The Opelousas courier., 1898-10-15
MONEY IN SQUAD RAISING
Icy Are Produced in Michigan for the
eastern Markets.

The only squad farm in Michigan
is located about three miles south of
Grand Haven. Squads are young
doves, or pigeons, and are esteemed
great delicacies in %epicurean and mid
night luncheon circles. There are sew
eral large SQUAD farms in the east.
and one nea Toledo, but the only one
in Michigan, so far as known. is at
Grand Haven, and it is conducted by
l.. J. Bernreuther. He was for sever
al years floorwalker in a large dry
goods store. His health failed, and
five years ago he took up squad rails
ing. 1t was originally a side issue to
his ~foorWalking, but he now deyotes
most of his attention to it. His farm
comprises about ten acres of land, but
only a small portion of this is given to
IT, squad industry, the rest being
planted to wheat and corn, which
forms the staple diet for the old doves.
He has a big cage of wove wire.
1t is so X 120 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 thescage
is a long, low building, in which the
doves keep house. The roof has a
southern exposure and a wind break.
and here the doves sun themselves.
The building is divided by partitions
into rooms about ten feet square.
These rooms are banked up on three
sides, tier above tier, with small box
cs, and these boxes are the nests,
where the eggs are laid and the young
are Matched and grow 10 be SQUADS.
The partitions and boxes extend up
ward to the caves of the building, and
above the space is open from end to
end, allowing free passageway for the
doves and a roosting place for those
not busy with domestic duties.
After the two 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 Matched he does his full
share toward feeding them. -Four
weeks after the young birds are
Iatched they become marketable as
squads. The birds are in full feather.
but not yet 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 to clear their crops
of food. Then a sharp knife point
opens a vein in their throat, and az
the life blood oozes out the birds
brief career closes with a flutter.
While the flesh is still warm the
feathers are plucked out, the crop is
out, and the denuded body is
into a tub of water to cool.
The next day it is packed in ice for
shipment. The squads, dressed for
market, weigh about half a pound,
and the great market for them is New
York. This city consumes very few
Of them. There is only a small de-
nand for them in Detroit, and Chic
lgo, big and metropolitan as it is. Is
/ poor market. Almost the entire
product Of Bernreuther goes to New
York, and the shipments average
:hree or four dozens a week the year
The squads command from
;1.50 to $3.50 a dozen, and there is
money in the business.
The best breed of doves for SQUAD
purposes is the homing pigeon. This
S not due to any particular delicacy
# the flesh, but to the fact that hon.
rs are the best breeders. are diligent
n properly caring for the eggs during
he incubating period, and keep their
,oung we'll fed. But the squad far.
ner does not run much to fancy stock.
'ust plain. ordinary doves are good
nough. They bring out six to ten
roods a year, each of two doves. and
ften eggs are in the nest for a new
atching before the preceding brood
as developed to the SQUAD age. The
owes usually rest two months in the
ear, but as there is no recognized
for resting, the market can be
upplied the year round.-Chicago In
-. ao1