/ 
 
/Iftonep 
 
 VI ' ♦♦ ♦ 
 
 ♦ ♦ 
 
 ♦ ♦ 
 
 Squabs 
 
 BY 
 
 J. C. LONG and G. M- BRINTON. 
 
 PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C, 
 
 GEORGE E. HOWARD & CO., 
 
 PUBLISHERS. 
 
C ' ^. 
 
 COPYRIGHTED AND PRINTED 
 
 GEORGE E. HOWARD & CO 
 Washing-ton, D. C. 
 
 \.-" 
 
 ^v/LiVLU* 
 
 'b'^VV-V^j 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Part i — J. C. Long. 
 
 Introductory ..... 
 
 Breeding- Houses .... 
 Breeding Stock ..... 
 Distinguishing Sex 
 Food and Feeding .... 
 
 Water 
 
 Salt 
 
 Nesting Material .... 
 
 Manure ...... 
 
 Breeding and Management . 
 
 Dressing Squabs for Market 
 
 Shipping and Selling 
 
 Diseases of Pigeons 
 
 Canker 
 
 Cholera . 
 
 ^gg Bound 
 
 Enteritis 
 
 Going Light 
 
 Roup 
 
 Small Pox 
 
 Sudden Colds 
 
 Wing Disease . 
 
 Worms 
 
 Douglass Mixture 
 
 Part ii.— G. H. Brixton 
 
 Introductory 
 
 Breeding Houses 
 
 Buying- Stock 
 
 Best Varieties to Breed 
 
 Food and Feeding 
 
 Salt .... 
 
 Breeding and Management 
 
 Dressing Squabs for Market 
 
 Shipping and Selling . 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 25 
 31 
 33 
 37 
 39 
 40 
 43 
 45 
 51 
 55 
 58 
 58 
 59 
 59 
 60 
 60 
 61 
 61 
 62 
 62 
 63 
 63 
 
 64 
 65 
 
 72 
 73 
 74 
 78 
 79 
 82 
 83 
 
 National Message Holder for Homing Pigeons 
 
 86 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Fig. 1. Aviary on Barn . . . . .11 
 Fig. 2. Aviary on Roof of House ... 12 
 Fig. 3. House for Fifty Pairs of Pigeons . 13 
 
 Fig. 4. Ground Plan of House for 400 Birds . 14 
 Fig. 5. Perspective View of House for 400 Birds 15 
 Group of Homers ....... 17 
 
 Fig. 6. Double House 20 
 
 Fig. 7. House Suitable for Small Yard . 21 
 
 Fig, 8. Arrangement of Nest Boxes . . .22 
 Fig. tJ. Plan of Completed Nest ... 22 
 Fig. 10. Arrangement of Perches . . .23 
 
 Fig. 11. Plan of Perch 24 
 
 Blue Check Homer ....... 29 
 
 Fig. 12. Mating Pen 32 
 
 Fig. 13. Covered Feed Box . . . . .34 
 Fig. 14. Feed Hopper ..... 34 
 
 Fig. 15. Grit Box 36 
 
 Fig. 16. Drinking Fountain .... 37 
 Fig. 17. Drinking Fountain . . . .37 
 
 Fig. 18. Wire Covered Drinking Pan . . 38 
 Fig. 19. Bathing Tub . . . . . .38 
 
 Fig. 20. Bathing Tub 39 
 
 White Homers ........ 41 
 
 Peeper, One Day Old ...... 46 
 
 Squeakers, Ten Days Old . . . . .47 
 
 Squealers, Three Weeks Old .... 48 
 
 Pair Blue Runts 53 
 
 White Duchesse ....... 67 
 
 Pair Blue Dragoons ....... 75 
 
 NATIONAL MESSAGE HOLDER FOR HOMING PIGEONS. 
 
 Fig. 1. The Holder 86 
 
 Fig. 2, Showing Holder Attached to Bird's Leg 87 
 Bird With Holder, Readv for Flight ... 88 
 
Part I. 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 /^^^HE gastronomic qualities of the young- of the 
 £ \ genus Cohimba have long been known and 
 ^^J^ recognized, but their scarcity and consequent 
 high price have always prevented their being 
 plentiful, and a common article of food. Of late years 
 attention has been directed to raising them in large 
 quantities, but the lack of knowledge as to how to 
 proceed has deterred mau}^ from attempting the ex- 
 periment, and turning their attention in this direction. 
 It is for the purpose of aiding and enlightening such 
 novices that this work has lieen prejiared. 
 
 As an adjunct to the raising of poultry, small fruits, 
 market gardening and general farming, this in- 
 dustr}^ offers great inducements, as the percentage of 
 profit for the amount of capital invested is large, de- 
 pending, of course, much on the amount of attention 
 given to it, and the adaptalulity for the work of the 
 one having it in charge. Hundreds have attempted it 
 and met with disappointment, simply from the fact 
 that the}' had nothing to guide and encourage them in 
 the wa}' of written experience. It should be com- 
 menced by the inexperienced in a small way until 
 thoroughly' understood, when they can branch out to 
 an almost unlimited extent. But one should under- 
 stand before beginning, that it is a business that needs 
 constant attention, and not one that will take care of 
 
8 
 
 itself. The breeder and his birds must know each 
 other, and, as far as such a thing is possible, be in perfect 
 harmony. 
 
 He must watch his matings to see if the)' agree, and 
 are both attentive to their duties, to see if they are 
 prolific, good feeders and nurses, and true to one an- 
 other. If there is a lack of attention to one another 
 and a seeming preference for other mates, such pairs 
 should be separated and remated with those of their 
 choice. If certain pairs prove to be bad feeders and 
 nurses, they should be discarded and replaced by 
 others ; for it is all important that 5'our stock should be 
 made up of careful and attentive feeders, as it is only 
 from such parents that 3'ou can expect quick growth 
 and maturity, a feature most desirable in commercial 
 squab raising. 
 
 It will take time to regulate and establish a satis - 
 factor}' breeding stud, but in this time 3'ou are learning 
 the principles necessary to success and which will 
 eventually enable 3'OU to come out a winner. Do not 
 let first disappointments discourage 5'ou, but keep per- 
 sistently at it, stud3'ing j'our birds, and learning 
 lessons from 3'our failures. I would advise beginning 
 with ten or twelve pairs and practicing with them 
 until 5'ou understand the work and then increase your 
 numbers graduall}^ In this way j-ou do not over- 
 burden yourself with care, and gradually' grow into the 
 business. Commencing in this small way you can 
 easilj' give it up if 5'ou find the work distasteful to 3'OU, 
 and, on the other hand, if agreeable it is eas)' to in- 
 crease 3'Our stock and enlarge your accommodations. 
 
 Too man}' court failure by branching out too ex- 
 tensively at first, before they have had anj^ experience 
 and hav^ learned what it is necessarj' to know to be 
 
successful. The hints contained in this book are such 
 as hav^e been suggested by long experience in this line 
 of work, and any one carefuU}^ following them will b? 
 at least fairly successful in breeding squabs for market 
 or private use. 
 
 The numerous illustrations which have been intro- 
 duced in this edition will be invaluable to the novice 
 and of much assistance even to the experienced breeder. 
 It has been the aim in preparing this manual to make 
 it a complete illustrated guide and it is believed that 
 none who study the various chapters with care can fail 
 to achieve success in practical pigeon culture. 
 
 J. C. Long. 
 
 Kit \U 
 
BREEDING HOUSES. 
 
 X makincr preparations for squab raising, the 
 first and one of the most important consider- 
 ations is the location of the breeding establish- 
 ment. This should be so situated as to be 
 warm in Winter and not excessivelj- hot in Summer, 
 and above all things where it will be free from damp- 
 ness. For this reason a southern exposure is the 
 best, and if sheltered from the north and west winds, 
 which are those most to be dreaded in the Winter, so 
 much the better. 
 
 An expensive structure is not a necessity-, although if 
 an entire new building is constructed a certain amount 
 of attention should be given to neatness of appearance, a 
 feature that will not be regretted when finished and 
 ready for ocoupanc}'. 
 
 Many may not want to go to the expense of erecting 
 a building purposely for breeding, and having barn 
 room ma}- prefer to partition off a portion for the purpose. 
 This can readily be done, although if on an upper floor, 
 entails a greater amount of work in caring for the birds 
 than if nearer the ground. If the upper floor of a barn 
 be used, an aviarj^ or flight should be constructed, as 
 shown in Fig. 1 . This flight is essential for keeping the 
 birds healthy and giving them outdoor exercise and 
 fresh air. Such a flight is inexpensive to build, being 
 made of a light framework and covered with one-inch 
 
11 
 
 FIG. 1. 
 
 mesh wire. Fig. 2, shows an excellent plan for con- 
 structing an aviarj' on the roof of a house, when 
 pigeons are kept in an upper or garret room. If the 
 ground floor be used the southern exposure should be 
 selected, the apartment well provided with light, and 
 made, as far as possible, rat and mice -proof. This can 
 be done by making all joints tight, b}- tinning around 
 the lower portion of the partitions and either making 
 a concrete floor or filling in between the joists on 
 which the floor is laid, with gravel, slag, or cinders. 
 Rats cannot work in such material and keep away. 
 Partitions should be made either of tongued and 
 grooved boards well seasoned, or twelve -inch boards 
 well battened and seasoned. This prevents draughts 
 and aids in keeping the room warm in Winter, a con- 
 dition much to be desired if squabs are to be raised at 
 
12 
 
 FIG. 2. 
 
 that season , which 
 is the time when 
 they are dearest 
 and consequently 
 bring the best 
 prices. If it is 
 necessary to erect 
 a building let the 
 sills be laid near 
 the ground on 
 
 flat stones and then fill in between t,he sleepers, as I 
 have before described, either with cinders, slag, or 
 gravel. If not possible to procure these, then raise it 
 about a foot from the ground, on posts or stone piers, 
 which will allow of space for a cat to move around in 
 and keep the rats away. By boarding up on the sides 
 in Winter and banking with sawdust or turf, leaving a 
 small opening at one end for the cat, it will be warm 
 and dry. For such a building use hemlock or spruce 
 joist, and good seasoned pine lumber tongued and 
 grooved, or with straight edges so that it can be 
 battened. Boards should be sixteen feet long and one 
 inch thick, and if attention is to be paid to neatness 
 dressed on the outside at least. Joist should be of two 
 by four stuff, sixteen feet long. B}^ cutting these in 
 two, making one length eight, and a half feet for the 
 front, and the other seven and a half feet for the back, 
 there will be no waste, and it will give the roof all the 
 pitch necessary to shed water well. 
 
 The roof can be made of ordinary roofing boards and 
 covered with three-ply tarred roofing paper or felt, 
 which, although it costs a little more at first, is the 
 most economical in the end. If this is then given a 
 good coating of roofing paint, or cement, it will last 
 
13 
 
 for years. If shingles are to be had at a low price 
 there can be no better roof if well laid. To secure a 
 house cool in Summer and warm in Winter, it should 
 be ceiled or plastered inside, but as this entails more 
 expense than most people like to incur at first, if the 
 building is lined on the north and west sides with two- 
 ply felt roofing paper it will add to its warmth. If it 
 is also used overhead, it will be an advantage, 
 adding to the warmth in Winter and making it cooler 
 in Summer. 
 
 The floor should be made of tongued and grooved 
 flooring, of such a quality as builder can afford. The 
 front should be provided with large windows about six 
 feet apart, and in size about three by six feet. This 
 will give plenty of light, and sunlight in the 
 Winter when the birds are confined to the house by 
 snow and'«'cold weather. Windows should be made so 
 as to slide to the side, that they may be opened and 
 
 FIG. 3. 
 
14 
 
 
 1 1 I 1 
 
 " 
 
 "■ 
 
 1 1 1 1 1 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 1 1 1 1 1 
 
 
 " 
 
 1 1 1 1 1 
 
 "* 
 
 
 NESTS 
 
 
 
 NESTS 
 
 
 
 NESTS 
 
 
 
 NESTS 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 WINDOW 
 
 
 
 WINDOW 
 
 
 «: 
 o 
 
 WINDOW 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 WINDOW 1 
 
 AVIARY 
 
 
 
 AVIARY 
 
 L J 
 
 AVIARY 1 AVIARY \ 
 
 _._ ___--J 
 
 FIG. 4. 
 
 closed as necessity requires. Size of lis:hts about 
 seven by nine, and if covered with wire netting there is 
 less liability of breakage. 
 
 Ideas vary as to size of house, but one fourteen by 
 sixteen feet floor surface, as shown in Fig. 3, with the 
 heights as before mentioned front and back will ac- 
 commodate about fifty pairs comfortably. As necessity 
 requires this can be added to indefinitely. But rooms 
 accommodating 100 birds, with communication between 
 each room, I believe to he better than one long 
 room, say to accommodate 1000 birds, as with so 
 many in one room there is bound to be discord. Fig. 
 4, shows ground plan of a house suitable for 400 birds. 
 This house is fifty -six feet long and sixteen feet wide 
 and is divided into four separate rooms, each being 
 fourteen by sixteen feet in size. It is reallj" four houses 
 joined together like the one shown in Fig. 3. The 
 plan shows arrangement of interior, and location of 
 nests. Fig. 5, is perspective view of the plan. 
 
 If it is desired to commence with a few, a house to suit 
 
16 
 
 the convenience can be erected. In constructing a 
 house for commercial purposes the door should be 
 made wide enough to admit a wheelbarrow, as there 
 are many times when it will be an advantage to use 
 one inside of the building. Attached to the house on 
 the south side, should be an area or space for the birds 
 to fly in, and have exercise in the open air. This can 
 be made as large as capital will allow and the height 
 of the building, eight and one -half feet. It should be 
 surrounded and covered with wire netting of one -inch 
 mesh, as it prevents the ingress of rats and sparrows, 
 both of which devour the grain, and are in every way 
 objectionable. 
 
 The framework can be made of an}' light material 
 supported on chestiuit or cedar posts. Around the run 
 about six feet from the ground should be placed six- 
 inch fence boards, with an occasional one running 
 across from side to side. These are for resting-places 
 for the birds when not on the wing, and will be found 
 to be preferred by them to resting on the ground ex- 
 cept when scratching for food or gravel. 
 
