The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-09
AN ILLINOIS SQUAD FARM.
How Seven Hundred Homer Pigeons
Are Housed, Fed and Cared for
on a Five Acre Tract in
Illinois.

\OHASN@ANO
directions that will be useful, if you
try this business and are obliged to
Keep your pigeons confined. There
is no doubt that much expense may be
saved where it is possible to allow
them free range:
One of the most substantial, con-
venient and yet economical squad
houses that has been built near a good
market is now owned by f. y. Thomp-
son, who has a five acre tract of land
one mile east of Wheaton, Dupage
County, ILL.,
This SQUAD house and the adjoining
pens are built on land worth 5000 an
acre, and there are now confined in it
seven hundred Belgian HOmers, worth
from $3.50 to $500 pair. The loca-
ton is within an hours ride of
market that will take all the squads
that may be produced the year around.
The size of the building is 100 feet
long, IS feet wide, II feet high in
front and 9 feet high back, allowing d
iall of three feet
The foundation rests on four-inch
cedar posts driven three feet in the
ground. The sills are 4 by 4 timbers
set one foot from the ground.
For the frame by 4 material is
used throughout The studding is set
twenty-five inches apart. In the back
or lowest side the studding is braced
horizontally half way up by 2 by 4
pieces toenailed to the studding In
the front or highest side there are
two strings Of this bracing, so that in
the back the siding nailed on perpen-
dicularly is fastened at three places,
and in the back it is nailed at four
places. The caps are of by 4 materi-
surfaced on all sides.
al All framing timber Of this kind is
The floor of the structure is double
First a layer of rough boards run end
ways and rest on by 4 joists twenty
two inches apart. CrosswiSe there is
laid good quality of matched flooring.
The siding is matched flooring nailed
on up and down and then covered with
the heaviest grade Of tar paper
The roof rests on by rafters set
twenty-five inches apart The sheeting
is nailed on surfaced side down, and
then the roof is covered with the best
grade Of tar paper
The corridor is SO feet long and 2
feet wide Opening off the corridor
are the inside pens, the doors to which
are Is inches wide. They are made of
I by 4 stuff for the frames and braced
across from top to bottom. There are
spring hinges and self-fastening hasps
for each door. The corridor partition
and the doors are covered with inch
mesh poultry netting Thermometers
are located in this corridor.
There are seven inside pens II by II
feet in size. Each side of pen has
htty nest boxes, one hundred in the
pen. These accommodate fifty pairs of
birds. Each pair Of birds is allowed
two nests. When the young are two
weeks old the hen builds another nest
and commences laying again, the cock
taking her place with the first pair of
squads. By the time the first are four
weeks old the hen is ready to hatch
out another pair. Each nest box is
twelve inches wide, high and dee,,
Each pen is provided with a two gal
lon non-soiling drinking fountain cost
ing SIPS, and it is also provided with
an open crate kept filled with straws
cut Tor nest building. From these
crates the birds carry the strawe and
Dulld the nests in the nappies.
The nappies are nine inches in
dlameter, and cost 5000 a hundred
Zach nappie is screwed to wooden
Dashboard s by feet, to prevent the