Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-09-16

mains on the nest from 4 o'clock In
the afternoon until 10 o'clock the next
morning, when the cock relieves her
and keeps the nest warm until 4
o'clock In the afternoon, when his
mate again takes her place on the
nest.
Never Quits Work.
When the squads are two weeks old
the mother turns the brood over to
the sole care of the cock and she i'm.
mediately begins to lay. When she
has produced two eggs she again be-
gins setting on them and sticks to her
work until two more squads are
Matched The squads are fed out of
the craws of the parent birds and with
such unsparlng care and nurture that
they are considered a table delicacy
when they are four weeks old.
Pigeons In squad production are fed.
on eight kinds OF grain. together with
a liberal quantity OF grit. shells and
salt. They drink from fresh water
supplied In nom soiling drinking foun-
tains and baths are provided In gall
vanized iron baths that are filled with
fresh water each morning.
To properly conduct a SQUAD farm
one must have building 100 feet
long and fifteen feet wide, with adj
Joining hy pens that are twenty feet
deep ten feet high and twelve feet
wide, the framework being covered
with poultry wire with a mesh that
will turn away sparrows otherwise
the food of the nigeons Will be stolen.
The interior of a squad house Is pro-
vided with a long corridor about three
feet wide an das long as the building.
There are about eight pens. each
about twelve feet square. on each
side OF each pen there are nests of
pigeons with accommodations for fifty
pigeons on each side.
Each pigeon hole is provided with
wooden nappie. and in this the hen lays
her eggs Each inside pen is connect
ed with the same size compartment in
the fly pen outside. small doors or
gates being operated by cords reach
ing to the corridor.
One of the interesting features of
SQUAD raising Is a system of bookkeep-
ing by which Is ascertained exactly the
work Of each pair of pigeons. BY
making use of combination OF colors
i'm celluloid bands pairs are desig-
mated and distinguished from any 9TH
en- pair of birds in the pens.
The hen is ALWAYS banded on the
left leg the cock on the right the
owner opens in a book ruled for the
purpose a page for each dual combi-
nation OF colors so that at the end OF
the season he knows exactly the
amount of money each pair has net
ted him. II costs 80 cents to feed q
pair OF birds one year.
Big Food Factor.
There are regularly approved alter
nations in the Pations Of pigeons used
i'm producing squads. They are fed
twice day, morning and evening on
sunday they get hemp seed and
cracked peas, and these are consid-
cred dainties. on Mondays they have
kaffir corn and cracked wheat: Tues
day, wheat and corn Wednesday, mil
let and wheat; Thursday, kaffir corn
and wheat: Friday. peas and corn;
Saturday kaffir corn and wheat, In
each pen is provided a cite of nest
ing straw
Homer pigeons. full grown cost
about $3.50 pair. There has been an
immense interest In breeding stock,
Cocks and hens have been so highly
bred that large sums have been real
lied from a single pair.
In the state and national poultry
shows, pigeons are given great show
ing and occupy almost as much space
as the common barnyard fowls.