The times., 1898-07-03
M1cH1eAN,s BIG SQUAD FARM.
How Young Pigeons Are Raised for
the Eastern Market
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.)

From the Chicago Inter ocean,
The only SQUAD farm in Michigan is To-
Gated about three miles south of Grand
Haven. Squads are young doves, or pig
cons, and are esteemed great delicacies
in epicurean and midnight lunch circles.
There are several large squab farms in
the East and one near Toledo, but the
only one in Michigan, so far as known,
is at Grand Haven, and ii is conducted
by F. ]. Bernreuther He was for sew
eral years foorwalker in a large dry
goods store His health failed and five
years ago he took up SQUAD raising. IL
was originally side issue to his floor
walking, but ne now devotes most of his
attention to IT. His farm comprises about
ten acres of land, but only a small por-
ton of this is given to the squab indus
try, the rest being planted to wheat and
corn, which form the staple diet for the
old doves. He has big cage of woven
wire. IT is so by 40 feet and 20 feet high,
and the doves are kept confined by the
wire netting on the sides and above. On
the north side of the cage is a long, low
building, in which the doves keep house.
The roof has southern exposure and
wind break, and here the doves sun them
selves The building is divided by parti-
tions into rooms aboat ten feet square.
THESE rooms are banked up on three
sides tier above tier, with small boxes,
and these boxes are the nests where the
eggs are laid and the young are hatched
and grow to be squads. The partitions
and boxes extend upward 10 the caves
of the building, and above the space is
open from end to end, allowing free pas
sageway for the doves and a roosting
place for those not busy with domestic
duties.
After the pretty white eggs are laid
the male takes his regular trick of sitting
on them during the twenty-one days of
incubation, and when the young are
hatched he does his full share toward
feeding them. -Four weeks after the young
birds are Matched they become market
able as squads The birds are in full
feather but not able to fly. a fast Of
twenty-four hours is the prelude TO the
flight into the dove heaven. This fast
is imposed not to make them meek In
spirit, but 10 clear their crops of food.
Then a sharp knife point opens a vein In
the throat and as the life blood oozes out
the birds brief career closes with a fut-
ter.
While the flesh is still warm the feath-
ers are plucked out, the crop is washed
out and the denuded body is thrown into
tub of water 10 cool The next day il
is packed in ice for shipment The
squads, dressed for market, weigh about
half pound. and the great market for
them Is New York. This city consumes
very few of them. There is only small
demand for them in Detroit, and Chicago.
big and metropolitan as II is, is a poor
market. Almost the entire product. of
Bernreuther goes to New York and the
shipments average three or four dozens
a week the year round The SQUADS com
mand from $50 to SO. so dozen, and there
Is money in the business.
The best breed of doves for SQUAD pur-
poses is the homing pigeon. This is not
due TO any particular delicacy of the
flesh, but TO the fact that homers are the
best breeders, are diligent in properly
caring for the eggs during the incubat-
ing period, and keep their young well
fed. But the squad farmer does not run
much 10 fancy stock. Just plain. ordinary
doves are good enough. They bring out
from six TO ten broods a year, each of two
doves and often eggs are in the nest for
a new Matching. before the preceding
brood has developed to the squad age.
The doves usually rest two months in the
year, but as there is no recognized sea-
son for resting. the market can be sup
piled with squads the year around.