,,copyright #aiad ,,by ,,carl ,,dare    
,profitable   ,squab ,breeding  ,by     
,,carl ,,dare  ,a complete practical    
guide for the beginner as well as the   
experienced breeder4  ,reliable         
information gleaned from the experience 
of a lifetime in the work4  ,full       
instructions on all points from the     
installation of the plant to the        
marketing of the product4    ,des       
,moines1 ,iowa   #aiad                  
,illustration3 ,,carl ,,dare   ,des     
,moines1 ,iowa1 ,october #a1 #aiad4     
,,table ,,of ,,contents     ,,chapter ,i
   ,profits of ,squab ,raising--,will   
,it ,pay8    ,,chapter ,,ii   ,best     
,breeds for ,squabbing--,the ,kind to   
,buy    ,,chapter ,,iii   ,the          
,construction of ,houses--,pigeon ,house
 ,plans--,nests--,water                 
,fountains--,bathing ,dishes--,keeping  
,house in ,sanitary ,condition          
,,chapter ,,iv   ,feeds and             
,feeding--,breeding ,habits    ,,chapter
 ,v   ,increasing the ,flock--,selecting

 ,future ,breeders--,banding--,mating   
,,chapter ,,vi   ,making a              
,market--,preparing ,squabs for ,market 
,,chapter ,,vii   ,diseases of ,pigeons 
,,chapter ,,viii   ,miscellaneous       
,information--,catching ,mated ,pairs   
,illustration3 ,a ,typical ,mammoth     
,homer4 ,the ,most ,profitable for      
,squab   ,raising4     ,,introductory   
,,preface   ,no business has had such a 
wonderful growth within the last few    
years as the raising of squabs for      
market4 ,only a few years ago the use of
 squabs for food was confined to a few  
of the most wealthy families4 ,game was 
plentiful and cheap and those who were  
not very well off preferred quail and   
other game birds to paying the high     
prices asked for the few squabs which   
were sent to market4  ,gradually the    
demand for squabs grew larger1 as more  
people became acquainted with their     
delicacy and good qualities as food1 and
 this led to larger numbers being       
produced4 ,soon all the larger markets  

furnished squabs and then the smaller   
ones began to supply them and now many a
 comparatively small market is not      
complete without squabs as a part of the
 supplies of food kept on hand or       
provided on order4  ,game birds have    
become scarce and high-priced1 and      
squabs have taken their place in such a 
manner that the demand for game is not  
so large as it was1 while the demand for
 squabs continually increases4  ,the    
rearing of squabs for market is         
immensely profitable as well as easy4   
,squab-raising can be conducted on a    
scale large enough to make it worth     
while in the back yard of a town lot1 or
 it can be conducted on a scale large   
enough to require several acres with    
equal profit on every dollar invested in
 the business4  ,squab-breeding is a    
business which is profitable when       
conducted as a side line on a small     
space and all the work may be done by   
women1 children1 or those who are not   
strong enough for the more laborious    

occupations of life4 ,at the same time  
it is a business which men of affairs   
need not hesitate to undertake as there 
are squab farms on which pigeons are    
kept by tens of thousands with great    
profit4  ,the squab business may be     
commenced with small capital and rapidly
 increased from the increase of the     
flock1 as each pair of breeding birds   
will produce at least twelve in a year  
so the increase is very rapid4  ,so     
great has the demand for a book which   
would give all the details of the       
business of squab-raising become1 that  
we have felt compelled to publish this  
book4 ,it is written to teach people1   
beginners mostly1 not merely how to     
raise squabs1 but how to conduct a squab
 and pigeon business successfully4 ,we  
have found breeders of squabs who knew  
how to raise them fairly well and took  
pleasure in doing so1 but were weak on  
the business end of the industry4 ,the  
fancier1 who raises animals because he  
likes their looks or their actions1 or  

because he hopes to beat some other     
fancier at an exhibition1 is not the man
 for whom we have written this book4 ,we
 have developed utility pigeons and the 
squabbing industry solely because they  
are staples1 salable in any market at a 
remunerative price4 ,the success of     
squabs as we handle them depends on     
their earning capacity4 ,they are a     
matter of business4 ,our development of 
squabs is based on the fact that they   
are good eating1 that people now are in 
the habit of asking for and eating them1
 and there is a large traffic in them   
which may be pushed to an enormous      
extent without weakening either the     
market or the price4 ,if1 as happens in 
this case1 pigeons are a beautiful pet  
stock as well as money makers so much   
the better4 ,it is just as easy to pet a
 practical animal as an impractical     
animal1 and much more satisfying4  ,this
 book is the latest and most            
comprehensive work we have done1 giving 
the results of our experience as fully  

