . Just a little friendly help


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## Ahab (Apr 20, 2008)

often you can see the difference while they're squabs. the cock is usually a little bigger than the hen. otherwise... its reaaaally tuff


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## Pigeon lower (Oct 23, 2007)

i find the cock usually has a bigger beak, other than that i ask my father whos had pigeons since he was like 15.
or you could also mixed some other hens and cocks u already know with him in a basket see if he like trys to attract them or beats on em.


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

I know a guy who uses that pengulum thingy. I also know a guy who grabs both legs close to the body and holds the beak with the other hand and pulls them in opposit directions. He says the hens tail will go up and the cocks down. I saw him do this and it worked when he did it. Barkel the eye sign guy says to look at the eyes. The Hens eye look like a humans and has pointier corners and more of a lower lid, The cocks eyes are rounder almost circular. But the sure fire way is to wait and see which one is on the bottom during mating or over the egg when it is laid. 

Good luck

Randy


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## niall (Apr 25, 2008)

sory for posting in the wrong section.thank u to everyone for ur responses.does that pendulem tingy work?


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## james clark (Jun 6, 2008)

aha, another old school trick put to good use. WHile still a teen, my pigeon mentor, a racer, showed me how to sex. He took a wine cork and stuck a needle into it, vertically, and suspended it with a length of thread. Holding the bird in hand (better than two in a bush) he held it over the bird's back. If it swung back and forth, it was a cock. Circular motion shows a female. 

Other than that, a hen's plumage is typically duller than a cock.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

james clark said:


> aha, another old school trick put to good use. WHile still a teen, my pigeon mentor, a racer, showed me how to sex. He took a wine cork and stuck a needle into it, vertically, and suspended it with a length of thread. Holding the bird in hand (better than two in a bush) he held it over the bird's back. If it swung back and forth, it was a cock. Circular motion shows a female.
> 
> *Other than that, a hen's plumage is typically duller than a cock.*


I don't know about that...I've had some pretty flashy hens


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## james clark (Jun 6, 2008)

They might have been French pigeonnes oui oui.


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## waynejo2 (Sep 20, 2008)

i was shown a method some thirty years ago it was to do with pulling the bird by the beak if it moved its head it was male and if it didn't female but to be honest with you the best way is to just observe your pigeons and they will tell you


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## chrisgomez (Sep 4, 2008)

i was told to feel the vent bones if there space apart then its a hen and if there close together its a male


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## juanputik (Aug 18, 2008)

niall said:


> how do u tell a cock from a hen?


cocks have bigger head than hens...hehehe...you can tell the difference...


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## Homer87 (Nov 2, 2008)

The size of the nose and how the head structure is, that is what i see in the difference...


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## roller_boi (Oct 31, 2008)

its actually pretty simple for me 
cocks = bigger necks, bigger head, coos
hen = smaller necks, makes that one cooing noise...


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## bluedingo (Oct 10, 2008)

*my hen vs. cock*

Check out the foreheads... The hen on the right has a much flatter forehead as it rises from her beak, the males is much rounder. The hen also has a much thinner neck.


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## stuart (Jan 13, 2008)

hi the cooing and struting has always worked for me


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## GeeLily (Jan 13, 2009)

One more to add- the afghani guy that cmes to buy our pigeons all the time turns them on their backs and supports them beween the wings- he says if they can flip over easily, it's a boy and if not it's a girl. Seems to work most of the time, but probably dependant on the breed.


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## Naweed (Sep 25, 2010)

They are alot f ways to tell male and female.Easy way is to see them mating or cooing if that didn't help then hold the bird in your hand and feel between the legs if there is more space between the legs most likely its a female males tend to have a smaller bone cage spacing.If that didn't help then you can try the way geelily has said I'm afghan too I use to try that way but i had problems with different types of birds such as magpies ect...


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## Quazar (Jul 27, 2010)

niall said:


> sory for posting in the wrong section.thank u to everyone for ur responses.does that pendulem tingy work?


tie a paper clip on to the end of a piece of thread,
hold the thread about 4inches from the paper clip and let the paper clip just touch the pigeons head. steadilly and slowly raise the clip about 1/4 inch keeping your hand very steady. 
hold this position for about 30 seconds and watch the paperclip carefully.
it will start to move.
If it swings back and forward (head to tail) the bird is male
If it circles it is female

Its very difficult to do properly as any movement of your hand will increase and change the momentum of the clip.

It also works on humans, on your wrist, just where you would normally feel for a pulse


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

One Pigeon-Talk member suggested flipping a coin which would probably be just as accurate as some of the above suggestions.


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## wcooper (Aug 4, 2009)

You can check the vent bones on the underside of the bird. Basically the hens vents will have more space between than a cock. The extra space is for the egg to pass through.
Not always 100%, but it's pretty accurate.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

This is how i do it. I got this at a pigeon show and it works every time. If it goes in a circle its a female back and forth its a male.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Shadybug Lofts said:


> This is how i do it. I got this at a pigeon show and it works every time. If it goes in a circle its a female back and forth its a male.


Does it work every time you try it on a pigeon of known sex ?

And how many times have this predicted the sexes of the unknown ones correctly ?

If it works 100% on pigeons of known sex, then your sub-concious mind is doing it


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

It worked every time for me on unknown ones. I dont know how many not a lot. But i talked to a lot of other guys that say it works for them. and you can find the sex of your human baby too.  It's two strips of magnetic tape put together on a string probably can be made easily.


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## Shadybug Lofts (Mar 13, 2010)

Why can't you sex pigeons like you do chicken chicks. My brother in law worked at a chicken place where he sexed chicks. Just wondering.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

I do not know how chicken chicks are sexed, checked up in the internet, it mentions about feather sexing and vent probing.


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