Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-09
MONEY FROM SQUADS.
Started With Capital Of $50 and No"
y She Has Comfortable Income.

ri
Started With Capital Of $50 and Now
She Has q Comfortable Income.
Eight years ago I began SQUAD rails
ing with a, capital of $50. Today have
1000 pairs of breeders.
IT live with my mother in a suburb
near large city and had raised pig
cons for our home use for three OF four
years before I decided to go into It as
a source of income.
Eve have a large back lot and al
though we raise our own vegetables
there was still good big slice of land
left over. In raising pigeons for our
own table I had simply a pigeon cote
and tile birds came and went as they
pleased and l had much to learn. This
was proved by my first house. -
IT invested $40 of my $50 in buying
10 pairs of extra choice homing pig
cons. The other $40 went Tor ono
months food and for wire and FEW
pieces of old lumber to rig up a house
and ay for the birds. AS there was an
old cow shed in the back lot it seemed
to me that all that was necessary was
to nut in nests and stretch the wire
netting around to keep the pigeons IN.
Looking back on it now it Is a mar
vel to me that any of my birds escap-
ed alive. Cats, rats, mice and snakes
all made their appearance in my pig
con house in surprisingly short time
and began their depredations. To rid
NV birds of these pests began TO read
anything and everything | could ma
relating to pigeon raising.
During tile first few years OF my eX-
perience I made the mistake OF cross
ing nv homers with my dragons.
number that among my mistakes for
the simple reason that dragons re-
o,,;re one week longer to be marketable
than n full blooded homes. II ls']ust
SIX weeks from the laying the eggs.
two in each nest. to the marketing OIL
homer SQUADS. When you are raising
SQUADS for market that one week
makes quite difference in your proht.
"rhe homer is undoubtedly the pest
bird for SQUAD raising. 1t IS strong,
vigorous, a hearty eater and q sooo
| worker. 1t is active, alert, nearly
| storky and full breasted. which counts
| a good deal with squads
t"rhey are more prolific than any
other breed of pigeons that have Been
able to hear Of AS to colors they vary
from pure white and pure black to all
shades and mixtures. A yard of well
kept homers is about as pretty
sight as one cares to look at
| s.1, first 10 pairs of birds were full
| blooded with established records Tor
flying. They We're all beauties, nearly
and vigoroug and proved themselves
| to be very prolific. They averaged me
3D. pairs of squads year, all SO me
that l was loath to sell any OF them.
"a; was in the business for profit
could not afford to allow sentiment TO
stand in my way. The squads all
went as fast as they were ready for
the market that first year. Alter that
| r began to invest some of the earn
| ings in fresh stock.
an doing this 1 was careful to ouy
onlv the best strains of stock that
we're not akin. These I mated WITH
Young birds selected from my own
pen. In making these selections was
careful to choose the squads OF the
most prolific breeders.
"In mating birds I always put them
| in a clean coop by themselves. supply
them with generous quantity OF fooo.
water and nesting materials, and let
them alone for few days. II they
are strong, healthy young birds, they
will soon begin to carry materials anu
h,1ild their nests. 1 allow this nome
building to go on until I am sure the
pair are in earnest and will not change
their minds. Then catch and trans
fer them to permanent breeding quar-
ters
birds are not unlike human beings
in regard to their matings. They often
change their mind. apparently by mu-
tual consent, and after making announcer
choice do their counting all over AGAIN.
"In catching these mated birds l use a
net on a long pole something on the order
| of a crab net. 1 never run after pro
or chase it over the yard: Instead l
simply watch it and when the ar bro s,n l,es
be taken IN doing this not to eaten the
| bird as it flies toward you. for by some
sudden movement it may strike the net
and bruise it's head or wing.
FOR the successful raising of SQUADS
| the house must be suitable for their
shelter and convenient for handling botn
the old and the young birds. IT must pc
dry warm and sunny or the BIRDS VII,
| not be well. 1t should be on we'll drained
| porous SOIL and if possible face the
south, with a sloping roof. 90
MY houses rest on DTlck pleiS 10
inches high, and to make them more
| secure against rats and mice l cover
them with strips of tin. All the doors
are set on swings and all the nesting
shelves may be easily taken out and
cleaned.
"Many pigeon houses. that 1 have seen
have permanent nesting shelves. but
| with me the divisions between the nests
are permanent while the shelves them
selves are arranged as you would book
shelves, that is. in such a manner that
| they can be readily slipped in and out.
Behind each nest there is little
swinging door through which | remove
the squads or do any other little duty
necessary for the health of my birds.
This saves me from going into the house
and attracting the attention of the old
birds when robbing them of their
children.
For the nests themselves use shall
low earthen dishes, one being placed in
each compartment. The birds will make
them comfortable with nesting materials.
though sometimes they prefer to lay their
eggs and hatch their young in the bare
saucer.
often one pair will occupy two nests
at the same time. Before the first set of
squads is old enough to be removed the
female will lay two more eggs and begin
| to set on them. When this is the case
I sS@Ew