and as accurately as we can present the 
subject4 ,it is intended as an answer to
 the hundreds of letters we receive1 and
 we have tried to cover every point     
which a beginner or an expert needs to  
know4 ,it has been our experience in    
handling this subject and bringing it   
home to people that the little points   
are the ones on which they most quickly 
go astray1 and on which they wish the   
fullest information4 ,after they have a 
fair start1 they are able to think out  
their operations for themselves4        
,accordingly we have covered every point
 in this book in simple language and if 
the details in some places appear too   
commonplace1 remember that we have erred
 on the side of plainness4  ,it has     
surprised a great many people to learn  
that pigeons are such a staple and      
workable article4 ,they have been       
handled by the old methods for years    
without their great utility value being 
made plain4 ,when we first learned about
 squabs1 we were struck by the          

impressive fact that here was something 
which grew to market size in the        
incredibly short period of four weeks   
and then was marketed readily at a good 
profit4 ,the spread of that knowledge   
will make money for you4 ,show your     
neighbors the birds2 you tell them the  
facts1 and perhaps give them a squab to 
eat1 then you will find a quick call for
 all the live breeders you can supply4  
,we have tried to answer all the        
questions which a beginner would ask and
 give all the details so plainly that   
any one can begin breeding pigeons and  
raising squabs with success4 ,the       
instructions given are based on actual  
experience in raising squabs and we have
 tried to write so plainly that any one 
can understand just how to begin and    
continue in the business4  ,those who   
follow the instructions given may look  
forward with confidence to a successful 
career as pigeon-breeders provided they 
begin with the right kind of breeding   
stock1 the kind which produces          

heavy-weight1 plump1 white-fleshed      
squabs4    ,,carl ,,dare4   ,des        
,moines1 ,iowa1 ,october #ae1 #aiad4    
,illustration3 ,a ,pair of ,beautiful   
,blue ,bar ,mammoth ,homers1 ,straight  
,american ,bred4     ,,chapter ,i       
,,profits ,,of ,,squab ,,raising--,,will
 ,,it ,,pay8   ,in first considering    
squab breeding the beginner always asks1
 ,will ,it ,pay ,me to ,raise ,squabs8  
,it is well to consider this phase of   
any business before making very much of 
an investment4  ,the squab business is  
comparatively new in this country       
although it has already reached such    
proportions that there can not be any   
doubt but it is the most profitable and 
pleasant business in which any one may  
engage4 ,under the methods outlined in  
this book there is no chance for a      
conscientious worker to fail4  ,this    
country is filled with plants large and 
small and ,i have yet to find a plant   
that is not paying a handsome profit    
unless there be something wrong with the

 stock or methods employed4 ,i have     
visited the great squab plants of       
,california where thousands upon        
thousands of birds are left to fly at   
will and nest in open boxes protected   
only from the sun1 and here ,i find that
 the squabs are paying a fine return on 
the investment and thousands of tourists
 visit these large plants annually and  
pay an admission fee of fifty cents each
 so that the revenue from this source is
 considerable4  ,i have visited also the
 great squab district in ,south ,jersey 
where the squabs are produced for the   
large cities of the ,east2 the plants   
also in ,massachusetts1 ,new ,york and  
,pennsylvania1 and ,i find that on the  
best equipped and best paying plants the
 methods employed are practically       
identical with those outlined in this   
book4 ,the fact that experienced        
breeders in such widely separated       
sections of the country have adopted    
almost identical methods is certainly   
proof that we have the right idea and   

that the advice we give here to the     
beginner will be well worth while4  ,the
 largest plants in the country are in   
the far ,east and far ,west as          
indicated1 but ,i believe there is no   
one other state that has so many        
up-to-date plants as the state of ,iowa4
 ,you will find a paying squab farm in  
nearly every city of this state1 and in 
some of them there are two or three     
large and up-to-date1 well equipped     
plants4 ,in one little town in the      
northern part of the state there is a   
plant where over fifteen thousand       
breeders are kept right along4 ,the     
proprietor of this plant has told me    
that when he began with a few pairs of  
,homers of indiscriminate breeding he   
had hardly enough funds to pay for the  
birds and their feed for the first few  
months4 ,he now owns the large plant of 
several thousand birds of the purest    
stock with suitable buildings1 and a    
beautiful home and drives an up-to-date 
seven-passenger auto-mobile4 ,his son   

