The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-12-26
Advisable to Start With
Small Plant Unless Big
Capital Is Available.
Houses Must Be Well
Built
Many Failures Due to Poor
Selection of StOck-Buy
Good Birds and Feed
Properly
BY WILLIAM f. RICE
Owner of One of Worlds Largest
SQUAD Plants
Copyright, 1850

During the past three years great
many people have launched themselves
into the SQUAD business, encouraged by
rumors that it required but little care
and yielded big profits. Some have
succeeded, while others have failed
Mr.. Rice has received many inquiries
relative to the squad industry from
beginners. In this article he covers
many points about which little is gen
orally known and tells as clearly as
possible how to avoid the pitfalls in
the path of successful squad raising.
The pigeon business is no different
from any other Failure after failure
follows mercantile effort. Failure
comes to the man who attempts in
dustrial enterprise; failure comes to
know how, who fails to get the right
start.
Nothing succeeds like success and
success never just happens Cut out
the lucky theory. Every result is
brought about by conditions, and con-
ditions are what you make them.
The pigeon business is a fever 1t at
tacks one like germ and is hard to
get out of the system. When the fever
strikes you there is but one of two
things to do. Either get it wholly out
of your system and talk pigs to keep
your mind off pigeons, or surrender 10
the fever, treat the case seriously and
make the condition healthy one.
How much are you about to put into
the business? That is your startin g
point, and the entire enterprise must
succeed or fail based upon the invest
ment
Assemble your plant according to the
capital. The houses must be equipped
properly, and if the investment is not
great enough for large houses. then the
complete plant must be a small one.
Locations are a matter of Importance,
but that can be decided without en-
dangering your purse
AVOID CHEAP STOCK
Having the plant, there arises the
most important problem that will con-
front you-the selection of your birds.
Do you know that there are no bar
gain counters for pigeons? None. The 81
a pair birds are the most expensive
that you can buy. They are not worth
a dollar or you would not be able
to get them for that money. One-dollar
birds are the kind that never give
much promise, the kind that no one
will guarantee in writing. When you
buy birds for less than 50 or $3.50 a
pair, make UP your mind that you are
simply throwing your money away
You will not have been in the busi-
ness a great while before you will
realize that good, first class working
Homers are hard to get. Just read
over the big advertisements of the
many bargains that are offered in
birds, advertisements that tell you
that these one-dollar birds are bred
with Homers, and all such misleading
facts, and then spend your money
else. AS long as these gold
brick pigeon dealers can unload worm
out, minated birds upon the beginner,
just so long will there be no over
crowding of the market with squads
HOMERS GIVE BEST RESULTS
Buy Homers. There are none better
They are vigorous. healthy birds. and
always give results that are satisfac-
tory. Buy from dealer that will give
you written guarantee upon every
pair of birds, and mark you, when he
will not give you the guarantee he
has not got the goods you are looking
for
Assuming that you have secured the
right BIRDS you must now give undi-
vided attention to the development of
your plant and care for your stock No
success can be attained by haphazard
work. If the birds are not properly
looked after. not properly watered, fed
and house cleaned not protected from
mice. vermin and the many kindred
ills that pigeons are heir to, you will
not get sufficient income to pay your
feed bill.
SAVING YOUNG BREEDERS
Save young birds for breeders May
June and July, the best three months
in the year. In saving young birds
YOU want only the best. save only
from your best breeders and good feed
ers that give you the largest squads.
After the squads are about four
weeks old they begin to go out of the
nest. Leave them in the house with
the old birds about three weeks more.
When you take them out they can shift
for themselves.
Put them in a coop by themselves
two or three days, then let them out
in the fly or aviary At night see
that they are all in the house If you
have rainy day do not let them out,
as they are liable to get colds. BY
staying out at night they will get
colds, which often result in roup or
what we call one-eyed sore. This will
turn to canker.
The reason many amateurs lose so
many young breeders is because they
don't watch them carefully enough.
They let them stay out in the fly at
night and sometimes get soaking wet
by the rain. This means a lot of dead
birds.
Always give them all they can eat;
keep feed by them at all times and
feed plenty of hemp and millet seed
while they are growing. The only way