 The openings for birds to gain access to the area or 
 yard should be about six inches wide and six feet long 
 about four feet from the floor. The door or shutter to 
 these should be hung on hinges on the lower edge, and 
 made to open outwards, on to brackets properly 
 arranged so that when open this door can answer as an 
 alighting -board when ])irds desire to enter the house. 
 Cords can be so arranged as to close this door at night 
 and at other times when necessary, without entering 
 the building, as in all flocks there are some birds so 
 timid that they fi}' to the yard as soon as any one 
 enters the apartment. 
 
 Besides this main opening one or two smaller open - 
 
GROUP OF HOMERS. 
 
19 
 
 ings can be made six feet from the ground, four inches 
 wide by five inches high, and these arranged with 
 what are known as bolting wires, which are wires so 
 arranged as to swing inwards, and permit any belated 
 bird to enter, and yet when once inside prevent its 
 getting out again. They should be supplied with a 
 small shelf or alighting -board on the outside. The 
 main exits need also an alighting -board or shelf on the 
 inside about five to six inches wide, which can be sta- 
 tionary. 
 
 To prevent rats, mice, and other vermin from enter- 
 ing the house through these openings, tin or sheet -iron 
 should be tacked to the building, covering a space two 
 feet below, one foot above, and one foot on either side 
 of the openings. This prevents their getting a foot- 
 hold, and while they might readily climb up the boards 
 or battens, when they strike the smooth surface of the 
 tin they ease their hold and fall to the ground. 
 
 Along the front of the house and about one foot be- 
 low the roof, on the eight and one -half foot side, cut 
 openings one foot square and eight feet apart, with a 
 key -hole or compass saw. Tack on the top of the 
 pieces of board that come from these openings, strips 
 of leather, replace the pieces and fasten the strip of 
 leather to the remaining portion of the board. Cover 
 the opening on the outside with wire netting to pre- 
 vent the birds from fiying through. Arrange this with 
 cords to raise or lower at will, and you have a small 
 hanging door that can be used as a ventilator on hot 
 da^'S and nights, or at any time when necessary. 
 Should it be thought best to have it closed through 
 cold weather a button placed at the bottom will hold it 
 firmly in place. 
 
 Such a house as I have described can be neatly 
 
20 
 
 FIG. 6. 
 
 painted, whitewashed, or covered with tar cement, 
 which, although not very ornamental, is warm and cer- 
 tainly water-proof. All doors should have spring at- 
 tachments to them so that they will close of their own 
 accord when any one passes through and thus prevent 
 the birds flN'ing out. 
 
 A good plan for a double house is shown in Fig. 6. 
 This house may be built any size desired, according to 
 the number of birds to be kept, Init it is not advisable 
 to have the rooms larger than fourteen by sixteen feet 
 each. This house has the double -pitched roof, which 
 may be covered with shingles or tarred paper as may 
 be preferred. Such a house will be found very cheer- 
 ful and room}' for the birds to breed in, besides pre- 
 ■renting a very ornamental appearance. 
 
 There are many persons living in cities and sub- 
 urban places, with back yards as the onlj^ places where 
 a pigeon -house could be built. Such persons can, 
 with small expense, keep pigeons for pleasure and 
 profit. In Fig. 7, is shown an excellent plan for a 
 
21 
 
 house in the back yard. The size of the house and 
 aviary will, of course, depend on the size of the yard 
 and the inclinations of the builder. The house should 
 be built snug and tight, rat -proof, and in the farthest 
 end of the yard. 
 
 Having prepared the outside, a few hints as to inside 
 arrangements will be in order. In each house there 
 should be a space partitioned off at the entrance, large 
 enough to hold a few barrels for feed and such imple- 
 ments as may be needed in cleaning, and when the 
 building is enlarged to accommodate more birds, this 
 store -room can be increased according to requirements. 
 
 The nests or breeding -boxes, as shown in Fig. 8, 
 should be made by erecting boards fourteen inches 
 wide and reaching to the roof on the side opposite the 
 windows, and about seven feet high on the ends of the 
 room. Between these upright pieces should be placed 
 one -inch boards fourteen inches wide, of such length as 
 
 FIG. 
 
22 
 
 FIG. 8. 
 
 Space will admit (after taking out the feed -room) 
 twelve inches apart. This will give a series of six 
 shelves. These shelves should be divided into spaces 
 b}^ partitions of fourteen -inch boards, placed twenty 
 inches apart from center to center. This will make a 
 little room or box fourteen b}' ninteen and one -half 
 by twelve inches. This should be again subdivided b}- 
 partitions twelve inches high and nine inches wide, 
 
 thus dividing the larger 
 room into two smaller 
 spaces. In front of 
 these spaces place a 
 strip four inches wide, 
 so arranged as to be 
 easih' removed, and 
 there is a breeding - 
 room with two nests, 
 and a walking -board about five inches wide. Fig. 9, 
 shows the nest completed. With such an arrangement 
 each pair of birds has an apartment to itself with two 
 nest -boxes so that, as is frequently the case, if the hen 
 
 FIG. 9. 
 
23 
 
 desires to make another nest before- the first pair of 
 young are ready to be taken away, she can go into the 
 second apartment and lay and sit iindisturbed. 
 
 By making nests in this way the pairs are prevented 
 from quarreling, and interfering with one another, and 
 by making the narrow strip in front of the nests mov- 
 able, they can be easily cleaned. Unless it is necessary 
 to utilize every foot of space the opening under the lower 
 
 shelf need not be par- 
 titioned off. By having 
 a wire framework made to 
 fit the front of each space 
 3'ou can confine a pair of 
 birds to its own apartment 
 if necessary to do so, until 
 the}' are wonted and 
 settle down satisfied. 
 B}' a proper arrangerae'nt 
 of cleats, all these shelves 
 and partitions can be made 
 movable, so as to be taken 
 down entirely without 
 drawing a nail, when the 
 general times for a 
 thorough cleaning come 
 around. Such a building 
 as here described can be 
 continued to any length desired, but my experience 
 teaches me that it is best to keep the breeding stock in 
 colonies of about one hundred instead of one long 
 building accommodating five or six hundred. 
 
 These hints as to construction can be varied and ap- 
 plied by the breeder according to convenience of lo- 
 cation and to suit his circumstances and requirements. 
 
 FIG. 10. 
 
24 
 
 Perches should be scattered around the house in all 
 available places for the birds to alight upon. These 
 perches ma}' be built in various waj'S, according to the 
 individual taste^ as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. After 
 the interior is satisfactorih' fitted up, and before the 
 breeding stock is admitted, if given a thorough coat of 
 whitewash with a tinge of blue in it, the appearance will 
 be much improved. When persons desire to keep a few 
 pigeons to raise squabs for family use, the same rules 
 will apply as for constructing apartments for commer- 
 cial purposes. 
 
 In man}' localities where it is desirable to raise squabs 
 in Winter, the breeding room must be artificially 
 heated. This can be 
 done b}' stoves, or with 
 a regular sj'stem of 
 steam heating. The 
 temperature needs to 
 be kept just so that 
 water will not freeze, 
 and that the young will 
 not get chilled when 
 left uncovered bj' the 
 old birds. If the room 
 is kept too warm it 
 will enervate the breeding birds, be likeh^ to cause 
 them to cast their feathers, and cause results entirelj' 
 contrar}- to what is desired. Unlike fanc}- pigeons, 
 squabs raisers want to be induced to bring out as many 
 as possible during the Winter months, as this is the 
 time for best prices, and whatever course is best to bring 
 about such results is the one to adopt. 
 
 FIG. 11. 
 
BREEDING STOCK. 
 
 <^|^a^<i^ ITH the Ijreeding -house satisfactorily 
 AMI constructed and arranged, the next move 
 ^ir^FV to make is to properh' stock it for breed- 
 ing, and this is one of the most important 
 factors in breeding squabs for market, and one that it 
 will take some time to l)ring about. 
 
 To throw a promiscuous lot of birds together, with- 
 out regard to variet}' or color, is not the thing. While 
 they maj' all be mated pairs, and produce squabs, this 
 is not all that is trul}- desirable. What is wanted is a 
 bird that will ])roduce a large squab of a light color, 
 one that is a good nurse and feeder, and one so prolific 
 that the hen will lay another pair of eggs before the first 
 pair of 3'oung are ready to leave the nest. I speak 
 particularh'of a light -colored bird because light -color- 
 ed squabs bring at least twent}" -five per cent, more in the 
 market than dark -colored ones, and large, fat squalls 
 are more attractive and salable than small, scrawny'- 
 ones; and large, fat squabs can onl}- be produced b}- 
 good feeders and nurses. Consequentl}' such l;)irds are 
 realh' a necessit}' and can only be had by carefuUj- 
 selecting and culling, which takes time. 
 
 But to make a beginning. If in the neighborhood of 
 a large cit}' you can, by frequently visiting the markets 
 and bird stores, find just what is wanted for your 
 pur]iose at a low price, and first cost has much to do 
 
26 
 
 with the profits of the business. Commission men and 
 dealers are continually receiving consignments of 
 pigeons, and in all these lots you will generally find 
 some large, light -colored, cross-bred birds which will 
 answer your purpose, and, by paying a trifle above the 
 market price, 3^ou will be allowed to select from the lot. 
 
 Some writers specify a particular variety as being 
 most desirable, such as Duchesse, Antwerps and 
 Dragoons. But my experience teaches me that crosses 
 of these varieties among themselves, or with large 
 common pigeons make the best breeders, and it is just 
 such birds as these that you want to look for in the 
 markets and among the dealers. The one objection to 
 this course is the inability to tell the sex of a bird at 
 sight, but by putting them into a room together j'ou 
 can soon tell male from female, and if 3'ou find j^ou 
 have an excess of males, which is generallj^ the case, 
 you can cull them out and either dispose of them or 
 hold them until you procure mates for them. Such a 
 course as this takes time, l)Ut all this while 3'ou are 
 learning the nature and habits of your birds, and it is 
 better, say, to begin with such a lot of birds which may 
 cost you $1 a pair than to purchase Duchesse, Dragoons 
 and Antwerps at $2 to $3 a pair from breeders at a 
 distance and then not be sure of their being pairs. 
 
 If you, after a time, collect a lot of large, light - 
 colored common hens, then it would be well to cross 
 these with Silver, Silver Dun, or White Antwerps, or 
 with Yellow or White Dragoon males ; such matings 
 would be likelj'to bring 3'ou large, light -colored squabs. 
 The Duchesse is a large -bodied bird and when pure- 
 bred has feathered or booted legs, which is an objection, 
 as in squab raising a clean -legged bird is most de- 
 sirable. By crossing a Duchesse hen with a strong 
 
27 
 
 Antwerp or Dragoon male you will get a bird of large 
 body and thinly feathered on legs. Such a bird again 
 crossed with the Dragoon wovild give just about what 
 is wanted in a squab breeder — a good -sized bird with 
 clean legs. In mating birds for this purpose it is best 
 to have the hen the larger of the ])air and yet there 
 should not be too great a disparity in their size. 
 
 Many novices, knowing that the Runt is a large 
 pigeon, say at once, "Why that is the pigeon for 
 squabs". In theory this is all right, but from the fact 
 that the Runt is not a prolific bird and that they are 
 not the best of nurses, from a practical point of view 
 this is all wrong. Their squabs are large, but there 
 are not enough of them through the year to satisfy the 
 breeder for market. Then again, large Runts are worth 
 from $8 to $10 a pair, which makes them too expensive 
 even if practical for the purpose. 
 
 If these extremely large squabs could be had in 
 sufficient numbers it is a question if, under existing 
 market conditions, they would prove profitable. As 
 squabs are usally sold b}^ the dozen, and not by weight, 
 and the consumption of food by these large birds is 
 twice that consumed by the Duchesse and the Dragoon 
 cross, the expense of keeping the breeding stock and 
 raising the squabs is naturally increased, and the ques- 
 tion is, would the price advance in proportion to size 
 and cost? I think not, and consequently this also would 
 be an objection to the Runt for market purposes. 
 
 There is a large, white pigeon, frequently met with, 
 by some called a Runt, although not half as large as a 
 true Runt, that would make a good cross with the Dra- 
 goon or Antwerp. Those I have frequently seen in the 
 markets of Philadelphia and New York, and when seen 
 alwaj^s secured them for this purpose. But the intend- 
 
28 
 
 ing breeder may not have the advantages of these city 
 markets ; in such a case watch the advertisements of the 
 various poultry and pigeon papers and magazines, and 
 what is better advertise for what you want. Then on 
 finding what is wanted make the best bargain possible, 
 either for the lot, for the hens alone, or for pairs. 
 Pigeons at least a year old are the best to begin with, 
 as they are then of the proper age to go right to work, 
 and as the hens are good for four or five j-ears, and the 
 males twice as long, once the flock is established it will 
 need only occasional additions to keep it intact. 
 
 While establishing 5'our flock, 3'ou must expect many 
 disappointments, especiall}' regarding the sex of those 
 you buy, and if you get a good flock in working order 
 the first year you should be satisfied. After this, by 
 watching 3'our birds 3'ou will find which are j'our best 
 breeders and feeders, and can cull out the poor ones 
 and substitute others at your leisure, as the dairyman 
 does his cows. 
 
 The advantage of having all white birds in j-our 
 flock is that they will alwaj's command a good price, 
 when in good plumage, from taxidermists ; and so when 
 culling, instead of having to accept the low price that 
 colored pigeons would bring, j-ou can often get all you 
 have paid. To be in good feather the white birds need 
 to be in full feather about the head and throat. Wing- 
 feathers and tail -feathers can be supplied b}' the stuff er, 
 but onl}" nature and good condition can supph' the fine 
 short feathers of the head and throat. 
 
 If the intending breeder lives in the country where 
 his birds can fly at libert}-, he could keep a flock on 
 purpose to breed squab raisers, and not be obliged to 
 look elsewhere for them. By judicious selection and 
 pairing in a few years a flock could be secured that 
 
31 
 
 would make ideal squab raisers. This is uo theorj', but 
 the actual practice of successful breeders and only needs 
 to be tried to prove its value. As the object is to raise 
 as many young from a pair each 3'ear as possible, as soon 
 as it is found that a hen begins to laj' only one egg, or 
 is irregular in her laying, it is best to dispose of the 
 pair altogether, or if the mate is a good, strong, healthy 
 bird secure a new ]3artner for him. B3' having an extra 
 flock to draw from it is an easy matter to keep the 
 breeding stock up to the standard of production 
 desired. 
 
