# Experiment!



## Nictorious Ali (Jul 1, 2010)

So today I went to scoop some pigeons from a very nice member from this page and he taught me how to key a pigeon! Basically if you cant tell the sex of the bird you tie a key to a piece of string hold your hand as straight as possible and dangle it over the pigeon. If it starts dangling in a circular motion well its a girl and if it goes back and forth its a male. When i saw him do it i was very skeptical however i did try it and it worked! If one of you guys could try and see if you get some results let me know!


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## blongboy (Nov 10, 2009)

Nictorious Ali said:


> So today I went to scoop some pigeons from a very nice member from this page and he taught me how to key a pigeon! Basically if you cant tell the sex of the bird you tie a key to a piece of string hold your hand as straight as possible and dangle it over the pigeon. If it starts dangling in a circular motion well its a girl and if it goes back and forth its a male. When i saw him do it i was very skeptical however i did try it and it worked! If one of you guys could try and see if you get some results let me know!


i do that too ..but with a little copper wire ....not all key will work.


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

Nictorious Ali said:


> So today I went to scoop some pigeons from a very nice member from this page and he taught me how to key a pigeon! Basically if you cant tell the sex of the bird you tie a key to a piece of string hold your hand as straight as possible and dangle it over the pigeon. If it starts dangling in a circular motion well its a girl and if it goes back and forth its a male. When i saw him do it i was very skeptical however i did try it and it worked! If one of you guys could try and see if you get some results let me know!


I know people who swear that they can find water with dousing rods, but I don't know anyone that has any proof of their ability. Maybe before you accept this as fact, wait to see what those birds that were "keyed" turn out to be.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

Nictorious Ali said:


> So today I went to scoop some pigeons from a very nice member from this page and he taught me how to key a pigeon! Basically if you cant tell the sex of the bird you tie a key to a piece of string hold your hand as straight as possible and dangle it over the pigeon. If it starts dangling in a circular motion well its a girl and if it goes back and forth its a male. When i saw him do it i was very skeptical however i did try it and it worked! If one of you guys could try and see if you get some results let me know!


That has to be one of the goofiest ideas that I've ever heard


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*When I was just a young pup (and that's a long time ago) we would take a sewing needle and we would thread the needle with sewing thread about 12 inches in long. Someone else would hold the threaded needle over the back of some else's hand and it would spin in a circle for girls and swing back and forth for boys.Some of the holders were able to make it spin in a circle over a boys hand, and we all would tease the poor guy.We had lots of fun* GEORGE


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## sandiego (Jan 11, 2008)

i use this method too, when i was starting to this hobby on my grade school. i learnd it from this guy name Dave from Dave's feed store here in san diego. it works and from time to time i still use it...


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

As George mentioned, this method has been there was some good time though there is no scientific explanation nor any accuracy factors determined. It may work out sometimes, so does tossing a coin  But some pigeon stores including Foys do sell this "apparatus" for sex determination


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you at least have a 50% chance of being right.LOL... you can do a DNA test for 25 bucks...and then you would know 100% what you have. or wait till they pair up and make house and see who lays the eggs..


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## Nictorious Ali (Jul 1, 2010)

Lol i agree there is prolly no scientific proof for it, but I did test it out with some hens I have. And plus science cant really prove everything due to the lack of our technology, its only as good as we are. For example I bet theres a ton of ppl who have seen a ghost, myself included, but how many scientists can scientifically explain that? Any who, I was just curious to see if anyone else uses this method and if you havent try it out!


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## Ede-bird (Jul 7, 2010)

I remember when I was a little girl watching my Mom and her friends do that for a pregnant friend of theirs. They tied her wedding ring to a thread and held it over her tummy - circles meant a girl baby , back and forth meant a baby boy. ( wish I could remember the outcome - I was only about 4 years old)


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

I tested it thirty (30) times...... on the same hen. Twelve times she was a hen and eighteen times she was cock. Oh well, back to the drawing board.


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

Never really had many problems sexing homers 90% of the time i just go by the shape of the head and size of the bird.Although i have got it wrong on occassions.Last year my so called gay pied cock layed and produced a replica of herself and a baby mealy she was paired with a blue cheque so where the mealy came from i dont know..Every think pointed to her being a he . She was bossy,largely built with a dome shaped head and very territorial.Took me three years to realise this cock was a hen.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Those swingy thingies didn't work when someone tried to sex my satinettes. Two "girls" turned out to be boys.


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## Nictorious Ali (Jul 1, 2010)

grifter said:


> I tested it thirty (30) times...... on the same hen. Twelve times she was a hen and eighteen times she was cock. Oh well, back to the drawing board.


LOL its def the hen she must be having an identity crisis!


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

There are also some who measure the two outside toes: 

EQUAL = Hen

UNequal = Cock

That's how a racing homer man ID'd MR. Squeaks when I first found him as a squeaker - a BIG squeaker! He looked liked an adult even tho he was only about a month or so old!!  'Course, I already "felt" that I had a male...just a gut feeling! And, is he ever!

Now, I could have sworn that Gimie (Checker feral) was a hen when he and WoeBeGone, my West of England Tumbler got together (love at first sight!)! I was told that Woe was a hen, but wasn't sure, especially when they first met and Woe tried to mount Gimie by jumping on him...first landing on his head and the second time facing his tail!!  When I saw Woe lay an egg, sex solved! Now, Gimie is the only one doing the mounting! 

Love and Hugs
Shi


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

grifter said:


> I tested it thirty (30) times...... on the same hen. Twelve times she was a hen and eighteen times she was cock. Oh well, back to the drawing board.


*grifter who was holding the bird?* GEORGE


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## Nictorious Ali (Jul 1, 2010)

mr squeaks said:


> There are also some who measure the two outside toes:
> 
> EQUAL = Hen
> 
> ...


Lmaoooo that actually made me laugh pretty hard!


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## Albannai (Jan 21, 2001)

I've been with pigeons for more than 35 years. Some of them, never knew if they were hens or cocks until tehy became adulls or maybe more....... good question George....""who was holding the bird?""


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## newday (Dec 12, 2004)

*sexing*

No scientific proof to the dangling string but folks still buy the string with a weight on it from pigeon supply places. As was said "theres one born every minute".

Also to the other sexing approaches of toe length, feather length on wings, which one hatches first, etc. - no proof.

If something really worked then we would all already be using it.


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## wolverine (Jul 29, 2009)

wow I was told to shake the bird and if you hear a rattle it is a cock, if not it's a hen.
Disclaimer: that was a joke, DO NOT SHAKE a bird.


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

wolverine said:


> wow I was told to shake the bird and if you hear a rattle it is a cock, if not it's a hen.
> Disclaimer: that was a joke, DO NOT SHAKE a bird.


Lol....I thought you were being serious there for a minute!


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

george simon said:


> *grifter who was holding the bird?* GEORGE


No need to hold the hen if she's a tight sitter.


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## rfboyer (Jun 18, 2009)

grifter said:


> No need to hold the hen if she's a tight sitter.


Some of my hens would wing-slap the pendulum across the room if I tried dowsing while they sat their nests, they just lean out a little and Pop goes the wing!


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

rfboyer said:


> Some of my hens would wing-slap the pendulum across the room if I tried dowsing while they sat their nests, they just lean out a little and Pop goes the wing!


It's safer to douse from above.


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