The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1910-06-16


asked her about the chances women !
on the farm had Of making money. !
Il had been a school teacher when
married, and having seen a lot Of
farmers and their wives while teach
ing in rural communities l deter
mined that | would be different |
would keep hired girl, paying her
wages by money earned by keeping
bees and chickens for profit.
II stuck to that idea for nearly ten
years, and during that time never
cleared more than $50 a year on my
chickens. 1t was always the bees that
paid my girl. Finally / heard of a
man in Montgomery County, this
State, who was making a fortune
raising squads.
THE children had always had q
few pairs Of pigeons flying around the
place eating up the garden and doing
everything else We didn't want them
to, but / had never thought Of making
money by raising the birds. Being
discouraged by my experience as a
chicken raiser, l determined to pay
the man in Montgomery County a
visit. Again it was the bees that paid
expenses.
There were several thousand pairs
of pigeons on this Montgomery Coun-
ty farm, and 1t was quite evident that
the owner not only knew HIS business
but was interested in his birds, He
gave me all the information wanted,
and was so much encouraged that
went back and invested in twenty
pairs of homers and an equal number
| of runts.
Following the advice I had re-
ceived, bought only mated birds,
and as a consequence | began to make
money from the start. At the end Of
that year my profits were sufficient to
lead my husband to advise me to sell
the chickens. excepting just enough
to keep the family supplied with eggs
and devote my money and time to
pigeons
According to my experience it
| takes four times rs much time and
money to raise chickens as to raise
squads. Incubators and b:ooders are
not needed for one thing. Pigeons
hatch their own eggs. They are care
full to keep the young squads covered
for the first few days, or until the
young birds grow feathers. They also
attend to feeding their young, which
relieves you Of mixing and sometimes
even cooking food as you have to dc
for young chicks. All you have to do
is to give the old birds the proper
food.
when the squad is from twenty to
twenty-five days old it is ready fol-
market, and IL properly fattened
should weigh something under one
pound. Squads are sold wholesale by
the dozen, and the standard weight is
eight pounds to the dozen, but where
there is a cross of runts and homers
the weight is almost four pound;
heavier. often have squads that
weigh pound each.
MANY persons prefer the homer
crossed with dragons because Of the
larger number Of squads, but have
found most money in the larger size
squads. When it comes to the quos
ton Of health | have found then
about equal.
THE pigeon house mus be KEEP
clean or the death rate among thu
squads will eat up all profit. Thu
roofs Of all my pigeon houses are a
impervious to rain and snow as tn,
roof of the best dwelling, but at al
times there should be an abundance
of ventilation. Concrete floors ar
the best because they keep out rats
which are about the worst enemy o
the squad raiser. I keep my floor
covered at least an inch deep in SAINT
and air Stacked lime. This is raket
over once a week and fresh sprink
ling Of lime added.
THE nests are built along the bacl
OF the house in six tiers, allowing tw
nests for each pair of birds, In eac
nest there is a shallow earthen dis
in which the nest is built. / use thes
dishes or saucers because they ar
easily removed and cleaned after tn
squads are taken out.
Tobacco stems and refuse from tc
>. bacco factories make the best mate
rails for the birds to use for nests.
= good supply should be kept in eac
} pen for this purpose. Where hay Q
, straw is used it is next to impossibl
, to keep the nests and birds free frol
' vermin. My runs or flying yards ar
{ all covered with wire netting, an
5 built in such a way as to have a tire
II IA q o.