 Always have birds mated when turned into the 
 breeding room, and b}' securing them in a s]iare breeding 
 space by the wire door before mentioned, they can 
 readil}^ be wonted to a locality. Never allow old cocks 
 nor hens to be flying about; if you do you will find it 
 creating discord, and dividing pairs. Harmony and 
 peace are very necessary factors to success in this line 
 of business. You want no drones, only active workers. 
 
 There is often difficult}^ in determining the sex of 
 pigeons, especially young birds, for nature has not 
 , made such a marked difference in the 
 
 o ^ ^ male and female of the genus Colmnba 
 
 as she has in that of the gallinaceous 
 family. There are various plans given to decide the 
 sex, such as examining the bones of the os sacno)! 
 or vent ; taking the beak of the pigeon in one hand 
 and the feet in the other and stretching them out, if 
 the bird throws its tail it is decided to be a hen, if 
 it hugs it down tightly, a male. In examining the vent, 
 if the breast -bone is short and the bones of the vent 
 wide apart it is declared to be a hen, if close together 
 and the space between them small it is called a male. 
 
 I have in years of experience found all these signs 
 
32 
 
 to fail, but if I should lean towards confidence in either 
 one, it would be towards the one depending on the 
 elevation and lowering of the tail. The only sure 
 way I know of is to watch their actions. It will be 
 found the male does most of the cooing, is the more 
 active, and has a little coarser appearance about the 
 head then the hen. If j'ou see one of a flock rather fine 
 about the head, quiet in its actions, and rather inclined 
 to keep out of trouble than fight back, you can 
 reasonably select it as a hen. Try the stretching test 
 and if favored by this test take it as a hen. Place it 
 with one you know to be a cock in a mating -pen, and 
 if old enough to mate 5'ou can .soon decide as to sex. 
 I regard a mating -pen .which is a box with two 
 
 apartments sepa- 
 rated by a wire par - 
 tition as shown in 
 Fig. 12, so that the 
 birds 5'ou desire to 
 pair can see each 
 other between the 
 wires, a very nec- 
 essary' addition to every breeding loft. By placing all 
 uncertain birds in this before turning them into the 
 breeding room, you can be sure that they are safe to 
 trust together alone. If in a promiscuous lot of 
 pigeons you find one bird following another about 
 from place to place and occasionally pecking at it, you 
 can be sure that this is a mated pair, and that the cock 
 is, as it is termed, driving, the hen to nest. If it is 
 about time for her to lay she will soon settle in the 
 nest selected for her and her mate will be satisfied, but if 
 she is not ready to la\-, the cock may drive her too hard 
 and abuse her; in such a case the}^ should be separated. 
 
 FU 
 
FOOD AND FEEDING. 
 
 /^■■^HE kinds of food, and time to feed, are matters 
 / \ of necessary consideration ; to choose food 
 ^^i^ that will be relished, and to so vary it as to 
 keep the birds in good appetite and condition. 
 For a breeding bird that eats but little will make a 
 poor feeder and your young stock will suffer accord- 
 ingly. The idea is to keep a bird that has a good ap- 
 petite and pays strict attention to the care of its young, 
 from getting cloyed or getting too fat and lazy. 
 
 All food should be placed in a covered feed -box or 
 trough as shown in Fig. 13. To make one take an 
 inch board ten inches wide and six feet long, make 
 sides and ends of strips two and one -half inches wide, 
 nailed to upper side of this board ; make a correspond- 
 ing frame of same size, and attach a hinged cover to.it; 
 connect the two by strips of lathes nine inches long, 
 placed two inches apart, and you have a covered feed- 
 box that the pigeons cannot get into, and from which 
 they cannot throw out the grain. As many of these 
 can be made as is necessary to accommodate the birds 
 you have to feed, allowing one to every twenty -five or 
 thirty pairs of birds. By having feed -box covered 
 they cannot soil the grain and through spaces made by 
 the slats every bird can feed without interruption from 
 its neighbor. When small flocks are kept a galvanized 
 iron hopper, as shown in Fig. 14, is splendid for keep- 
 
34 
 
 FIG. 13. 
 
 ing the feed in. Such a hopper avoids waste and au- 
 tomatically lets the grain down as used. 
 
 As economy in food is one great item in this busi- 
 ness, it is a point to be well considered. But the cheap- 
 est food is not alwaj'S the most economical. To bu}' 
 grain that has been wet, and run the chances of its be- 
 ing must}^ is unsafe, for musty grain is sure to produce 
 disease of throat and liowels. Rj^e is not a safe food ; 
 unhulled oats are bad. New wheat and new corn are 
 both productive of bowel trouble. Screening, if dry, 
 sweet, and of first quality' are 
 to be recommended, but what 
 is known and sold as screen- 
 ings is usuall}^ full of chess, 
 cockle, rj'e, and l^lasted grain. 
 and is in no sense an economi- 
 cal food. In truth the best, 
 safest, and most satisfactorj^ 
 food for all times and seasons 
 is good, sound, dr}' red wheat 
 (never white wheat) and sound 
 cracked corn. These should 
 not be mixed, but fed sepa - 
 rateljs say three feeds of wheat and then a feed of 
 cracked corn, making the change from one to the other 
 as far as possible in the morning when crops are empt}'. 
 
 FIG. 14 
 
35 
 
 Wheat can be bought in quantit}' when cheap and kept 
 in a dry place, but cracked corn should onlj' be bought 
 or prepared in small quantities at a time, as it absorbs 
 moisture quickl}-, and if kept in large quantities is apt 
 to mould and become mustj' and sour. 
 
 This food can be varied with occasional feeds of 
 buckwheat, millet, and Canada peas, if prices are not 
 too high. Hemp seed should alwaj's be kept on hand 
 for sick or debilitated birds, and once a month give a 
 feed of hemp seed to all. Pigeons are very fond of this 
 seed, but it is too heating and stimulating for a general 
 food. Good, sound hulled oats also makes a good 
 food for a change, and dried stale bread crushed fine, 
 mixed with bran and a verj- little salt and moistened 
 makes an economical food and one that is greatlj^ 
 relished. No green food is necessary at any time, al- 
 though lettuce is sometimes given^ — nothing else, how- 
 ever. 
 
 In feeding birds much food is frequentlj' wasted by 
 giving more at one time than the l)irds will clean up. 
 Birds feeding their ^-oung should be fed twice each day ; 
 the first time as soon after daylight as possible, the 
 second time about three o'clock in the afternoon, in the 
 Winter, and four in the Summer, thus giving the old 
 birds time to fill the crops of their young before dark. 
 Onlj' as much feed should be given each time as the 
 birds will clean up. This amount can be readily ascer- 
 tained b}^ measuring the amount in a bucket for a few 
 times. If at the next feeding there still remains some 
 of the preceding feeding, reduce the amount until just 
 what is nicelj' cleaned up is used. 
 
 Of course, the same number of birds will eat con- 
 siderabh^ more at one time of the month than another, 
 depending on the number of squabs thej' are feeding. 
 
36 
 
 But by giving it close attention the feeder can calculate 
 about what will be consumed. If much food is left 
 when birds have been feeding as a general thing liber- 
 ally, you may have a suspicion that all is not right, 
 and instead of turning fresh food in with that which is 
 left, remove it altogether, sift it and examine it, and 
 watch the results of the food supplied in its place ; if 
 that is again refused j^ou may know there is something 
 that has made it distasteful and other food should be 
 substituted. For this reason it is not alwaj^s safe to 
 buy too large a quantity of grain at once, until it is 
 found to be satisfactory to your birds. 
 
 In addition to the feed -boxes, provide some low 
 boxes as shown 
 in Fig. 15, in 
 which to keep a 
 supply of grit or 
 gravel, also 
 ground oyster ll| 
 shells. At the 
 present time 
 there are various 
 kinds of prepar- 
 ed grit offered 
 for sale, but, if 
 convenient to a 
 shore of ocean, lake, or pond you can with a sieve and 
 a little labor get all the grit you need. A box of 
 broken bone and broken charcoal while not a necessity 
 will be found to be acceptable to the birds. Old lime 
 mortar such as comes from stone or brick walls, especi- 
 ally if wet with a little stale urine, will be found to be 
 often visited. Pigeons have such a liking for this, that 
 they will, if confined in a brick building, peck it out 
 
 FIG. IS. 
 
37 
 
 from between the bricks. When put in a box it needs 
 to be broken into small pieces and not left in the lump. 
 Pigeons should have at all times an abundance of 
 fresh, clean water both for bathing and drinking pur- 
 poses. If it can be supplied from a source 
 that can furnish constantly a running suppl3^ 
 so much the better, as nothing has a tendency to create 
 disease like impure water, and water kept in open ves- 
 sels is sure to be fouled after standing a few hours. 
 Water even in closed vessels becomes impure if it stands 
 over twenty -four hours. Consequently 
 the water suppl^^ needs very careful 
 attention. If running water can be 
 supplied, it can be conducted through 
 the breeding rooms in a long, narrow 
 trough, say six inches wide and three ^ 
 inchesdeep, so arranged at the waste end 
 as not to clog and overflow ; or it can be 
 run into small tanks or boxes, two feet by four feet 
 from four to five inches deep. In such a tank the pig- 
 eons can also bathe at will and the constant flow of 
 water keeps the tank free from impurities with the 
 assistance of a daily cleansing. But if no facilities for 
 running water exist then recourse must be had to foun - 
 tains, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, of which there are 
 many patterns. The former is made of galvanized 
 
 iron, and the latter of earth- 
 en-ware. Both of these 
 fountains are automatic 
 and keep the water pure and 
 cool. They are made in 
 various sizes. These are 
 better than open tubs, be- 
 cause the water can be kept 
 
 FIG. 10. 
 
 
 FIG. ll 
 
38 
 
 FIG. 18. 
 
 coolel and purer than in open vessels, and by havino^ 
 a number placed at different points about the loft ac- 
 commodations can be had for all. Those who have had 
 experience with 
 open tubs know 
 how common it is 
 for pigeons, es- 
 pecially in Sum- 
 mertime, to crowd 
 into a freshl}' filled 
 tub and take a 
 bath, leaving the water of a milky hue from the im- 
 purities of their bodies. While this may in time settle, 
 the impurities remain until the tub is emptied and 
 scrubbed out, and for birds to be obliged to drink such 
 water is certainly not conducive to health. If an open 
 pan is used to supply water for drinking purposes, a 
 wire frame like that shown in Fig. IS should be made 
 around it to keep the ])irds from getting into and foul - 
 ing the water. 
 
 A bath two or three times a week is a necessit}' for 
 
 perfect health, as this 
 is the only way pigeons 
 have of ridding them- 
 selves of vermin and 
 ■cleansing their feathers 
 and bodies. Galli- 
 naceous birds or fowls 
 depend on dry dust or 
 ^ ^ earth for this purpose, 
 
 FIG. , . , " , 
 
 but water is the sole 
 dependence of the Columbarian family. When the 
 weather and temperature permit of it, the yard or area 
 is the best place for the bath, as the splashing that 
 
39 
 
 iisualh^ follows the birds' entry into the water can do 
 no harm. But when too cold and stormy it must be 
 taken inside, and the water be made luke warm. Tubs 
 suitable for bathing can be made by taking any strongly 
 made barrel, and sawing off the ends, making two tulxs 
 about five inches deep, as shown in Fig. 19. Another 
 pattern of l:)ath tub is made like that shown in Fig. 20. 
 This tub is about three feet in length, a foot and a half 
 in width, and five inches deep, lined inside with tin or 
 galvanized iron. These must be emptied and set aside 
 after all have had a chance to bathe. If it is desired to 
 use them for drinking purposes, they can be fitted with 
 a cover, and holes made in this cover, oval in shape, 
 and about four 
 inches wide in the 
 widest part. Then 
 after the bath is 
 taken the tubs can 
 he refilled, the cover 
 put on and birds take 
 the water at will. 
 
 Salt is almost as much of a necessity to pigeons as 
 food. Certainly they do not thrive without it, and 
 every good breeder keeps a supply of it where it can be 
 taken at pleasure. The best form to give it is 
 in the lump, as it comes from the quariies, 
 known as mineral or rock salt ; a lump will weigh from 
 four to ten pounds and can be purchased at most feed 
 stores. Placed on the floor it gathers moisture from 
 the air and so keeps in a condition that the birds can 
 easil}' get all that the}^ need. Fine salt would be likely 
 to be too freely partaken of, and be an injury rather 
 than a benefit. If rock salt cannot be obtained take a 
 ten -pound bag of table salt, wet it thoroughly and then 
 
 FIG. 20. 
 
 Salt. 
 
40 
 
 bake it in the oven. It will usually bake hard and in 
 this state will take the place of rock salt. 
 
 The salt-cat is another necessary compound for the 
 health of pigeons. It is made in various wa3^s but as 
 good a mixture as I know of is brick -maker's loam, 
 sharp sand, and old lime mortar (free from hair) one- 
 half peck each ; to this add one -half pound carraway 
 seed, one -half pound coriander, one -half pound cum- 
 min seed crushed, and one pint ba}' salt. Mix it 
 thoroughly together, wetting it with stale urine, until 
 it is of the consistency of stiff mortar. Mould it into 
 cakes three inches thick and six inches in diameter, dry 
 thoroughl}' in the sun, then place in a small box similar 
 to the one shown in Fig. 15, in the loft, and the pigeons 
 will soon show their appreciation of it. Another for- 
 mula is, one peck sifted dr}- loam, one handful or flour, 
 one handful ground cloves, one handful of fennel seed, 
 one handful of dill seed, one handful of cummin seed, 
 one handful of fennigreek, one handful of powdered 
 assafetida, three double handfuls of table salt, one 
 double handful bay salt. Mix well dr}', and then add 
 water to make as stiff as putty, di\'ide in three -pound 
 lumps, and bake in oven or dry in the sun. 
 
