Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1920-08-28

Comfort for the birds that are to
inhahit II is the main requisite in
pigeon house. No matter how much
money may be put into IA" cnustrur-
ton and finish of "A house. If II is
damp, dark, and close the birds that
are To live there will not do well
The prime essentials in pigeon
houses are fresh air, drynr>~. sunlight.
and space enough To keep the pigeon
comfortable. Tie location should have
good water drainage and air circuIa-
ton I'm order that the noor and yards
may he dry, while IL should be- stu
ated for convenience in management.
A southern or southeastern exposure
Is best. The general principles of con
structiOn which apply to poultry build
ings apply also to pigeon houses.
Almost any style of house can be
used for pigeons. and in many eases
where only Il few pigeons are kept
available buildings, such as the lofts
of barns and vacant poultry HOUSES,
can be fitted up at n small cost.
A gable-roof building 10 10 II feet
wide. 6 feet from the floor to the
caves, and 8 or 9 feet to the ridge
makes a good pigeon house. \ shed
roof also makes good pigeon house,
and is the easiest and cheapest style
of house to build If large part eft
the roof slopes toward the south, the
house may be too rot during the sum-
mpr. The house can be mnde any
ed advisable TO keep more than 100
pairs of breeders i'm one house. y pen
8 by Q feet will accommodate - pairs
of pigeons, while 40 pairs may be kept
in a pen by - feet The necessary
floor space to allow for each pair
varies from 219 to 2 square feet. ac-
cording TO the size of the pen. n pair
of birds requiring less floor space in
large than i'll small pens. From 20 TO
rs pairs of pigeons may be kept To ad-
vantage In each pen.
Cost of Construction.
II costs at the rate of FROM about s.
to S2.75 a pair to construct pigeon
houses, including interior fittings and
a small outside pen or fiyway-
The house should be tightly con-
structed on all sides to prevent drafts.
More open and less expensive touses
may be built in warm than in cold
climates, but the house must be COM
Portable in cold weather. 1t is especial
l. to
and east sides of the pigeon house
tight and comfortable for winter use,
which is often done by covering these
walls on the outside with roofing pa
per.
Tie number of squads produced In
winter In cold climate may be in
creased somewhat by heating the pig
con house. but this expense does not
pay under average conditions in the
United States. Windows should make
I'D about one-tenth of the front of the
house and should be arranged so that
they can be taken out during warm
weather One window in each pen may
be replaced by a muslin curtain Tn c0id
weather for ventilation when the house
is shut. Too many windows make the
house cold during the winter, and
pigeons will not produce well if they
are cold. The windows should be
placed Just below the caves to allow
the sun to shine back into TIE house.
In the southern section of the country
II is advisable to have small shutter
in the rear wall just under the caves.
for summer ventilation. This must be
well built, so that the opening can he
closed tightly in winter to prevent any
drafts, and Ii may he necessary to COW
err the opening and shutters with roof
Ing paper during cold weather.
Houses Should Be Rat Proof.
Pigeon houses should be construct
ed so that they can not easily become
infested with rats. This is usually ac-
complished by building the house from
II to "a inches above the ground. us
ing I'D tie space between the ground
and the floor, but leaving small doors
so that cats and dogs can get under
the house. Cement makes a very good
floor for n pigeon house, as ii keeps
ont the rats The floors should be well
covered with sand or kept heavily bed
ed with straw. Aiieyways 212 to feet
wide are usually built on the north
side of the pigeon houses which con-
tain more than two or three pens.
II the pigeons are confined, fly
way. or outside yard covered with wire
IS attached to the south side of the
house. The nyway is usually from 6
TO s feet high. 10 to 80 feet long, and
the width of the pen. The sides and
too are usually covered with 1-inch |
mesh wire to keep sparrows out, as
they eat the feed. TwO-inch mesh wire |
can be used where sparrows are not |
prevalent. A few pigeon holes 6
inches high and TO u inches wide |
are cut In the front Of the house and !
at convenient height, usually about !
4 to 5 feet above the floor. A shutter |
plaster az Fertilizer |