How to tell a pigeon's age? Practical methods for you

    Knowing how to tell a pigeon's age is of great significance for timely pairing and breeding and for selecting good stock. Pigeons generally live 10 to 15 years, but the best breeding age for breeding pigeons is 2 to 4 years, and the ideal breeding age for good racing pigeons is 2 to 5 years. 

A pigeon's age can usually be determined from the following aspects: 

Identification by the shape of the beak and the scabs 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 rather pointed, soft and slender; a young pigeon's beak is thicker and harder; an adult pigeon's beak is thicker and shorter, with a harder and smoother tip. Because adult pigeons feed their squabs, scabs form at the corners of the mouth. The older the bird and the more squabs it has reared, the larger the scabs at the corners of the mouth grow; in breeding pigeons over 5 years old, the scabs on both sides of the mouth corners are jagged. 

Identification by the molting of a pigeon's feathers: 
    The primary flight feathers are used to tell the age of a young pigeon in months. A pigeon has 10 primary flight feathers in total; at 2 months of age it begins to replace the first one, and thereafter replaces 1 feather in order about every 13 to 16 days; when the last one is replaced, the pigeon is about 6 months old and already mature, and can begin to be paired for breeding. A pigeon has 12 secondary flight feathers, which are mainly used to tell the age of adult pigeons. Each year the secondary flight feathers are replaced in order from the inside out, 1 feather at a time, and the replaced feathers look darker in color and clean and neat. 

Identification by the liveliness of a pigeon's eyes and the number of wrinkles on the bare skin of the eye ring: 
    Young pigeons have rather alert eyes; young pigeons and young adult pigeons have bright, piercing eyes, and the nictitating membrane moves fairly quickly; old pigeons have dull eyes and poorer liveliness. In addition, young pigeons have very fine wrinkles on the bare skin of the eye ring, and as the pigeon ages, the wrinkles in the bare skin become increasingly coarse and thick. 

Identification by the size and color of a pigeon's cere: 
    A squab's cere is reddish, while a young pigeon's is light red and glossy; in pigeons over 2 years old the cere already has a thin powdery white coating; in pigeons over 4 or 5 years old the cere is powdery white and has become rather rough; in pigeons over 10 years old it looks dry and rough, and a pigeon's cere also becomes slightly larger with age. 

Identification by the size and presence or absence of a pigeon's bursa of Fabricius: 
    A pigeon's bursa of Fabricius is located above the cloaca. A young pigeon's bursa of Fabricius is fairly large, becomes smaller in adulthood, and after a few years it becomes very small or only a trace remains. 

Identification by the color of a pigeon's legs and the coarseness of the scale pattern: 
    A young pigeon's legs are bright red, the scale pattern is indistinct, the scales are soft and flat, the toenails are soft and pointed, and the foot pads are soft and smooth. In pigeons over 2 years old the legs are dark red, the scale pattern is fine and distinct, and the scales and toenails are slightly hard and curved. In pigeons over 5 years old the legs are purplish red, the scale pattern is distinct and coarse, the scales protrude and are rough, with small white scales attached, the toenails are thick, hard and curved, and the foot pads are thick and coarse. 

Identification by a pigeon's leg band: 
    The leg bands of meat pigeons and fancy pigeons often show only a number, which can be determined from the time recorded when the band was put on; racing pigeon leg bands often bear the date of birth, from which the age can be known.