 Pigeons in a state of nature build a rough nest of 
 twigs and coarse grasses. In confinement the}^ are 
 unable to get such material, l)Ut as a substitute tobacco 
 , stems can be used, which not only satisfy 
 
 TTir , I the natural desire to build but also answer 
 as a guard against vermin. A few of these 
 placed in one corner of the breeding room occasionally, 
 will be quickl}^ appropriated. Some breeders do not 
 believe in coarse nesting material, and in its place use 
 coarse pine shavings, renewing them as often as they 
 become foul. But this does not satisfy the natural de- 
 
WHITE HOMING PIGEONS. 
 
43 
 
 sire that the i)i:;;eon has to build a nest, and so I believe 
 that the}' should be gratified in this natural instinct, 
 althouc^h I also think a laj-er of coarse pine sawdust 
 for a foundation where nest -pans are not used is a good 
 thing. It prevents the excrement from sticking to the 
 floor of the apartment, is a preventive of lice, and is 
 easily removed and renewed as soon as the young birds 
 are taken away. 
 
 It is a question with manj' as to what is the best ma- 
 terial for covering the floor of a breeding room, some 
 advocating sawdust, some sand, and others the new 
 peat mass so much used for bedding for horses. Ac- 
 cording to mj' experience, good sharp beach sand is the 
 best, as it is a good absorbent and can be kept clean by 
 raking over once a day, and needs renewing but seldom. 
 If unable to get beach sand, then sawdust is next best 
 on account of its cheapness, but it needs to be placed 
 pretty thickly on the floor, or when dried out it will be 
 blown about by the 1)irds when tlN'ing around, leaving 
 bare places on the floor, and gathering in windrows 
 about the sides. This also needs to be raked over daily 
 and the refuse gathered up. The peat mass mentioned 
 is an excellent floor material, being an absorbent and 
 thus preventing any disagreeable odors, but it being 
 expensive puts it out of the reach of the squab raiser 
 who must study economy in all supplies. 
 
 All the rakings of the loft and nests should be saved 
 and put into barrels. It all has a value, and is eagerly 
 sought after by gardeners and morocco manufacturers. 
 The freer it is kept from sticks and saw- 
 dust the more it is prized, and as this al' 
 counts in with the profits it needs some attention. 
 The dung of domestic birds in general contains salts 
 similar to those of guano, and for mulberries, vines 
 
44 
 
 peaches, and other fruits and plants, one part of the 
 droppings to from four to ten of water has been found 
 to produce excellent results. To realize the full value 
 of the manure, have a dr^' house and plent}^ of good 
 absorbent on the shelves and dropping -l)oards. Gather 
 twice a week and mix with twice the quantit}' of good 
 woods earth or dr}- muck, and keep in barrels in a dry- 
 place, or compost them as soon as gathered with twice 
 or three times their Inilk of dr}' material. 
 
 Feathers, also, are an item of profit and need to be 
 cared for. All the feathers plucked from the squabs, 
 the old birds that die, and those that gather in the 
 rooms at molting time, should be gathered together, 
 separated from the wing and tail-feathers, thoroughly 
 heated b}' steam or otherwi.se, and kept in ]:)ags. They 
 will sell at some price and pay for the care given them. 
 
 
BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT. 
 
 H^^ VERY things in the l^reeding room being ar- 
 il^' ranged for the comfort and convenience of the 
 /^^^r birds, and each pair properly mated, they can 
 now be placed in the apartments provided for 
 them, kept there a few days until wonted to their local- 
 ity, and then given the liberty of the loft or room. If 
 they are properly mated they will soon begin to build 
 their nest and the hen to lay. She usually lays two 
 eggs, a day intervening between the first and second 
 eg^. Some breeders advocate removing the first egg 
 and replacing it in the nest when the second is laid, 
 but this is not natural and I believe in letting matters 
 take a natural course. By watching the birds carefully 
 one can readily tell when the eggs are laid, and if each 
 apartment is numbered, the date of laying can be en- 
 tered in a book kept for the purpose, and then it can be 
 known when they are due to hatch. 
 
 The period of incubation is from sixteen to eighteen 
 days, and the cock takes his turn of sitting with the 
 hen, he sitting from ten in the morning to about four 
 in the afternoon, and she, taking his place at that time, 
 continues on through the night until about ten the next 
 morning. After the birds have been sitting three or 
 four d?ys an examination of the eggs will show whether 
 they are fertile or not. Take them in the hand and 
 hold between the eye and a strong light. If fertile they 
 
46 
 
 will be dark and opaque. If infertile the}' will be clear 
 and nearl}' transparent. Sometimes one e^g will be 
 fertile, and the other clear. If you have kept the date 
 that the eggs were laid, and have two pairs that have 
 had eggs close together, and both with one fertile egg 
 and one clear, one pair can be broken up, and their egg 
 gi\-en to the other pair, and in a week or so the pair 
 that has been left without eggs will be read}' to lay 
 again. Never give one ]xiir of birds three eggs, be- 
 cause two 5'oung birds are all, really, that' an old pair 
 can feed properh", and to divide the care between three 
 that should be given only to two will result in all three 
 being under size, and is poor economy. 
 
 If a hen sits her full time, and at the end of the 
 eighteenth daj' there are no young, the eggs might as 
 
 well be taken from the 
 pair, as it is onl}^ a waste 
 of time to allow them to 
 sit longer. The 5'oung 
 often die in the shell from 
 chill, or other unknown 
 causes, a week before the 
 
 PEEPER, ONE DAY OLD. ^j^^g fQj- hatchiUg COffiCS 
 
 around. Careful observation and experience will teach 
 the breeder to tell about this time whether there is still 
 life in the egg, bj' holding it. between the eye and a 
 strong light, and if all life seems to be extinct take 
 such eggs awa}'. If one egg onl}' is bad the pair 
 should be permitted to hatch the fertile egg, and then 
 after the 3'oung bird is a week old, and the old birds 
 have fed off their soft food, this j'oung bird can be 
 transferred to some other pair that has only one 5'oung. 
 Make the transfer to the pair that are known to be the 
 best feeders. 
 
47 
 
 The soft food mentioned is a peculiar condition that 
 the food taken bj' the ])arent iMrd assumes about the 
 time the eggs are ready to hatch. All food taken 
 changes to a chymej' nature, and is known as pigeon's 
 milk. This wonderful provision of nature for the sus- 
 tenance of the little morsel that is released from the 
 egg at the end of the incubating period, blind and 
 helpless, enables the parent bird to give it nourish- 
 ment until it is able to take whole grain. To feed it 
 the old bird takes the Inll of the 5"Oung one in its 
 mouth, and, bj- a spasmodic action of crop and throat, 
 injects the "milk" into the mouth of the j'ounger 
 bird. This is kept up for some time, and gradually 
 mixed with grain taken bj' the parent, until finalh' the 
 grain is taken whole, simply being moistened in the 
 o'd bird's crop. After 
 this milk}" change in f^ fhf-'^- 
 
 the food takes place, 
 it is necessar}' for the 
 health of the old birds 
 that it should 1)e 
 " fed off " and this is 
 
 why no change of 
 
 young is advised at squeakers, ten days old. 
 
 once. Pigeons losing their 3-oung from any cause be- 
 fore this soft -food period is past are frequently made 
 sick. So much so as to interfere with their immediate 
 laying. Consequentl}' the breeder needs to pay atten- 
 tion to this time, and if he finds the j'oung of a pair 
 dead, he should then Ijorrow one from another pair, 
 about the same age, which they can feed, until the 
 danger is passed, when it can be returned to the origi- 
 nal nest. Experience will teach any one how to make 
 these changes so that the_v shall keep the stock increasing. 
 
48 
 
 SQCEAI-KKS, THREE WEEKS OLD. 
 
 Frequently a pair will Iniild, and althousa:!! they go 
 to nest, and perforin all the duties of a mated pair, 
 there will be no eggs. This proves that the hen is 
 either not well matured, or barren. Such a pair if 
 given a i^air of fertile eggs will likely sit on them, 
 hatch them, and care well for the young, and often the 
 natural functions of the hen are aroused and she will 
 commence laying, as she is expected to do. If after 
 raising a pair of young, the hen still neglects to lay, 
 j^ou can count her as barren, and of no use, and she 
 should be cast aside and the male ])rovided with a new 
 mate. 
 
 Often where there are two squabs in a nest, one will 
 seem to get the greater part of the food, and be plump 
 and thrifty, while the other is puny and starved. Why 
 
49 
 
 it is that the old birds seem to favor one more than the 
 other no one can explain, but the fact remains. The 
 wa}' to do in such cases is either to transfer the weaker 
 bird to a pair with a single bird about its size, or to 
 feed it bj* hand. To feed by hand soak the grain 30U 
 feed in water, until soft, and then feed a grain at a 
 time until the little crop is filled, or take pellets of 
 moist bread and feed i:: '" rr.ewaj'. Some breeders 
 take the grain in their chew it fine, and then 
 
 b\' inserting the squab s bill between the lips, by the 
 aid of the tongue f - ' food into the squab's mouth. 
 A little practice wi; . one to feed ver\- quickh', 
 
 and the 3'oung bird ieams to take it as readily, and 
 " ' • ■ V * agemess to be fed whenever * - ^er 
 ; nest. Such an operation : at 
 
 nr.st strike an\' one favorably, but on learning how, 
 mans- squabs can be saved and raised by this process, 
 and piittinjr it in practice one's squeamishness is over- 
 cc ice found to be not such a disagree - 
 
 a':.!'; 'j-.-z ■<^-: J . „.-t supposed. After feeding in this 
 way a few da\'s and getting the neglected bird in good 
 condition, the old birds will be likeh^ to paj' it more 
 attent: - ■ - ' - ' ft as they are ex^ "" ' " ' 
 
 Ck .uiet are v-er>' e:- .ess in 
 
 th equently 3'ou want few visitors and 
 
 r — es. If you ^- " ":e pairs in 
 
 y Ije quarrel- :er remove 
 
 ; others, for the3' wi!; re harm 
 
 ::-a:- ^oo^-. e . ''^ *^ -—■—--- ^ :-. squabs 
 
 themselves. . :ed over even,- 
 
 day, and the ofiai gathered up and saved. When a 
 p^ - - '•-••*". one nest clean f^ "■■': *:'r' — -rhly, 
 a: vdust. If 5-0U': ;. _ . .v- 
 
 dust : :ne. Watch cioseij' for lice, es- 
 
50 
 
 pecially during the Summer, and if j'ou see anj^ indi- 
 cations around the cracks of the partitions or else- 
 where, give them a dose of kerosene oil; this will 
 quickly dispose of them. By having; a squirt -can j'ou 
 can easily inject the oil into anj' crack or opening, and 
 it is sure death to insect life, while the odor does not 
 seem to have any bad effect on the pigeons. 
 
 Move quietly about the room and 5-our birds will 
 soon learn to know 3'ou and have no fear of j'ou. 
 
 \ii \\t \U 
 
 m T \h 
 \ 
 
DRESSING SQUABS FOR MARKET. 
 
 ^^W'N dressinof squabs for market it is important to 
 Mm kill them at about the time thej^ have reached 
 II the best market condition, which is just about 
 four weeks as a rule, although some parents 
 will feed their j-oung better than others, and in twenty - 
 five days have them as forward as they would be in 
 twenty -eight daj'S under other care. But while four 
 weeks is about the usual time, if not well developed, 
 that is, if the abdomen has not become firm and hard, 
 they had better be left a week longer, and such birds 
 wall be found to have gained more in that additional 
 time. ■' After a little practice the breeder can tell, almost 
 at a glance, whether the squab is in proper condition to 
 kill. What is wanted is large, fat squabs, and about 
 the time they start to leave the nest is the time they 
 attain this condition. A careful supervision will enable 
 one to tell what pairs have their j'oung in proper con - 
 dition. 
 
 They should be collected the afternoon of the da}- 
 before they are to be killed, and put in boxes, so that 
 their crops will be emptied of all food at the time of 
 killing. This is important, as the birds look bad and 
 do not keep so well if food is left in their crops after 
 being killed. But the crop can be emptied by squeez- 
 ing out the grain with the fingers, in case it is not pos- 
 sible to collect all yjw want to ship the daj- before, but 
 
52 
 
 this adds much to the work and should be avoided if 
 possible. 
 
 When ready to kill take the squab in the left hand, 
 holding the wings and the feet together in a firm grasp, 
 the head between the thumb and fore -finger, then in- 
 sert the blade of a sharp penknife into the mouth, 
 sever the jugular vein at the back of the head, drop the 
 head and the blood will readily flow out of the mouth. 
 As soon as the blood has ceased to flow, commence 
 plucking the feathers, beginning with those of head 
 and tail, as birds pick easier at this time than at 
 any other, everj^thing seeming to relax, and for this 
 reason squabs should onl)'- be killed as they are want- 
 ed for picking. Take only a few feathers at a time so 
 as to avoid tearing the skin. It is tedious business at 
 first, but practice will soon make perfect. Even the 
 most expert will, once in a while, tear the skin, it is so 
 tender, but as far as possible it must be avoided, as it 
 injures the appearance of the squab, and detracts from 
 its selling qualities. A good picker will pick from 
 seven to eight pairs an hour. Some have a record as 
 high as twelve and fourteen, but very few can work as 
 fast as this, and seven pairs an hour is considered good 
 work. 
 
 After the squab is picked clean, throw it into cold 
 water, slightly salted, and leave it in about thirty 
 minutes. This takes out the animal heat, plumps 
 them up, and makes them appear lighter colored than 
 if left as they come from the picker. When the half- 
 hour is up, take them from the water, wash all dirt 
 from their feet, and blood from their mouth and head, 
 fold the wings nicely across the back, tie the two inside 
 legs together of a pair, always putting squabs of same 
 size and fatness together, and they are ready for packing. 
 
M\!m-^ 
 
 lilli'iiPi 
 
 PAIR BLUE DRAGOONS. 
 