and daughter are both attending a       
university in the ,east and every cent  
of his money has been made with pigeons4
 ,if his were the only case of such kind
 there would still be proof enough of   
the profits in the squab business to    
justify careful consideration by anyone1
 but ,i personally know of thousands of 
others who have made a success1 some of 
them on a larger scale1 and there can no
 longer be any doubt of the opportunity 
of making money in this business4       
,,the ,,profits ,,of ,,squab ,,raising  
,in another place in this book we have  
shown how easy it is to arrange a place 
in which to keep squabs4 ,hundreds of   
people are so situated that they could  
raise squabs who could not possibly take
 care of a flock of chickens1 because   
they lack both time and space4  ,in     
raising squabs the cost of attendance is
 reduced to the minimum4 ,there are no  
eggs to be gathered1 no setting hens or 
incubators to be looked after1 no young 
birds to be fed and cared for4 ,the     

pigeon-breeder simply puts his birds in 
the loft1 feeds and waters them and they
 build their own nests and feed their   
young4  ,the space that would be needed 
by a dozen hens will comfortably keep   
fifty or a hundred pairs of pigeons1 and
 the revenue from a pair of pigeons in a
 year is about the same as from a good  
laying hen4  ,the squab-breeder gets his
 money in four weeks1 while the man who 
raises chickens must wait at least      
twelve weeks before he can sell his     
birds4  ,the manure from a loft of      
pigeons can be sold as a garden         
fertilizer for enough to pay for the    
cost of feeding the birds4 ,in many     
cities and towns florists consider      
pigeon manure the best fertilizer they  
can get for flowers and garden crops and
 large tanneries use tons of it in      
tanning leather4 ,it usually sells for  
#ej cents a bushel in town for          
fertilizing lawns1 flower and vegetable 
gardens4  ,it will cost just about #a4jj
 to keep a pair of pigeons one year4    

,when the writer visited the great squab
 farms of ,south ,jersey1 he            
particularly inquired about the cost of 
feeding a pair of pigeons one year4 ,in 
that country most of the grain is       
shipped from the ,west and from ,canada4
 ,the wheat comes from ,new ,york1      
,ohio1 or states further west1 the      
kaffir corn mostly comes from ,kansas   
and the hemp seed from ,kentucky4 ,the  
peas come from ,canada4 ,all these      
grains are sold with the freight added  
to the initial price and the feed       
dealer's profit1 of course4 ,in the     
,mid-,west the freight charges would be 
much smaller than they are in the ,east1
 so the cost of keeping a pair of       
pigeons would be considerably reduced4  
,in the ,south ,jersey squab district we
 found that the cost of keeping a pair  
of breeding ,homers one year ranges from
 #a4aj to #a4be a year4 ,in other       
sections of the country the cost runs as
 low as #he cents per pair4 ,if a       
certain loft contains pigeons of extra  

breeding qualities1 it will cost more   
for feed1 as the old birds have more    
squabs to feed than would be the case   
where less productive birds were kept4  
,it should be understood that when we   
give the cost of keeping a pair of      
breeding pigeons the cost of raising    
their squabs is included4 ,that is when 
we say it costs about #a4jj to keep a   
pair of pigeons a year1 we mean it will 
cost this amount to keep the pair and   
all the squabs they produce in a year4  
,illustration3 ,fig4 #a4 ,a ,handy1     
,home-made ,net ,for ,catching the      
,birds4     ,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the ,,best
 ,,breeds ,,for ,,squab ,,raising--,,the
 ,,kind ,,to ,,buy   ,in selecting a    
breed1 the beginner is at once struck by
 the hundreds of different varieties1   
each one with some merit1 and each one  
put forward by breeders of more or less 
reputation as the one best variety to be
 handled4 ,i believe ,i have thoroughly 
tried and tested the merits of all the  
leading varieties of squab producing    

pigeons and right here ,i wish to       
caution the beginner against paying     
fancy prices for highly advertised      
cross-bred stock4 ,there is no advantage
 to be gained by crossing the blood     
lines of two or more varieties for      
breeding purposes4 ,this is true in     
pigeons the same as it is true in every 
other line of pure bred stock4 ,the best
 results will always be obtained by     
using pure bred birds and in selecting  
the variety to stock your plant you must
 have in mind the investment which you  
expect to make and the market on which  
you will sell your squabs4 ,in all      
cities the squabs are graded according  
to size and quality and the heavier     
birds will bring a premium over those of
 light weight but in some cases the     
extra heavy birds bring such a premium  
that it is worth while to produce squabs
 of unusual size1 while in the average  
market the extra heavy birds bring a    
little more than those of good weight   
but not enough to justify the increased 

