The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-24
PENS AND LOFTS FOR PIGEONS
The FINDINGS Should Be Comfortably
and convenient But Need Not BE
Ella bOrate or Expensive.
nv n SOFTER.

Pigeons do not need fancy house:
an old barn or building Of any de-
scription can be fitted up to serve
their needs. If the building is to
house 25 pairs Of homers, 1T should
be seven feet wide by ten feet long,
and if more than one mouse IS 10 De
built under the same roof. leave an
allev way from three to four feet
wide separating it from the pen by Il
wire netting.
The front of the building should be
eight feet wide, with six light WIN
dows.
Directly above the windows two
holes seven by eight inches should be
placed, through which the pigeons
provided with a slide to be closed
when the weather is very cold. These
can be opened and closed from the
alleyway by pieces Of rope and pull
legs
The fly pen should be as high and
wide as the front of the pen proper
and about IS feet long. 1t should be
enclosed with wire netting small
enough to keep sparrOVs out.
Six feet from the ground a six-inch
wide board should be placed from
front of house to end OF run on either
SIDE as an aGghting board.
The bathing-pen should be placed
in the fly, and there should be a door
in the front of the fly through which
a person can pass in and out. These
doors are simply a frame covered
with wire
In the pens, nest-boxes in tiers are
built on either side, preferably on the
east and west walls. These boxes
are 4 feet high. 10 feet long, arranged
in pairs / foot deep, l foot high and
2 feet long, divided by a capital Il
'front.' thus making two nests of each
box
Each side. now has 90 pairs Of
boxes, ample for % pairs Of breeders
or more up to 35 pairs, but this is
rather OvercrOWding the birds
When the building just described
has been furnished with receptacles
for feed, water, oyster shell, salt, grit
and charcoal, and thoroughly white
washed inside, it is ready to have the
birds placed in it,
On a we'll conducted pigeon plant
the routine should be as follows:
In summer at o'clock in the morn
ing, all birds are watered; 1880, fed;
1880, watered; 4, fed. In winter.
$50 in the morning, watered: 8. fed:
1890, watered; fed. At in the
afternoon all the founts are emptied
Of their water to prevent freezing.
It is of vital importance that the
irinking-fOunts should be kept per-
fectly clean by frequent washing and
securing. They should be washed
with water containing IA cupful of
crude carbolic acid to a bucketful OF
water.
A pigeon will not battle in deem
water. It always measures the depth
OF the water with it's head and bill.
and II 1t is so deep that another bird
py sitting on its back can push it I'M
der and drown it, the bird will not
pathe IN that water. Make your pans
not over four inches deep. Twice a
Week IN summer If often enough to
battle birds, and once a week in win
ter.
\ good rain is equivalent to a hath.
as the birds will sit on the running
board and hold up their wings to
catch the drops If the weather
snould turn cold soon after bathing,
they should be driven into the house
ana the windows should be closed.
Use two gallon drinking-fount
tor 80 birds. The cut shows exactly
now this fount should be placed in
the lott. The fount must be kept per-
1ecuy clean always.
feedins troughs should be feet
long, 4 inches wide, 1 IL inches deep
placed III the center Of the LOFT. 81
the iced can be thrown into the
trough from the alleyway. Keen il
always clean and dry.
Keep plenty of grit oyster sba,, o,a
charcoal together with a sack OF
nakeo salt before the birds all the