55 
 
 When ready to ship squabs to market, divide them 
 up in the box or boxes, so that all the largest and fin- 
 est lay together on the top of the box, 
 Shipping: ^^^^^ ^jj ,j^^ poorest at the bottom. If 
 
 your stock is properly looked after there 
 will not be many poor ones. In cold weather, it is only 
 necessary to pack in neat, strong boxes, in layers, 
 breast down. Six layers is enough, as too many are 
 apt to flatten down and take away that plump, round 
 appearance, that goes so far toward making them at- 
 tractive and salable at good prices. The boxes should 
 not be tight, but open just enough to let a little air in. 
 In Summer put a good layer of ice in the bottom of 
 the box, then put in your squabs, and on top of them, 
 for the last layer, put cracked ice again. The ice 
 melting and the water trickling down between the birds 
 keeps them nice and cool until they get to their desti- 
 nation. Naturally the box for Summer use needs to 
 be tighter than that for cold weather. 
 
 In looking for purchasers for squabs you will find, 
 if you can give a steady supply week after week, there 
 will be no difficulty in obtaining the best class of cus- 
 tomers — private parties, hotels, and fine restaurants. 
 Make the best arrangements you can with them as to 
 prices and number they will take for the season, and 
 then aim to retain their custom by supplying only the 
 best. All game stores handle squabs, but the best 
 paying trade is private families, who will take one or 
 two pairs every week the year round and at a fair price. 
 In the markets you can also sell at all times but not at 
 such good figures. Try to get every private family 
 you can, as you get the best retail price from them. 
 Find out what they have paid and what they will pay 
 and arrange accordingly. If you live so far from a 
 
56 
 
 large citj^ that j'ou can not look up j^our customers, it 
 would often pay to advertise that families will be sup- 
 plied on demand. Or j^ou could consign 3'our stock to 
 a good, reliable commission house, which will often 
 obtain very fair prices for you. The best location, 
 however, for a squab raiser is near enough to a large 
 cit}^ to be able to get in once a week, to look after 
 sales, customers, and other details. If 3'ou have only 
 a few pairs each week, they can easil}^ be put in a 
 canvas case or basket and carried along with j-ou as 
 desired. 
 
 As to selling price, that depends on the size and con - 
 dition of squabs, and season of the 3'ear, from the 
 poorest, thin little things in Mid -summer at twenty 
 cents a pair (that no man who pretends to raise Squabs 
 for profit would ever send to market) to the extra large 
 fat squabs, that retail in Mid -winter all the way up to 
 $1 a pair. Of course, wholesale prices would be from 
 ten to twenty per cent, less than these prices, on the 
 same birds. A successful squab raiser ought to l)e 
 able to retail squabs at an average of sixty cents a pair 
 the year round. This is for strictl}' first-class birds. 
 What few second-grade squabs he would have to sell 
 ought to average forty cents per pair the year through, 
 but these last should be ver}^ few in number only from 
 young breeders. 
 
 With good management a good pair of breeders 
 ought, at a low calculation, to clear $1 a yes.v, often 
 more, seldom less. The manure and feathers when 
 properly cared for will raise this average five to ten cents 
 a pair, so that if you have five hundred breeding pairs, 
 you could reasonably expect to realize a profit of at least 
 $500 a year, or $1,000 on one thousand pairs, and in 
 that ratio according to the number of pairs j-ou keep. 
 
57 
 
 Good breeders will lay from six to eight pairs of eggs 
 a year, but it is verj^ few that will hatch all the eggs, 
 or raise all the young that are hatched. If they would 
 all do this, there would be few better pajnng invest- 
 ments. The estimate of profit made does not include 
 cost of labor. 
 
 To conclude, any one who decides to embark in the 
 business of squab raising must conduct it on business 
 methods, giving it personal attention, having regular 
 times for feeding, cleaning, and collecting the squabs, 
 learning the peculiarities of his birds, and treating 
 them so as to gain their confidence, discarding such as 
 prove quarrelsome or bad nurses, and watching at all 
 times for opportunities to secure stock that shall give 
 size and quality to his flock. Experience will teach 
 him many lessons not contained in this little book, but 
 if what has been written proves of benefit to the 
 reader, the object aimed at, thyt of aiding the beginner 
 in his first endeavors in squab raising, will have been 
 accomplished and the l)Ook have fulfilled its mission. 
 
 
 •^^yt^ 
 
 
DISEASES OF PIGEONS. 
 
 mo matter how careful you may be, in all col- 
 lections of pigeons, especially large ones^ 
 there will be some that suffer from the dis- 
 eases peculiar to the species. Of these I 
 can only speak in a general way and treat of the most 
 common, for it does not pay a squab breeder to devote 
 much time to the sick. It is better to remove them at 
 once, and replace them with others, for even if cured 
 it may be a long time before they get into good breed- 
 ing condition again, and the time and attention given 
 them could more profitably be given to the well. 
 Among the most common ailments are canker, cholera, 
 egg bound, enteritis, going light, roup, small pox, 
 sudden colds, wing disease, and worms. 
 
 Canker is an evil that the squab raiser has sometimes 
 to contend with. The cause of it is often ascribed to 
 impure air and water, but as it makes its 
 ^^* appearance in flocks that have the best of 
 care, this evidently is not the true cause. It is diph- 
 theritic in its nature, and the symptoms are high fever, 
 congestion, and swelling of the blood-vessels of the 
 throat, accompanied by little white ulcers, which, if 
 neglected, spread very rapidly all over the interior of 
 the mouth and throat. Like roup it usually makes its 
 appearance in cold, damp weather. When a squab once 
 becomes affected old and young should be at once taken 
 
59 
 
 from the breeding room and the apartment they occu - 
 pied disinfected. The old birds should be examined, 
 and if found with canker in their mouths it should be 
 removed and the canker spots painted with a solution 
 of lemon juice and suo:ar. Powdered burnt alum is 
 also good to apply. The young birds can be treated 
 in the same way, but if the canker has spread much 
 about the mouth it hardly pays to spend much time 
 over them. The old birds need to be thoroughly cured 
 before turning back into the breeding room. A small 
 piece of alum in the drinking water of the old birds 
 will aid in the cure, and if the whole flock is threatened 
 a piece in the different drinking vessels for awhile will 
 act as a preventive. 
 
 Cholera usuall}^ attacks pigeons in hot weather, and 
 can generally be attributed to improper food, new 
 wheat, musty corn, foul screenings, or im- 
 * pure water. It is accompanied by a watery 
 diarrhea of a greenish color. The plumage is dull and 
 the bird mopes and soon loses its strength. Change 
 its food and place a little prepared chalk in the water. 
 I have found a lump of quick lime about the size of a 
 walnut placed in a two -gallon vessel of water to be a 
 check to the discharges. 
 
 Hens, especially young ones, often have trouble in 
 voiding or passing their eggs. Frequently the first 
 egg will be voided all right, and the hen 
 " * on the following day give evidence of 
 
 distress sometimes entirely losing the use of her legs 
 and unable to stand. By taking her in the hands, and 
 feeling of the abdomen, the egg can generally be 
 located, and when convinced that this is the cause of 
 the trouble nature needs to be assisted. One way to 
 do this is after rubbing the passage with vaseline or 
 
60 
 
 Sweet oil, introducing the finger as far as possible, at 
 the same time being careful not to break the egg, hold- 
 ing her abdomen over steam, not so hot as to scald, but 
 so as to thoroughh^ warm and relax the parts as much 
 as possible. After a few minutes of such treatment as 
 this, put her in a quiet pen and unless a very stubborn 
 case she will soon pass the egg. Some at the same 
 time as treating with the steam, give the hen a small 
 quantity of molasses internally. 
 
 Inflammation of the bowels, or enteritis as it is 
 called, is the result of a chill and the S5'mptoms are a 
 P , , "puffed-up" condition of the feathers, mop- 
 ing, and a bloodj^ discharge of mucus. 
 Place the bird in a warm place and give a few drops 
 of paregoric two or three times a da3^ 
 
 " Going light," the term used among pigeon fanciers 
 for atrophy or wasting, is a condition in which the 
 bird gradually grows thinner and thinner, and is a form 
 of consumption. While I do not consider it contagious, 
 it is best to remove the sufferer from the rest, for no 
 ^^ . bird with any form of disease should be al - 
 T . < , n lowed to remain in the breeding room. It is 
 usually accompanied by diarrhea, the dis- 
 charges clinging to the vent, fouling the plumage and 
 presenting a disgusting appearance. If you see a bird 
 with its plumage discolored, its motions uncertain, its eye 
 dull, catch it, and you can soon determine bj^ feeling of it, 
 whetheritis"goinglight" ornot; for its breast -bone will 
 be prominent and its natural plumpness gone if affected 
 by this disease. I have found an almost certain remedj', 
 if taken in the early stages, to be plucking out its en- 
 tire tail. Then by using one or two cod liver oil cap- 
 sules and a grain of quinine dail}^ and feeding a little 
 hemp seed with its other food, it will, by the time its 
 
61 
 
 tail has grown again, be entirely recovered. But it 
 will be a long time if a hen before she will be in laying 
 condition, and the question naturally arises, is it 
 profitable to wait for recovery and also give the time 
 necessary to attend to it while sick ? 
 
 Roup is a disease of a catarrhal nature, affecting the 
 mucous membranes of the nostrils, head, and throat, 
 and is usually accompanied by a profuse dis- 
 ^* charge of sticky mucous matter from the nos- 
 trils, which, if the disease is neglected, become very 
 offensive. It is very contagious, and should be check- 
 ed as soon as it makes its appearance by removing the 
 sufferers to a distance, as if left to fly around they 
 would soon contaminate the most of the flock. It 
 seems to be miasmatic in its nature, as it makes its ap- 
 pearance suddenly, sometimes affecting a number at 
 once, and when they have been in no way exposed to 
 its influence. Sudden changes of temperature with 
 damp and chilly conditions are particularly favorable 
 to its appearance. On the first indication of difficult 
 Iweathing give a pill, about the size of a medium -sized 
 pea, of butter and black pepper, equal parts, and swab 
 the throat with a solution of chlorate of potash. 
 Should there be a discharge of mucus, wash the nos- 
 trils and inside of the mouth with a solution of perox- 
 ide of hydrogen ; this is said to be a sovereign remedy 
 for roup. Dry quarters, protection from draughts, and 
 an occasional use of a disinfectant will do much to keep 
 this scourge at ba3^ 
 
 A disease that sometimes makes its appearance in 
 
 large flocks of pigeons, and quite contagious, is known 
 
 as small pox. It comes in the form of 
 Small Pox. g^^^jj g^^^g ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ .^ j^^j ^^ 
 
 take its course spreads over the head and neck, form- 
 
62 
 
 ing one large mass of scabby sores. L/ii its first ap- 
 pearance isolate the afflicted ones, and touch the sores 
 with a solution of blue vitriol. A few applications 
 will generally check its tendency to spread. 
 
 In cases of sudden cold, or where a tonic seems to be 
 necessary, a one -grain pill of quinine, and a capsule of 
 cod liver oil, given twice a day, will be found to have 
 good results. Especially is this the 
 ouooen C-olos. ^^^^ during the molting season where a 
 bird does not seem to shed well and is drooping. It is 
 a trying time for all pigeons and unless in robust 
 health the process will be slow. As thej^ do not usually 
 breed while molting, it is an advantage to have it over 
 as soon as possible, and consequently pigeons should 
 be kept in good, health}' condition and encouraged to 
 shed as rapidly as is consistent with good health. A 
 little stimulating food, such as hemp and canary seed, 
 is good at such times. 
 
 Wing disease is a stiffening of the joints of the 
 wings, caused b}' the formation of a tumor at this point, 
 -^. and no doubt arises from a strain, or injury 
 
 Disease. ^^ ^ blow. It first appears as a small, in- 
 flamed spot, and if neglected, grows larger 
 and larger, until finallj- it hardens, fills with a 3'ellow 
 cheesy matter, which after a time breaks the skin and 
 protrudes, increasing in size daily, until it eventually 
 weakens the bird so much that it dies. If 3-ou notice 
 one of your birds that seems to have difficulty in fl}-- 
 ing, and drags one wing on the ground, examine it and 
 you will, no doubt, find the wing-joint inflamed. 
 Place it in the hospital that should be attached to every 
 breeding -house, rub it well with strong spirits of cam- 
 phor twice dail}', or paint with iodine, and you will, if 
 3"ou have discovered it in time, no doubt effect a cure. 
 
63 
 
 Sometimes even thouo:h you may relieve the inflamma- 
 tion and apparentlj' cure the disease, the wing- will re- 
 main stiff. This, while it renders the bird in a meas- 
 ure helpless and unsightl3s does not injure it as a 
 breeder, for it will still continue to la3% sit, and feed; 
 but on account of its being unable to fly it nnist, of 
 necessit}s make its nest on the floor. 
 
 Worms sometimes prove troublesome to pigeons. 
 The pigeon has a varying appetite, and while it maj^ 
 .^ seem to eat and drink, does not appear to be 
 
 doing well. If watched carefullj^ the worms 
 will appear in their dung, and when it is determined 
 that this is the cause, give a piece of garlic about the 
 size of a medium white bean every morning, and watch 
 the results ; or a small pill of powdered areca nut and 
 butter, for two or three days, followed by a capsule of 
 castor oil. I have alwaj^s found the garlic to be an 
 effective cure. A small piece of gum aloes, about the 
 size of a Canada pea, will also be found effective, 
 all to be given before the bird is fed in the morning. 
 
 What is known as the Douglass Mixture added to 
 the drinking water, in proportion of a tablespoonful 
 to a pint of water, is a good tonic for all 
 ii», f^ times. The mixture is made by dissolving 
 
 one -half pound of green copperas in two 
 gallons of water, adding to it one ounce of sulphuric 
 acid. This, if placed in the drinking vessels occasion - 
 ally during the molting season, will be found to assist 
 molting and keep the strength of the bird from dimin- 
 ishing. 
 
Part IL 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 »#y,^ AVIXG felt the need of proper advice for the 
 l|^ successful breeding of squabs for market, 
 11%^ and knowing that hundreds of others like 
 m^'self have suffered loss and disappoint- 
 ment in their first efforts, have prompted me to write 
 these hints. 
 
