What are the methods for determining a pigeon's age?

1. Identification based on the replacement of a pigeon's feathers. The primary flight feathers are used to identify the age in months of young pigeons. A pigeon has 10 primary flight feathers in total. At 2 months of age, the first one begins to be replaced, and thereafter 1 is replaced every 13 to 16 days. When the last one is replaced, the pigeon is about 6 months old and has reached maturity, so it can begin pairing and producing. A pigeon has 12 secondary flight feathers, which can be used to identify the age of adult pigeons. Each year, 1 secondary flight feather is replaced in order from the inside outward, and the replaced feathers appear darker in color and clean and neat.

2. Identification based on the size and presence or absence of the pigeon's bursa of Fabricius. The pigeon's bursa of Fabricius is located above the cloaca. In young pigeons, the bursa of Fabricius is relatively large; in adult pigeons it becomes smaller, and after a few years the bursa of Fabricius becomes very small, or only a trace of it remains.

3. Identification based on the shape of the pigeon's beak and the scabbing at the corners of the mouth. The older the bird, the blunter and smoother the tip of the beak. The tip of a squab's beak is relatively pointed, soft, and slender; the beak of a young pigeon is relatively thick and hard; the beak of an adult pigeon is relatively thick and short, with a relatively hard and smooth tip.