Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1920-08-05

p IiHDilNN ''Nb' lliNg hOh y W. y
, much whether you make a success
) of squad raising or not.
When you have learned how to
/ handle six pairs, you will know
better than amy one can tell you
= just what pair of pigeons will
| do, and then the size Of youl
, future flock and of your SQUAD
| plant is merely matter of multi
plication. If you can intelligent,
, ly handle six pairs of pigeons, you
can intelligently and proftably
: handle six hundred Or six thous.
and pairs. One set of brains is all
you need. The manual labor can
be done with cheap labor-at the
going price of such help.
Your first consideration, having
decided upon this experimental
, venture, is where and how to
house your birds, and this is
: where to use extreme caution to
avoid overlooking the wrong side
: of your ledger.
Do not lay out an elaborate
building, from any set plans advo
Gated by various breeders through
out the country. They may not
suit climatic conditions in your
locality. They might have to be
changed later, and your squad
business would start with a loss
for which you and not your birds
would be to blame
Any house, or part of house,
about the premises will do, if it is
large enough for you to stand up
in and move about freely. |
strongly recommend this standing
room on account Of ease and dis
patch in handling birds and clean
ing the house.
| Keep the point of cleanliness al
ways in mind. Plan your inside
arrangements with view to ease
in cleaning. Filth and successful
SQUAD raising do not run well to-
gether.
Opening: Cut an opening a
bout two feet square through
which the birds will fly in and out
of the SQUAD house. Do not de-
pend upon pigeon holes, because
some bully cock will take posses
sion of the opening and prevent
free ingress and egress to the OF
her birds. Make one opening
sufficiently large so that all the
birds may fly in and out at will.
Nest boxes: Your next move is
to erect nest boxes. | recommend
orange or egg crates for this pur-
pose. because they can be bought
cheaply from your grocer, and
they are just the proper size for
nest boxes. They are divided into
two parts by a middle partition,
thus each box provides two nests
about twelve inches square. One
box to each pair of birds giving
each pair Of birds two nests.
Place your first row of boxes on
the floor with the bottom against
the wall and the top or open side
facing out. Pile one row of boxes
over the other up to the roof, get
ting in as many boxes as you have
wall space in the house. A good
plan is to nail each box to the wall
with two Cd nails driven partly
through the bottom of the box.
This will permit of your removing
any one box, for cleaning purpos
es, by simply withdrawing the
nails, without disturbing the box
above it in which some other pair
may have a nest.
These nest boxes are ineXpen-
|sive. Later on, when you have
more experience and wish to erect
a modern squad house, other nest
boxes may be adopted, which may
be more readily taken apart for
cleaning. There are many plans
for them. These orange or egg
crates, however, are the cheapest,
are the proper size for pigeon
nests, and can be easily handled.
Inside these nest boxes place