 Squab raising is, when ])roperl3' managed, undoubt- 
 edlj^ one of the best pa^'ing businesses that can be 
 started with a comparatively small capital ; the percent- 
 age of ]irofit on the capital invested is very large, 
 everything being considered. It can be carried on in 
 connection with the poultry business very nicely. The 
 care and housing of pigeons and poultry differ con - 
 siderably . A larger number of pigeons can be raised sue - 
 cessfullj^on the same amount of ground than chickens. 
 The following remarks are based entirely on personal 
 experience as well as that of others who are engaged 
 largely in the business in this- section of the country, 
 (vicinity of Philadelphia.) A much longer account 
 might have been written, but life is short and the get- 
 ting at the main points of most value to the breeder in 
 the briefest possible way has been my chief aim, and I 
 recommended this work to all intending breeders of 
 squabs, hoping that it will be of material benefit and 
 be the instrument of assisting them to success. 
 
 G. H. Brinton. 
 
MONEY IN SQUABS. 
 
 /^ifc^HHRE are many different styles of lofts and 
 / \ bouses, but I have come to the conclusion that 
 
 ^^ir the one best adapted for the purpose is the 
 one described below. Houses for raisino: 
 squabs should always be built on the ground, as con- 
 siderable time and labor will be saved in feeding; and 
 watering; besides, I am of the opinion that birds thrive 
 better when they are on the ground than when confined 
 exclusively to the loft or an elevated avairy. 
 TT The house is easier to clean and the expense 
 
 is less than if the house were built two 
 stories high. If one has room in a barn loft and no 
 place else, it is, of course, possible to raise good squabs 
 there, but whenever possible I would advise the house 
 be built on the ground ; especiall}^ is this the case when 
 large numbers of birds are kept. The carrying of 
 water and feed up one or more flights of stairs at 
 feeding time is laborious. 
 
 To construct a breeding-house, procure good hem- 
 lock sheathing boards, twelve inches wide, sixteen feet 
 long, and one inch thick. Use two by four hemlock 
 scantling, sixteen feet long, and the cheapest matched 
 flooring. The building should stand seven feet at rear 
 in the clear, inside, and eight feet at the front, inside, 
 and should be fifteen feet from front to rear, over all. 
 Straight sides and ends, roof slanting one foot from 
 
66 
 
 front to rear. The front should have three by six feet 
 windows, at intervals of six or eight feet, extending to 
 within one foot of the floor. This will give light 
 when the birds are confined to the house on account of 
 inclement weather. All windows should be made to 
 slide sideways inside the building, and should be kept 
 open in hot weather. The house should face the south, 
 or south-east. Such a house may be extended indefi - 
 nitely to accommodate the number of birds to be kept. 
 A house fifteen feet square would hold comfortably 
 sevent3^-five pairs of birds. In front of the house 
 should be the wire -netted run or aviar5^ extending 
 twenty to thirty feet deep and eight feet high. A 
 bottom board twelve inches wide should extend around 
 the enclosure and light lumber should be used for the 
 balance of the framework, with as few posts as possible 
 for center supports. Around the run, about six feet 
 from the ground, six -inch fence boards should be placed 
 for walks or perches for the birds. Thej^ should have 
 free flight through the center of the run as much 
 as possible. One -inch mesh is the best to use, as it will 
 keep out rats and English sparrows. The door to the 
 squab -house should be wide enough for a wheelbarrow 
 to be gotten through to remove the manure, etc. The 
 opening for the birds to get into the aviary should he 
 in the center of the building, about four feet from the 
 ground, and should be about six inches wide, six feet 
 long, with a drop -board same size hung on 
 puUej'S, or so arranged that it can easilj'- be raised or 
 lowered at will bj^ cords extending to the outside of the 
 wire run, so that the drop can be let down at night 
 without going into the building. There are alwa3's 
 some birds in a large flock that are wild and fl}^ into 
 the 3'ard the moment the}^ hear the door open. 
 
WHITE DUCHESSE. 
 
69 
 
 A perch about eight or ten inches wide should ex- 
 tend along the whole bottom of the opening, on which 
 the birds may alight. Tin or sheet iron, covering a 
 space of two feet below the opening and a foot above, 
 and extending a foot on either end, will prevent mice 
 and rats from entering easily, as they have difficulty in 
 obtaining a foot -hold on the tin. The house and roof 
 should be thoroughly covered with two-ply tar roofing 
 paper, well put on and covered with slag cement. The 
 front of the house, facing the j-ards, may be weather- 
 stripped and painted, if preferred. It is very import- 
 ant to give the tar paper the coating of slag cement as 
 soon as put on, to protect it from the action of the 
 weather. A coat of slag (tar) cement over the building, 
 put on once a year, will preserve it for years in good 
 condition. All doors should have spring hinges so 
 that the}^ will keep shut when not in use. Along the 
 front of the house, about eight feet apart and two feet 
 below the roof, cut out with compass saw a board one 
 foot square, saw the top across, then nail on stout 
 pieces of boot or other leather for hinges, then saw 
 bottom and sides, and 3'ou have a small swinging -door 
 ventilator to be used only in hot weather. Tack on 
 some wire netting inside, so that the birds will not fly 
 in and out, and during hot weather these ventilators 
 will prove of great advantage. In Winter these ven- 
 tilating doors should be nailed shut and a piece of 
 heavy paper tacked over the inside to prevent draughts. 
 
 Having described the outside of the breeding -house 
 and the yard, we will new look to the arrangement of the 
 interior. When you enter from the outside door you 
 should have a small wire partition separating a small 
 room from the main room, to be used as a feed -room. 
 In a building fifteen by forty feet, a space three feet 
 
70 
 
 wide would be sufficient. In this apartment is stored 
 in barrels the feed, salt, oyster shell, grit, tobacco 
 stems, squab boxes, baskets, tools, etc., read}- for im- 
 mediate use. In a small house it would not be nec- 
 essary to have this space, as the barrels could be set in 
 any convenient space inside, but when from three to five 
 thousand birds are kept, it is, of course, necessary to 
 have the stores near at hand and convenient to use. 
 When a large number of birds are kept, a small room 
 about fifteen feet square with a stove in, should be 
 attached to the house for use in picking squabs and for 
 storage. Directly facing the outside door should be 
 the door leading from the feed -room into the nest- 
 ing-room, so that a barrow may be wheeled from 
 one room to another. The nesting -room in a 
 house fifteen feet wide may be any length up to say 
 forty feet, which should accommodate about three or 
 four hundred pairs of birds. If the house be one 
 hundred and twenty feet long, it should be divided 
 into three or more apartments, wire netting partitions 
 being all that is necessary to separate the rooms. 
 Spring doors should be used in each of the par- 
 titions. The room should be lined with nesting - 
 boxes, excepting where the doors, windows and venti- 
 lators are, the nests to extend from the floor upward 
 six feet, making five nests in each division, as the floor 
 is not intended to be used to nest on, although the 
 birds will occasionally use it for that purpose. 
 
 The nest -boxes are made by erecting twelve -inch 
 wide boards, six feet high, set on ends, leaving a space 
 of twelve inches between each two boards, all around 
 the whole room, excepting at windows, etc., as before 
 mentioned. These boards are secured at the bottom 
 by nailing to the floor and at the top by laying a 
 
71 
 
 twelve -inch board over all, making a walk on top for the 
 pigeons. ^ Then take twelve -inch boards and cut off in 
 pieces one foot square, five for each division in the 
 house; in a forty -foot house, allowing for windows, 
 etc., it would take about three hundred and fift}' pieces, 
 which makes about three hundred and fifty nests to a 
 forty -foot house, accommodating three hundred pairs 
 of birds. Having the three hundred and Mty pieces of 
 board, one foot square, next cut from three -inch 
 stripping three hundred and fifty pieces, twelve inches 
 long, and nail these pieces to each piece of twelve -inch 
 board ; nail to the side of the board, at the end, so that 
 the two boards together, representing the bottom of 
 the nest, will be twelve inches square one waj^ and 
 four b}'' twelve inch end, that is, the three -inch strip- 
 ping and one inch of end of board. A lot of stripping 
 one inch square, or one-inch -square pickets may be 
 used. These should be cut up into twelve -inch lengths 
 and nailed to the sides of the divisions as cleats, com- 
 mencing about one foot above the floor and leaving 
 about eleven inches between each piece on the division 
 board. In this way five sets of strips are put in each 
 division; the nest-boards will then slide in, resting in 
 these cleats like a drawer. Kach nest can readily be 
 lifted out to be cleaned or changed at any time. All 
 nests should be interchangeable so that it does not 
 matter if the same one is not put back. This is, I con- 
 sider, by far the best arrangement for breeding nests 
 that is in use at the present time. Many advocate the 
 use of nest -pans, etc. I have used several different 
 kinds, but I find nothing is so good in the long run as 
 these board nest -boxes, besides being more economical, 
 a very important point to most breeders. I might say 
 that when it is not convenient to build an entire new 
 
72 
 
 house, the general plan of house herewith described 
 ma}^ be used, by fitting up nests inside, making wire 
 runs outside, windows and ventilators, etc. In many 
 places an old chicken -house can be transformed with- 
 out much trouble or expense into a very good squab - 
 house. 
 
 The first and most important fact I wish to impress 
 in regard to buj'ing stock is to bu}- from a man who 
 , makes a business of breeding pigeons. Plenty 
 q ^1 ^ of such men advertise in, the pigeon and poul- 
 try papers. It means everj'thing to the be- 
 ginner to get good birds to start with. Do not bu}- old 
 birds that have been bred for years with very little 
 vitality and breeding power left in them. They will, 
 of course, disappoint, and no doubt lead j^ou to give up 
 the idea of squab raising with disgust. Good breeders 
 to start with insure success. By good birds I mean 
 strong, health}^ thoroughbred birds, of good size, and 
 from one to three years of age. Do not buy 5-oung 
 birds four or five months old, as they will disappoint 
 as much as those that are too old, as it takes them so 
 long to start breeding, and they do not generally raise 
 their first two or three hatchings with much success. 
 Birds from one to one and a half years old are decidedly 
 the best for breeders. A pigeon will breed well vintil 
 it is eight or ten 3'ears old, as a rule. The number of 
 pairs to start with depends entirel}' on the amount of 
 room that is intended to be given them. If the intend- 
 ing breeder has had no experience with pigeons it 
 would be we A to buj^ ten, or not more than twentj^-five 
 pairs to start with. Experience will be gained and 
 additions to the flock maj^ be made as rapidl}^ as your 
 knowledge increases. By keeping your pigeons band- 
 ed 5'ou can keep a record of each bird, which is very 
 
73 
 
 advantageous in lireeding pigeons for squal)S ; some 
 
 squabs breeders claim it is more troul)le than it is worth, 
 
 but I believe in having them banded whenever possible, 
 
 and have found the record thus kept of untold value to 
 
 me in the business. 
 
 I will not attempt to go into details of description of 
 
 the various kinds of pigeons, but will onl}" speak of 
 
 _^ TT . , those breeds we kiuna are good for the 
 Best Varieties t ■ ^ ^^ t^ ■> ^^ 
 
 , o J purpose. 1 consider the Duchesse the 
 
 best breed for squab raising, when 
 ever3'thing is considered. It is a large bird and the 
 squabs are larger and finer looking than those of the 
 Homer of Dragoon. Of course, some Duchesse pig- 
 eons are much larger and finer birds than others for the 
 purpose, but I am speaking of them as a class. Thej^ 
 are more domestic than the Homer and are fully as 
 good breeders and feeders, so far as ni}' observation 
 goes, and I have lired a great many of them and have 
 seen others who have done equall}' as well. Color 
 does not, in my opinion, make much difference with 
 them, but the lightest colored birds should be l)red 
 when possible. Some exceptions are taken to the 
 Duchesse on account of its feathered legs ; this ma}' be 
 remedied by crossing wnth the Homer, Runt, or Dra- 
 goon. The working Homer, as found almost every- 
 where, is a splendid breeder and feeder. Fine large 
 birds of this varietj' can be selected that will give ex- 
 cellent satisfaction. They also do well crossed with 
 the Duchesse or Dragoon. The Dragoon is the next 
 best bird and almost equal to the Homer as to breeding 
 and feeding qualities. It is also a fine show bird and isdes - 
 fined to be one of the most popular show birds in America. 
 Runts are used to advantage bj^ squab breeders, and 
 when crossed with the Homer make large -sized squabs. 
 
74 
 
 The food for breeding birds consists chiefly of good, 
 sound red wheat. Some squab breeders say that they 
 
 can use good screenings with as good re- 
 Food and ^^^j^^ ^^ sound wheat. Thev claim the birds 
 reeding'. 
 
 find a variety of different seeds in the 
 
 screenings that make them appetizing and that the 
 squabs fatten more readily upon them. But ni}- ex- 
 perience differs from this. I cannot believe that it pa3-s 
 as well to bu3' screenings as it does good wheat, even 
 if the price is more for the latter than the former. 
 There is no waste whatever in feeding good wheat, 
 while there is considerable loss in screenings from the 
 refuse that the birds will not eat. Next in imj^ortance 
 to good wheat is good, dr5^ cracked corn. This must 
 not be bought in too large a quantitjs owing to its 
 quick absorption of dampness from the air and liabil- 
 ity to mould, therel)y destroying its value as food for 
 pigeons at once. It should l^e kept in the driest corner 
 you have and well protected. It should be cracked 
 very coarse, as the finer it is cracked the more loss there 
 is in feeding. A medium -sized grain of corn cracked 
 in two pieces is about the right size. These foods, 
 wheat and corn, are the two staples of food year in and 
 year out. Three feeds of wheat to one of corn should 
 be the proportion for feeding. They should not be fed 
 mixed. Corn may be fed for a week and then wheat 
 for three weeks, or it may be given three feeds of wheat 
 and one of corn. Hemp seed should also always 1 e 
 kept on hand for sick or rundown birds, and once a 
 month give a feed of hemp seed to all, although it is 
 not necessary to do this where hemp seed appears too 
 costly. Canadian peas are excellent food for fattening 
 squabs. No green food is necessary at anytime, al- 
 though lettuce is sometimes given. Stale bread is very 
 
(I|H|||,V|||',I/1III 
 PAIR BLUE RUNTS. 
 
77 
 
 good for a relish occasionally, and the birds will apj^re- 
 ciate it verj^ much. 
 
