The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-01-27
RAISING souABs.

The main advantage of raising
squads for market over other poultry
are these, says a poultry paper; Less
competition, less trouble in attending
to young, the old birds do all the
work, and when a pair of pigeons are
once firmly mated they will remain so
and do well for ten or twelve years
unless separated by accident or dis
ease. ,s,-. ~
This, as any one can see, adds greatly
to the profit. From q pair of first.
class bi Is you can depend on raising
eight or nine pairs of squads per year,
which can be marketed at the rate OF
at least forty cents per pair, while the
cost of feeding the old birds will not
exceed $l.25. They lay two eggs for
a sitting, one day intervening between
the laying of the first and second egg.
The incubation takes about eighteen
days, and while attending to the young
in one nest they generally build an.
other nest and have eggs before the
young are capable of taking care Of
themselves. The young, when ready
IL
thirty days old-are marketed. The
birds breed all the year with the ex-
ception of the molting season.
The first thing connected with a
business of this kind is to have good,
warm quarters, although artificial heat
should not be used. On almost every
farm there is some small loft or build
ing which might be used for a pigeon
cote if properly sheathed with paper
or otherwise.
As pigeons do very well in confne.
ment, those who wish to keep them in
this way must build an aviary made of
poultry wire. In the interior arrange
ment of the house two sides should be
given to nests, of which two should be
provided for each pair of birds NESTS
should be about one foot square) and
one side for roosts, of which the in.
verted V shape is the best.
We now come to the stock, which
must be good, strong, vigorous birds,
which are good parents and prolific
breeders. We find all this in the
homer, which derives its name from its
love for Its home, and which l con
slider the best bird for our use. We
cannot say too much in its favor.
To prepare the birds for squab rails.
ing they should be mated and not al
lowed to choose their own mates
which they will do when about five
months old. For this purpose {
medium size box with wire partition
in the middle is needed. Place the
cock and hen, one in each compart,
ment, for day or two; then place
them together and they will mate. II
pairing them mate large cock with {
small hen, or a medium-sized cock
with a large hen. If one bird is {
year older than its mates the result
will be better.
The birds should be fed three time
day on red wheat, white Canadt
peas, small, whole or cracked corn
with now and then some bread crumb
or few handfuls of hemp, canary an,
millet seed. Hemp seed is very bene
fetal [during the molting period, as i
is very stimulating. Only as mucl
feed should be given at one time a
will be all eaten. An abundance o
fresh water must always be on hand
and a shallow vessel for bathing, to b
used except in very severe col
weather. A lump of rock salt, whic
must be wet every morning for theI
to pick plenty of grit, some old plal
ter for the eggshells and tobacco stem
left on the floor for the pigeons I
build their nests of, which will kee
out all vermin, should be provided
The floor should be covered with san
or gravel and everything kept as clea
as possible.