This is all about a budgie's cere.....that fleshy part with their nostrils and above their beak.

 

HENS

 

BREEDING CONDITION HENS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HENS WHO ARE NOT IN BREEDING CONDITION ( note the blue on the cere )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 201015 yr by KAZ

BABY TO YOUNG HENS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BABY BOYS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 200817 yr by KAZ

The examples that you have given are good!

Edited October 21, 200816 yr by KAZ

Excellent, informative post Kaz! Thank you.

thanks Kaz. Whats the deal with lacewings and the like... are they any different?

thanks Kaz. Whats the deal with lacewings and the like... are they any different?

Lacewings are like INOs .........hens go brownish and cocks stay pink.

YoU think you could post some male adults as there is none there. Just baby cocks.

Edited April 16, 200916 yr by KAZ

U think u could post some male adults as there is none there. Just baby cocks.

 

 

No point..............male adults have blue ceres unless ino, lacewing, recessive etc in which case the ceres stay pink. Blue cere are easily recognisable.

Edited February 26, 200916 yr by KAZ

KAZ -

 

This is a great post. I noticed that no matter what color of some of my young hens' ceres there seems to be a faint white circle around each nostril... is this something to look for that will help in sexing my chicks in the future?

 

In the pictures you posted above this hen and this cock have similar colored ceres... what is it that you are looking at to tell them apart? I can't tell, they both look purple/pinkish ?? Maybe that will help a bit too, not just pictures, but key things to look for? I'm having a harder time with ones that look like this. I can do the blue/white ceres but the two like below, I would have guessed male for both?? Some tips?

Edited March 19, 200916 yr by chrissy0705

KAZ -

 

This is a great post. I noticed that no matter what color of some of my young hens' ceres there seems to be a faint white circle around each nostril... is this something to look for that will help in sexing my chicks in the future?

 

In the pictures you posted above this hen and this cock have similar colored ceres... what is it that you are looking at to tell them apart? I can't tell, they both look purple/pinkish ?? Maybe that will help a bit too, not just pictures, but key things to look for? I'm having a harder time with ones that look like this. I can do the blue/white ceres but the two like below, I would have guessed male for both?? Some tips?

Chrissy there will always be some who are harder to tell than others. The budgie on the left I thought was a cock as anyone here also thought was a cock too. Easy seeing how you would think so, BUT she turned out to be a hen . We do the best we can, but there will always be just one that confuses the heck out of us

Edited March 19, 200916 yr by KAZ

i was wondering about her and the second male posted... be felt sure you added them only once being sure of the gender

YoU think you could post some male adults as there is none there. Just baby cocks.

Adult male

To me, some of those hens not in breeding condition look like they're males. I'm not saying I doubt you at all, just asking how you know that they're hens? Thanks.

To me, some of those hens not in breeding condition look like they're males. I'm not saying I doubt you at all, just asking how you know that they're hens? Thanks.

Because of my experience and also because they are my budgies.

BABY TO YOUNG HENS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BABY BOYS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with the genders of these birds

 

Gender can be determined from so young. the day old chick in my sig i believe is a hen.

To me, some of those hens not in breeding condition look like they're males. I'm not saying I doubt you at all, just asking how you know that they're hens? Thanks.

Looking through some photo I found this one which may help if it shows well enough. You should see a breeding hens cere, but in this photo her cere is peeling away as she has gone past breeding condition. Under the crusty section that is peeling away you should be able to see the whitish blue underneath.

this shows that BETWEEN breeding condition ceres is the whitish blue cere that is normal for a hen "not in breeding condition" . Hope this helps

Edited April 16, 200916 yr by KAZ

To me, some of those hens not in breeding condition look like they're males. I'm not saying I doubt you at all, just asking how you know that they're hens? Thanks.

Looking through some photo I found this one which may help if it shows well enough. You should see a breeding hens cere, but in this photo her cere is peeling away as she has gone past breeding condition. Under the crusty section that is peeling away you should be able to see the whitish blue underneath.

this shows that BETWEEN breeding condition ceres is the whitish blue cere that is normal for a hen "not in breeding condition" . Hope this helps :star:

 

i have had a hen over a year and she is still not in breeding condition

 

????????????????????????

what is in her diet?

what is in her diet?

If this question is for Mariah........she is no longer a member.

i would have picked the white cock as being hen myself but i know id be wrong lol

Great post and adorable babies and gorgeous adults

 

Just wanted to add Males also go into breeding condition altho they usually go unnoticed

 

Males in breeding condition will actually have a very deep blue waxy smooth cere instead of just a Blue kind of dull cere (of course they can breed at any time unlike females but I seem to have the best luck when my males have the Waxy deep blue ceres vs the duller but i get babies either way just a higher rate when they're deep and waxy)

 

 

what i mean...

 

Deep blue - waxy and smooth(or shiny may be a better word)

 

 

"normal" dull blue

 

 

Great post and adorable babies and gorgeous adults

 

Just wanted to add Males also go into breeding condition altho they usually go unnoticed

 

Males in breeding condition will actually have a very deep blue waxy smooth cere instead of just a Blue kind of dull cere (of course they can breed at any time unlike females but I seem to have the best luck when my males have the Waxy deep blue ceres vs the duller but i get babies either way just a higher rate when they're deep and waxy)

 

 

what i mean...

 

Deep blue - waxy and smooth(or shiny may be a better word)

 

 

"normal" dull blue

 

 

 

Excellent point and one that was missed.

For a long time I didn't notice it either. I just knew blue was boy and if you had one and a tan cere you were good to go if you were wanting a male and a female lol

then a few years ago the topic of boys going into "condition" came up on a different forum, which caught my curiosity so I started paying attention and sure enough I'd have some with the brightest blue ceres and they were so shiny sitting beside some really dull "wore out" looking ceres Of course I got babies from both males but it does seem I have a higher chick rate if the boys cere is nice and shiny and dark blue - of course it could just be coincidence, but something worth watching for

 

 

Great post and adorable babies and gorgeous adults

 

Just wanted to add Males also go into breeding condition altho they usually go unnoticed

 

Males in breeding condition will actually have a very deep blue waxy smooth cere instead of just a Blue kind of dull cere (of course they can breed at any time unlike females but I seem to have the best luck when my males have the Waxy deep blue ceres vs the duller but i get babies either way just a higher rate when they're deep and waxy)

 

 

what i mean...

 

Deep blue - waxy and smooth(or shiny may be a better word)

 

 

"normal" dull blue

 

 

 

Excellent point and one that was missed.

this is very true

also some thing to add males go barren for some times 4 to 5 months a year

yes thats right infertile totally

 

they too do come into season to breed

as mentioned the first sign is indeed the deep bright shinning glossy cere

 

thats why if a cock is young (08 or 07 three or 4 year old ) and doesn't fill

i keep them if good as its just trying them a year or a few months latter at a different time of year