 In feeding breeding birds a large part of the food is 
 frequently wasted by giving more at one time than the 
 birds will clean up. Birds feeding their young should 
 be fed twice a day, the first time as soon after daylight 
 as possible, the second time about 3 o'clock in the 
 afternoon, giving the old birds time to fill their young 
 before dark. Just as much feed should be given as the 
 birds will clean up. This can readily be ascertained 
 by measuring the amount in a bucket for a few morn - 
 ings. If at the second feeding there still remains some 
 of the morning feed reduce the amount until just what 
 is nicely cleaned up is used. Of course, the same 
 number of birds will eat considerably more at one time 
 in the month than another, depending on the number 
 of squabs thej^ are feeding. All this must be looked 
 after closely by the breeder. The best feed-troughs 
 are constructed of twelve -inch boards, from six to 
 twelve feet in length, and putting on sides and ends of 
 three -inch stripping. This will make a low, flat box 
 two inches deep inside. As many troughs may be 
 made as are necessary for the number of birds in the 
 house. One board twelve inches by twelve feet would 
 do for a forty -foot house, although two would be bet- 
 tzT. In long, low boxes should be plentj' of grit at all 
 times; finely ground oyster shells are also very good. 
 A number of different kinds of grit are advertised. A 
 heap of fresh sharp sand should always be near the 
 feeding -troughs. This must be renewed frequentl3s 
 especiall}^ in the Winter season w^hen the birds can not 
 get on the ground outside. Should there be a chance 
 to get some old mortar from a building, or from a 
 heap of mortar left over by masons, it can be used to 
 
78 
 
 good advantage the same as sand, and is far better, 
 but it must be pounded up fine and not left in large 
 lumps. 
 
 Salt is of the utmost importance to pigeons. A very 
 good way to feed salt is to get it in ten -pound bags, 
 pour sufficient water over it to wet thoroughly 
 ^ * and put it in an oven and bake it for a day. 
 It will bake hard, j-et still be softer than mineral salt. 
 Should the birds l)e fed as much soft salt as the^^ would 
 eat, it would kill many, as they would eat too much. 
 I have always used mineral salt in my own houses in 
 large lumps, as it can be bought readil}^ at anj' store, 
 and I think it will generalh' give satisfaction ; but salt 
 thej' must have at all times to thrive best. Three or 
 four lumps as big as a cabbage-head in a fortj'-foot 
 house would be about right. When I say a forty -foot 
 house I mean, also, a house with about six hundred 
 birds. Tobacco stems, to be had at any cigar manu- 
 factory for the hauling away, or at most a trifling cost, 
 should be placed in a pile in one corner of the floor 
 looseh', not too man}' at one time, bat renewed fre- 
 quentl}', so that the birds may have free access to them 
 for the purpose of Iniilding their nests. No other ma- 
 terial ought ever to be u.sed or placed within reach of 
 the birds, as the tobacco aids very largely in keeping 
 awa}^ lice, the great pest of the pigeon breeder. Last, 
 but not least, is the water question. Pigeons, to do 
 their best, should have an abundance of pure water for 
 drinking and bathing. Water -boxes, two by four feet 
 and six inches deep, with board covers, are found a 
 very good method to water pigeons. The cover should 
 be movable and contain about five circular holes, five 
 inches in diameter. These covers keep the birds from 
 defiling the water to a large extent, and twice each 
 
79 
 
 week the covers should be removed and the birds be 
 permitted to bathe. It is important that birds should 
 have a bath more frequently in warm weather than 
 during- Winter; the bath being an effectual way of get- 
 ting rid of vermin. These boxes should be thoroughly 
 cleaned out each time after the ])irds bathe, and filled 
 up with fresh water, sufficient boxes being used to 
 suppl}^ the wants of the birds. Large tin pans about 
 eighteen inches in diameter and four inches deep, 
 cleaned and filled daily, with no cover, are also used, 
 but having no cover they require more attention. In 
 extremely cold weather hot water should be used suffici- 
 ent to take the chill off. I believe this will pay for the 
 extra trouble, as Winter is the time above all others 
 that the birds .should be doing their best, being the 
 season of high prices. 
 
 If your pigeons are already mated, so much the bet- 
 ter; if not, select the cocks and hens that 3'ou wish to 
 mate together and put each pair in a 
 Breeding: and ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ twelve l)y twenty -four inches 
 Managfement. . , ,...., . , ,, 
 
 with a separating division in-the middle, 
 
 one bird in each end. Have division made of wire 
 netting so the birds can see each other and "talk the 
 matter over." After keeping them this way for three 
 or four daj^s slip out the division and let the birds to- 
 gether. As a usual thing they will mate up and you 
 will have no further trouble with them. They can then 
 be turned loose in the house. It is always a hard job 
 for the beginner to distinguish the cocks from the hens, 
 but a little practice helps wonderfuU}^ in this matter. 
 Cocks as a rule are larger than hens, and in flirting 
 with the hen he will turnaround "all the way" fre- 
 quently, but one rarely sees a hen turn all the way 
 around while cooing and making love to her lord and 
 
80 
 
 master. The. best way is to watch them in their atten- 
 tions to each other, and when you see one bird chasing 
 the other from perch to perch, up and down and all 
 around, you may know that the one doing the chasing 
 is the cock bird, and that likely they are ready to nest. 
 A hen lays but two eggs at a sitting, and usually one 
 day intervenes between the laying of the two eggs. In 
 case you find a nest, however, with four eggs in, you 
 may also find another nest with only one egg in. In 
 that case you would be able to put one of the four in it, 
 providing, of course, that 3^ou knew the hen with one 
 egg had laid a sufficient length of time, say three days, 
 to show that she was not going to lay another. In fact, 
 you could easily mark one end with a lead pencil, so 
 that in case another egg was laid j'ou could remove the 
 one you had put in. 
 
 Never try to make one hen hatch more than two 
 young, as it will inevitably result in loss. If she does 
 feed them all, at least one, and probably two, will be 
 so poorly fed that they will not amount to anything. 
 Sometimes' you will find that where there are only two 
 squabs, one seems to thrive and the other gets along 
 poorly. In such a case take the poorly -fed one to an- 
 other hen that has only one squab of nearly the same 
 size, and you will find they will both come along all 
 right. If a pair nest and have no eggs, watch the 
 birds carefully and after giving them a fair chance, 
 separate them and give the cock another hen, as the 
 one is no doubt l)arren, and will do no good as a 
 breeder. Pigeons should be kept in a good, tight 
 house, as warm as it can be made without using arti- 
 ficial heat. Keep the house as clean as possible at all 
 seasons, but especially in hot weather, as the more 
 manure there is in a house the faster the lice seem to 
 
8i 
 
 breed. If you find that in spite of keeping the house 
 clean and giving the birds plenty of water to bathe in, 
 the lice multiply, something should be done at once to 
 kill them out. I have tried several methods. ■ The 
 best and surest is to get a small watering-pot with a 
 fine sjjray, fill it with coal oil and give the perches, 
 empty nests, corners, etc., of breeding-house a liberal 
 dose. It will not hurt the birds and is sure death to 
 the lice. Fine air-slacked lime scattered around is 
 also good. Thousands of young birds are killed every 
 Summer by not keeping the lice under control in houses 
 and lofts. The birds being young do not know so well 
 how to bathe and free themselves of these pests, and 
 they seem to droop from day to day, growing weaker, 
 until finally they die. Coal oil has never killed nor in- 
 jured a squab or pigeon for me, and I have tried it time 
 and again with best results. 
 
 As to diseases I will not say much. If you have a 
 bird that gets down off the perch and droops around, 
 take it out immediately, put it in the "hospital," 
 which should be a small separate loft or large box, 
 where such birds can be kept warm and dry. Then 
 give it plenty of hemp seed, clean water, sand, and a 
 few dry bread crusts. Watch the bird carefully for a 
 week or ten da^^s. If 3^ou see no improvement and 
 can not find out the particular cause of the ailment, 
 chop its head off. It is the best cure in such cases. 
 Of course, if one were breeding fancy, high -class pig- 
 eons they could nor afford to do this so readily ; but a 
 squab breeder, with probably one hundred birds to a 
 fancier's one, cannot afford to devote too much time to 
 an}' single bird. Some pigeons get a wing disease; 
 the wing droops down and drags on the floor and the 
 bird is hardly able to fly. In such cases pull all the 
 
82 
 
 feathers from around the joint. If swollen, paint with 
 tincture of iodine every other da}' for a week. If not 
 swollen, hold the joint in cold water for say five min- 
 utes every day for a week, and keep the bird in a box 
 so that it will not attempt to ^y. If it does not then 
 improve, chop its head off. Canker is a bad disease, 
 but not prevalent enough to cause serious uneasiness 
 to a squab breeder. It shows itself by a lump forming 
 in the throat, resem1)ling cheese. It is an inherited 
 disease, and I think as a rule I would kill the old bird 
 that has it., as it is not a good thing to have in your 
 stock. 
 
 In dressing squabs for market the}' should be killed 
 
 at four weeks old. Some parents will feed their 3'oung 
 
 ^ better than others and in twentj'-five 
 
 £ 1171 1 ^ davs have them as forward as they 
 
 for Market. "^ , , , • • , , 
 
 would be in twenty -eight daj's. JNIy 
 
 rule has always been to go through the house and ]Mck 
 out the ones that seem to be about right, which will 
 generall}' be just as the}' first start to leave the nest. 
 After a little practice one can tell almost at a glance 
 whether the squab is sufficiently filled out to kill. 
 What is wanted is large, fat squabs. They should be 
 collected the afternoon of the da}' before they are to be 
 killed and put in boxes, so that their crops wall be 
 emptied of all food at the time of- killing. This is im- 
 portant, as the birds look bad and do not keep so well 
 if food is left in their crops after being killed ; but the 
 crop can be emptied by squeezing out the grain with 
 the fingers, in case it is not possible to collect all the 
 day before ; but this adds much to the work and is en - 
 tirely unnecessary. I use the common killing -knife, 
 but a good, sharp penknife will answer the purpose. 
 The jugular vein should be cut just back of the head. 
 
83 
 
 The squab should be held for killing in the left hand, 
 the ends of the wings and the legs together in a firm 
 grasp, leaving the head hanging down so that the ]:)lood 
 will readil}^ flow out of the cut. Another person should 
 hold the beak of the squab, when convenient, as it is 
 easier that wa3^ Squabs should be picked while warm, 
 as it is much easier done then than after allowing them to 
 get cold, and for this reason the squabs should be killed 
 just as wanted. It seems rather tedious at first to ]uck 
 a squab, as one has to l)e careful not to tear the skin, 
 and the pin -feathers are often hard to get out, but after 
 a little practice it will seem much easier. One man 
 who picks from one hundred and fifty to two hundred 
 pairs per week told me that he could pick fourteen 
 squabs clean for market in one hour, but that twelve 
 was his usual number. I never could equal that, but 
 no doubt it could be done. After you have your squab 
 picked clean throw it in ice-cold (or spring) water and 
 leave it in about thirty minutes. This takes out the 
 animal heat and they will keep longer and better. 
 They will also look better as the water seems to plump 
 them out. Now take out the squab and wash off all 
 dirt from feet and blood from around head, fold the 
 wungs nicely across the back, tie the two inside legs 
 of a pair together, ahvaj'S putting squabs of about the 
 same size and fatness together, hang up and the}^ are 
 read}^ to ship. 
 
 When ready to ship squabs to market divide thenl up 
 in the box or boxes so that all the largest and finest 
 
 lie together and all the poorest ones 
 Shipping: and ^ themselves. Bv so doing you can 
 Sellma:. , • ' .1 I ^ 
 
 get better prices, on the average, but 
 
 5'ou will not have man}- very poor ones if the}' are 
 properly looked after. In cold weather it is merely 
 
84 
 
 necessary to pack in good, strong boxes, letting a little 
 air in, layer upon layer; pack in boxes holding about 
 six layers, as too many are apt to flatten out of shape 
 and take away that plump, round appearance that goes 
 so far toward getting good prices for them. In Sum- 
 mer put a layer of ice in bottom of box, then put in 
 your squabs, and on top of them, for the last layer, 
 put cracked ice again, then the ice melting atid the 
 water trickling down between the birds keeps them nice 
 and cool. In looking for purchasers for squabs you 
 will find if you can give a steady supply week after 
 week, there will be no difficulty in obtaining the best 
 class of customers — private parties, hotels, and fine 
 restaurants. Make the best arrangements you can with 
 them as to prices and numbers they will take for the 
 season, etc. All game stores handle squabs, but the 
 best paying trade is private families, who will take one 
 or two pairs every week the year around and at a fair 
 price. In the markets you can also sell at all times, 
 but not at such good figures. Try to get every priv^ate 
 family you can, as you get the best retail price from 
 them. Find out what they have paid and what they 
 will pa3^ If you live so far from a large city that you 
 can not look up such customers, it would often pay to 
 advertise that families will be supplied, etc., and a good 
 commission house will often obtain ver}' fair prices for 
 you. The best location, however, for a squab raiser is 
 near enough to a large city to be able to get in once a 
 week to look after sales, customers, etc. If 3'ou have 
 only a few each week, say one or two dozen pairs, they 
 can easily be put in a canvas case and carried along 
 with you to be delivered as desired. 
 
 As to selling price, that depends on the size and con - 
 dition of squabs and season of the year; from the 
 
85 
 
 poorest, thill little things in Mid -summer at twenty 
 cents a pair (that no man who pretends to raise squal)S 
 for profit would ever send to market,) to the extra large 
 fat squabs that retail in Mid -winter, all the way up to 
 $1 a pair. Of course, wholesale prices would be from 
 ten to twenty per cent, less than these prices on the 
 same birds. A successful squab raiser ought to be 
 able to retail squabs at an average of sixty cents a pair 
 the year round. This price is for strictly first-class 
 birds ; what few second-grade squabs he sells ought to 
 average forty cents a pair the year through, but these 
 last should be very few in number, only from young 
 breeders, etc. With good management a good pair of 
 breeders ought to alwaj'S clear $1 per year, often more, 
 seldom less. The manure should always figure in the 
 profits at the rate of at least five cents a pair a year. 
 So that if you have five hundred ])airs of breeders you 
 could reasonably expect, with good management, to 
 realize a profit of $5U0 in one 5^ear, or $1,000 on one 
 thousand pairs, and in that ratio according to the num- 
 ber of birds you breed. This rate of profit, however, 
 does not include cost of your own labor. 
 