expense in producing them4  ,after an   
experience of twenty years in this      
business ,i do not hesitate to say that 
for the general market under all        
conditions1 the best paying investment  
for the beginner is the straight        
,american bred ,homer4 ,reputable       
breeders of this variety will furnish   
stock of good size and they are the best
 workers and best feeders and will stand
 more abuse and mistreatment than any of
 the other varieties ,i have ever       
handled4  ,squabs from the best         
,american bred ,homers usually weigh    
eight and ten pounds per dozen with     
occasional lofts that will produce      
squabs weighing as heavy as twelve      
pounds to the dozen4  ,inferior stock   
that has not been properly fed will     
produce squabs much smaller than the    
above1 but at the same time you will    
find their squabs weighing six or seven 
pounds to the dozen4 ,if the squabs are 
plump and of good quality1 they will    
bring a fair price4  ,the ,homers are   

the fastest workers and the best feeders
 and they will produce squabs under     
unfavorable conditions that would       
discourage all other varieties4 ,for a  
second selection for the experienced    
squab breeder who has a market for large
 squabs of extra quality ,i would       
suggest the ,giant ,carneaux 7pronounced
 ,karno74 ,these birds come to us from  
,france and ,belgium and they are a     
little larger than the ,homers1 fast    
workers and produce squabs of the       
whitest meat4 ,breeding stock in this   
variety is higher in price and usually  
costs two or three times as much as the 
,homer stock1 and bearing in mind the   
added cost of foundation stock it would 
be noted at once that the returns must  
be larger from this variety to justify  
the increased expenditure4 ,the         
,carneaux is a bold appearing1 beautiful
 bird and comes in solid red1 solid     
yellow1 and red and white splashed4 ,the
 latter color being much preferred by   
squab breeders4  ,the ,swiss ,mondaine  

is an extra large variety that has met  
with considerable favor in this country1
 and the squabs from this variety often 
weigh as heavy as twenty-four or thirty 
ounces each4 ,these birds very much     
resemble the ,american bred ,homer in   
appearance except1 of course1 they are  
much larger4 ,they are slower workers   
and the squabs require about two weeks  
longer to mature for market4 ,breeding  
stock is usually quite high in price4   
,duchess1 ,runts and ,maltese ,hens are 
all large birds and have some merit but 
,i have not found them as profitable as 
the ,homers or ,carneaux because they   
are much slower to mature and do not    
breed as rapidly1 moreover the stock is 
much higher in price4 ,there are many   
,runt-,homers1 ,runt-,carneaux and other
 crosses on the market being widely     
advertised and boosted as great squab   
producers1 but the infusion of the blood
 of any of the larger varieties is bound
 to make such birds slower workers and  
less prolific4  ,taking all of these    

things into consideration and as a      
result of many years in the business and
 after carefully testing the merits of  
so many varieties ,i must insist that   
the beginner will do the best with      
straight ,american ,bred ,homers of the 
right quality1 or the ,giant ,carneaux4 
,,buying ,,the ,,stock  ,always buy of a
 reputable breeder whose word may be    
taken for the quality of his birds4 ,the
 reputable breeder sells in the hope of 
selling again and sells only such birds 
as he can recommend and knows will give 
satisfaction4  ,if the reputable breeder
 says the pair he sells are mated it may
 be depended upon that there are an     
equal number of each sex in a purchase  
and that these pairs are already mated  
and ready to go to work almost as soon  
as they are in their new homes4  ,the   
beginner must not be impatient if the   
birds after shipment are a little slow  
in going to work1 for he must remember  
that many of these birds have been taken
 from their nests and their young and   

shipped many miles with indifferent care
 en-route and some of the matings may   
have been more or less broken up4 ,many 
beginners fuss too much with their birds
 and disturb them until the birds have  
little chance to settle down in their   
new homes and go to work4 ,if you       
provide clean fresh water and feed as   
directed in this book and leave the     
birds to themselves they will soon be   
working4  ,some very reputable breeders 
sell young birds with the understanding 
that they are sold just as they come    
from the nests1 the buyer knowing when  
he buys these birds that they are not   
mated and that he must wait until the   
birds have arrived at mating age and get
 ready to mate themselves4  ,when birds 
are bought just as they come from the   
nests1 there are always more cocks than 
hens among them1 as about nine times in 
ten when only one bird is reared in a   
nest that bird is a cock2 but there is  
nothing unfair in this sort of sale1 as 
the buyer gets his birds at a lower     

