Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-12-21

by the request of many readers OF
the Bulletin, the poultry editor
Gevotes the space usually allotted to
poultry to a general talk on raising
squads. This particular line in bird
raising in Honolulu is being gone into
extensively and II is hoped the begin.
ner may get some pointers from the
following.
The amount of transformation given
ON this subject is simply appalling
Why Is 1t necessary for some people
TO grossly exaggerate anything said
or written concerning homer squad
raising, when the plain unvarnishei
truth presents the matter In favor
able light. 1t is true that as an In
dustry, squad raising requires less
capital and less work in proportion
20 returns than any other business of
similar character. II is not right to
lead people las some do to believe
that all that is necessary Is to buy a
miscellaneous lot of pigeons, place
them in lofts, feed and water them
regularly, and sit down to wait for
the coin TO roll in. The individual
who embarks in the business of rails.
ing squads for market with such an
idea, Is doomed to failure from the
start. My advice to the beginner
would be. don't go into the business;
grow into II. Make a beginning with
a reasonable number of birds in order
that you may know absolutely that
they are properly mated when placed
In the breeding pen, and that YOU may
have an opportunity to study the birds
and their habits, as your flock in.
creases. After YOU have acquired suf.
iicient pigeon knowledge, you can be.
Tin selling squads. and from the rcvc-
nue. thus derived, buy additional
breeders, being careful to deal only
with those whose stock Is equal to or
better than yours. This point cannot
be too strongly emphasized. ut pays
TO buy the best" If you contemplate
having loft, you will want birds that
Will produce from eight to ten pairs of
squads a year, and not old played.out
stock that may give you from two to
four pairs or may not have fertile
eggs
Buy Young Birds.
In order to protect yourself in this
particular buy young and healthy
birds from breeders of reliability and
responsibility. Experience proves
that young birds Just mated are far
preferable to "old.mated birds" that
have worked for months or years in
certain loft to which they have be.
come attached. The old birds in many
instances will NOPE and pine for the
old home, while the young birds will
&c to work without delay.
Best Breeders.
Now as to the birds best adapted to
the work of sQdab raising. the most
prolific bird and the best feeder is the
Homer pigeon, and a carefully select
cd loft of these superior birds will
show their owner an average annual
return of eight pairs of squads per
year for each pair of breeders. II
costs in this locality about 81 per year
TO feed pair of breeders. As the
squads are ready for market when
four weeks old and sell for at least 81
Ter dozen, the reader can readily fig
ure the PROM. In this connection II
should be borne in mind that, unlike
chickens and turkeys, the feeding OF
young pigeons Is attended to by the
Iarcnt bird, thus saving a great deal
Ct time, trouble and attention, which
IN other branches of poultry raising
must he looked after carefully by the
individual In charge of the plant. II
seems that the pigeon has never
reached that stage of thorough domes'
tication where the young birds may
he fed artificially; but, like the wild
birds of the forest, the pigeon Is one
OF the few domestic fowl that attend
to the feeding of their young, the first
with what squad raisers call pig
cons milk" and then grain until they
are old enough to shift for them
selves. Thus one of the most trouble
some parts of chicken raising is alb
sent in pigeon culture.
The Advantage
The main advantages of raising
Homer squad for market over the
squad of the common pigeon and other
poultry are these: Less competition
less trouble in attending to the young
for the old birds do all the owrk; larg'
ar squads and more of them, which
means n better price and more FIRE.
quent sales, and when pair of
pigeons are once firmly mated, they
will remain SO and do well for 10 or
, years unless separated by accident
or disease. From a pair of first-class
Homers, you can depend on raising
from to 10 pairs of squads per year
which can be marketed at the rate OF