 
86 
 
 The national Dl cssajc H older 
 
 FOR HOMING PIGEONS. 
 
 /^■B^HE use of Homing Pigeons as messengers 
 £ \ over land and water is graduall}' increasing 
 
 ^ 1 in this countr}', due to the practical appli- 
 
 ^^i^ cation of the wonderful homing instinct of 
 these birds . Their great usefulness for con - 
 vej'ing messages has been demonstrated in man}' ways, 
 especially when no other means of communication are 
 available. The United States Government has mes- 
 senger pigeon stations at all the principal navy-j^ardsof 
 the Atlantic Coast and at Mare Island, Cal., which are 
 extremely successful. The various coast and trans- 
 atlantic steamship lines use Homing Pigeons to convey 
 messages over the water, and the Chamber of Com- 
 merce at San Francisco has established a messenger 
 pigeon ser\'ice between San Francisco and the Far- 
 allone Islands, with a view of utilizing Homing 
 Pigeons for convening weather reports and shipping 
 news. Many progressive newspapers have established 
 lofts of Homing Pigeons for carrying news and report- 
 ing the events of the day. Messenger pigeon service 
 is being utilized to good advantage for professional 
 and business pnrposes, affording a means 
 of communication that could not be had 
 otherwise. Homing Pigeon fanciers are 
 training their birds for business as well 
 as for fancy purposes, by conveying 
 news from one point to another. These 
 winged messengers are bred by the thou - 
 sands each year, and their wonderful 
 records of flights are evidences of their fig. i. 
 
 worth for fancy and practical purposes. The Holder. 
 
 The old way of carrying a message in a quill fastened 
 to the tail-feathers of the bird, has been ver^' unsatis- 
 factory, and is now a thing of the past. Genius has 
 
87 
 
 given a modern method for sending messages safely by 
 Homing Pigeons. The National Message Holder 
 (patented) as shown in Fig. 1, is the best thing that 
 has been invented for this purpose, being the only safe, 
 reliable, and satisfactory method in vogue for sending 
 messages by Homing Pigeons. The National Mes- 
 sage Holder is 
 thoroughly cover- 
 ed by patents in 
 the United States 
 and abroad. It is 
 made of alumi- 
 num, and weighs 
 only 10 grains, is 
 water-tight, and 
 can be fastened to 
 a bird's leg (see 
 Fig. 2. ) in a 
 second instead of 
 minutes as by the 
 old way. It does 
 not impede the 
 flight of the bird and cannot be lost bj^ the dropping of 
 the tail-feathers, as was often the case when the old- 
 style quill was used. 
 
 The National Message Holder is used exclusively in 
 the United States Messenger Pigeon Service, being 
 highly endorsed by those in charge of the various 
 stations. Every flyer of pigeons who has used them is 
 loud in praise of their value to the fraternity'. To 
 the racing fancier, the National Message Holder will 
 prove a boon, and will save much worry, time and ex- 
 pense of telegrams, by receiving the time of liberation 
 by the bird itself with a certified message from the 
 liberator, which cannot be contested. Again, lost 
 birds can be easily identified as the Holder can be per- 
 manently attached to the bird on its record flights, with 
 the owner's name and address, aud other instructions 
 written on the blauk. 
 
 Showing- Holder Attached to Bird's L,eg-. 
 
88 
 
 Some Advantages of the National Messag:e Holder, 
 
 It is cheap. 
 It is water-tight. 
 It does not come off. 
 It is not noticed bj- the bird. 
 It does not irritate the bird. 
 It can be worn over and over again. 
 It does not impede the flight of the bird. 
 It can be worn permanently bj- the bird. 
 It affords a sure means of identitication. 
 It saves money, worry, and loss of time. 
 It can be fastened and unfastened in a second. 
 It is as light as a feather, weighing only 10 grains. 
 It is used exclusively by the United States Government.- 
 It is used and endorsed bj' the most prominent flyers of 
 pigeons in the United States and abroad. 
 
89 
 TESTIIVIONIALS. 
 
 Please send nie one dozen National Message Holders for 
 Homing- Pigeons. They are just the thing. — Dr. G. H. Stone, 
 Savannah, Ga. 
 
 I have used one of your National Message Holders in several 
 instances from business to communicate with my wife at 
 home, attaching the Holder to one of my birds on liberating, 
 and find it a remarkable success. — Geo. G. Hallock, Jr., 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 The National Message Holder is, without a doubt, the very 
 best means to carry the message. I have considered no other 
 way simply because I believe this Holder superior to any. 
 I leave the Holder attached to the leg long enough so that 
 the bird will not stop to pick at it when you wish the bird to 
 carry a message. Birds that are intended to bring me 
 inessages from nay patients will have a Holder attached and 
 ready at all times. — Dr. Arnold, Elizabeth, Ills. 
 A foreign correspondent writes : 
 
 "The National Message Holders which'you sent me are a 
 great success and answer all the requirements. They do not 
 inconvenience the pigeons in the least, either at rest or on 
 the wing, and the biixls hardly notice them when attached to 
 their legs on account of their wonderfully light weight, {only 
 ten grains). The birds do not peck at them, as they used to do 
 with the old goose-quills, to try to work them off. Messages 
 were frequently lost by the birds succeeding in loosening and 
 pulling off the old message quill fastened to the tail-feathers. 
 The new message holder, which is fastened around the leg 
 by means of a clasp, is perfectly secure, and being water- 
 tight, keeps the message intact. Another great advantage 
 is the facility and rapidity with which messag^es can be sent. 
 With the old goose-quill holder it took from three to five 
 Diiniitcs to fasten the message on the tail-feathers, with the 
 aluminum holder it takes from three to live sccouds only, and 
 a large number of pigeons can be forj\'arded with messages 
 in a verj- short time 63' means of this clever device." 
 
 PRICES: 
 
 Single Holders, 15 cents each prepaid. 
 
 In lots of 10 or more, 12 '2 cents each prepaid. 
 
 We furnish the National Messenger Pigeon Service blanks 
 in books of 50 for 25 cents, books of 100 for 35 cents. 
 
 Address all orders and make all remittances payable to 
 
 George E. Howard «Ss Co. 
 
 504 nth street N. W., Washington, D. C, 
 
90 
 
 THE FEATH ERMM 
 
 A National 3Iouthly Journal 
 Devoted to Poultry and Pigeons. 
 
 ppnFii<;Fiv ILLUSTRATED, 
 
 The Pi6eor» Departmen t 
 
 The " Pijreon Department" of The Feather has always been appreciated 
 by fanciers of pijsreons. The contributors to this department are of the 
 oldest and most competent writers on pitjeon topics in this country. 
 Mr. Lonsr, who has it in charge, has been for years a leading- judge. He has 
 g-uided this department since the commencement of The Feather and has 
 done everything- to give it the high standing it now has. Some very 
 valuable articles are now- being prepared for publication in the " Pigeon 
 Department," and our pigeon readers will enjoy a treat not heretofore had. 
 Many practical articles will be published, and the pijblishers hope to have 
 each issue a gem in journalism. Unlimited time and expense have 
 been given to the preparation of its articles, and it is believed that better 
 or more practical ones have never been published. The Feather pub- 
 lishes the very best of matter, and its illustrations are numerous and 
 original. It gives its readers the cream of the poultry and pigeon topics 
 of the literarj- world. 
 
 Subscriptions... 
 
 Subscriptions may begin at any time. The price of a yearly subscription 
 is 50 cents, but by VetBrning the enclosed coupon to Pigeon Fanciers and 
 25 cents you get a yearly subscription at half price, besides a copy of The 
 FE.4THER Companion AXi) Dikectoky. Don't delay sending in your 
 subscription to 
 
 QEORQE E. HOWARD & CO., 
 504 nth Street N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
 "Eaton Loft Record" 
 
 .♦Homing Pigeon Races 
 
 The most complete thin>; ever gotten up. 
 
 EVERY BREEDER AXD FLYER 
 OF H03IING PIGEONS,.. 
 
 Should have one or more copies of it. It is endorsed 
 and praised by all who have it, becatise it tells 
 plainly the record of every mile you have flown. 
 
 BY ITS rSE YOU CAN TELL AT A GLANCE: 
 
 Number of Birds Entered Each Race; Position 
 in Each Race; Returns and Losses; Birds Taken 
 Off; Late Returns; Weather Conditions; ■ and 
 Date and Time of Liberation. 
 This valuable chart will be sent to any address on receipt of 5 
 
 cents, or three copies for 10 cents. Address 
 
 QEORaE E. HOWARD & CO., 
 
 504 nth Street N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
91 
 
 EMPORIUM of PETS 
 
 Headquarters for all kinds of... 
 
 Fancy Poultry, Fancy Pigeons, Swans, Pheas- 
 ants, Canaries, Parrots, Mocking-birds, Cages, 
 Seeds, Gold Fish, Globes, Aquariums, Plants, etc. 
 
 Monkej's, Dogs, Cats, Squirrels, Rabbits, 
 
 Guinea Pigs and other Pet Animals. 
 
 My specialty is seiiiQg first-class 
 Homing Pigeons at $1.00 a pair. 
 
 Send for the largest and most complete Illnstrated Free Catalogue. 
 
 LUW. O. oGllllllQ, Washington", d!c." 
 
 .Sole .Vgent for 
 Prairie State Incubators au<l Brooilers for AVashington. 
 
92 
 
 Leg Bands For Pigeons and Poultry.. .. 
 
 1898 BANDS— The official enamelled bands of the 
 Tumbler Clubs are furnished by lue at 4 cents each, 
 or 45 cents per dozen, without initials, numbered 
 from 1 up. Aluminum bands for pigeons and poul- 
 try', will not tarnish, always the same color; with 
 year and numbered 1 to 100. S3 per 100; with year 
 only, SI. 50 per 100; with initials, 25 cents per 100 
 letters. Send 2-cent stamp for circular and sample. 
 Remittances must accompany' order. Enamelled 
 bands, 45 cents per dozen. 
 T. Willetts, 180 Lawrence St., Lowell, Mass. 
 
 K The Feather :♦ 
 COMPANION an^ DIRECTORY 
 
 A Handy Reference Book»^9^ 
 
 The demand for this book has V)een immense. It is 
 handsomely printed and bound in the latest style Persian 
 Golden Brown Waterproof Cover. 
 
 This Book Contains: 
 
 Calendar lor 18)8, Calendar of PouUrv Keeping-. Guide to Prac- 
 tical Poultry Keeping-, Glossar.v of Technical Terms — Poultry, 
 The Poultryman's Reference Chart. Standard Breeds of Poultry, 
 The Pig-eon Fancier's Chart, Glossary of Technical Terms — 
 Pigeons, Standard Varieties of Pigeons, Directory of The 
 Feather Advertisers, Memoranda,' Hatching Record, Egg 
 Record, and Show Record Blanks. 
 
 What Some Think of It. 
 
 AX ENCYCLOPEDIA. 
 
 '•I find The Ciimpanion and Directory an encyclopedia of poultry in- 
 formation."— D. A. Mount, proprietor of the Pine Tree Farm, Jamesliurg. 
 N. J. 
 
 THE BEST BOOK PUBLISHED. 
 
 " Feather Companion and Directory is the best book I ever saw on the 
 subject of poultry and will be invaluable to me in breeding same."— Jas. 
 A. Davis, Portsmouth, Va. 
 
 A REGULAR EDUCATOR. 
 
 " We think the Feather Companion and Directory is one of the best and 
 most useful books we have ever seen. It is, in fact, a regular educator; 
 men have come to us and expressed their wonder at how much their birds 
 have improved since they have learned how to treat them b.v reading the 
 Companion." — A. W. Gluesenkamp & Sox. Batesville, Ind. 
 
 A copy of this valuable and instructive book is g-iven 
 FREE toall new subscribers to The Feather, or will be 
 mailed to any address on receipt of lO CEXTS. 
 
 GEORGE E. HOWARD & CO., Publishers, 
 
 Washingfton, D. C. 
 
93 
 
 Poultry Supplies 4» 4^ 4^ 
 
 New Y(irk and Export Ag-ents for 
 
 Prairie State Incubators and Brooders. 
 
 We carry a full line of 
 
 Mann's, Wilson's, Chapman's, Webster & Hannum's, 
 Dandy, Standard, and Premier 
 
 Green Bone and Vegetable Cutters, 
 
 PRICE SI5.00 to !#3r)0.00 EACH. 
 
 accordinir to style and size of machine. 
 NOTICE.— AS AN EGG PRODUCER OUR... 
 
 BANNER EGG FOOD AND TONIC 
 
 CAN NOT BE EQUALLED. 
 It does exactly whatever we say it will do, as thousands of Poultrymen 
 can tell you. 
 
 Price. 1-lb. can 35c., five l-ll>. cans 81.00; one Case of two dozen 
 1-11). cans JS4.00. 
 
 Aleuts.. ^ ^ ^^^,j^ 
 
 Wanted. ^ -^/ ^^^^^^^ 
 
 CHICK MANXA. 
 
 If you feed it to your younti- chickens, you can raise 90 per cent, of your 
 
 production up to maturity. 
 
 Price, 10c. per lb.; 5-lb package 40c.; 15-lb. pacltage sSl.lO. 
 
 NOTICE.— We are the sole Ajjrents for New York City and vicinity for 
 
 LA3IBEKT'S DKATH TO LICE. 
 
 POWDER AND OINXnENTS. 
 Large stock always on hand for immediate shipment- 
 
 •» . OUR IMMENSE 
 
 ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE FREE. 
 
 It tells you what you want in the line of General Supplies and for successf nl 
 Poultry Raisin}.'-. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE SOLICITED. 
 Address— 
 
 Excelsior Wire & Poultry Supply Go. 
 
 28 Vesey St., NEW YORK CITY. 
 
 Wm, V. RUSS, Prop. 
 
JUL 7 189€ 
 
IWM ^ OF CONGRESS 
 
 ^02 864 agJ> -1'''^