price than he would have to pay for     
mated pairs ready to go to work4  ,if it
 should be found when the birds are     
settled to work in their new home that  
some mistake has been made in selecting 
mated pairs and odd birds are found in  
the loft any reputable breeder will     
furnish birds of the opposite sex to    
mate with these odd birds at a reduced  
price1 so the purchaser will have       
nothing but mated and working pairs for 
his money4   ,,what ,,is ,,meant ,,by   
,,mated ,,pairs  ,when we say mated     
pairs1 we do not mean simply an equal   
number of birds of each sex4 ,we mean   
pairs which have mated and married and  
are ready to go to work and rear squabs 
without further waiting after they have 
been received4 ,pigeons mate in pairs   
and remain constant to each other for   
life1 as a rule4 ,matings are some times
 broken by the birds themselves         
especially when some accident has       
befallen the young in the nest1 or when 
the birds are being disturbed by rats or

 mice1 or when cooped and shipped with a
 number of other birds in small shipping
 coops4    ,illustration3 ,pure ,white  
,maltese ,hen ,pigeon4  ,when a pair    
have gone through the courting stage and
 have mated ready to build a nest and   
hatch young1 they remain true to each   
other as long as they live1 or as long  
as they are allowed to remain together4 
,if a mating is broken by death or      
separation1 the birds will mate with    
other birds4 ,this rule of constancy is 
rarely broken and may generally be      
depended upon4  ,some pigeon books say  
that a beginner can do as well with the 
common pigeons that fly about the       
streets as with the straight ,homers4   
,this statement is absurd on the face of
 it4 ,the common pigeon has bred        
indiscriminately and inbred until the   
squab produced by it is thin1 light in  
weight1 skinny and dark fleshed to such 
a degree that they sell for about #a4ej 
a dozen in the markets4 ,most people    
would willingly pay three times that for

 the plump1 meaty squabs from straight  
,american bred ,homers4  ,the beginner  
who secures the right kind of stock has 
made the first long step toward success 
as a squab-breeder and he should not    
hesitate to pay the price which good    
breeding stock is worth1 for poor       
breeding stock means failure and loss in
 the end4  ,your success depends upon   
the stock you buy4 ,it is much better to
 buy good stock at a fair price than it 
is to get poor stock for nothing4 ,no   
man can tell by looking at a lot of     
breeding pigeons whether they are good  
breeders or not4 ,no man can tell       
whether they will produce squabs with   
white flesh or dark1 squabs that will   
weigh ten pounds to the dozen or six    
pounds4 ,no one can even guess at the   
age of a pair of pigeons and those which
 are old and worn out look just as nice 
as those which are only a year old4     
,the whole future of the beginner       
depends upon getting stock which is     
right in every way4 ,imported birds are 

usually of all ages and qualities4      
,american-bred birds1 if bought of a    
reputable breeder1 may be depended upon 
to produce a large proportion of heavy1 
light-fleshed squabs and properly       
selected and mated pairs will go to work
 and breed regularly as soon as they    
have become accustomed to their new     
home4 ,for these reasons ,i would not   
advise the purchase of imported birds   
except on rare occasions after carefully
 investigating the stock and the        
circumstances of their importation4     
,illustration3 ,fig4 #b4 ,showing a     
,well ,arranged ,squab ,plant of        
,moderate   ,size ,with ,colony ,coop   
for ,poultry in the ,foreground4        
,,chapter ,,iii  ,the ,construction of  
,houses  ,,pigeon ,,house               
,,plans--,,nests--,,water               
,,fountains--,,bathing                  
,,dishes--,,keeping ,,the ,,house ,,in  
,,sanitary ,,condition   ,no doubt many 
a person has been deterred from making a
 start in the business of raising squabs

 on account of the fancied expense of   
building suitable houses4 ,no one should
 make the mistake of thinking that a    
costly house is necessary4 ,to be sure a
 well built1 nicely painted house is    
ornamental and adds to the appearance of
 a squab-breeding plant2 but this will  
come before long if the beginner has the
 proper qualifications and the ability  
to increase the size of his flock as    
rapidly as he may with good care and    
attention to his business4  ,the writer 
has traveled all over the great         
squab-breeding sections of the ,east and
 ,west and found about every kind of a  
pigeon house that the ingenuity of man  
has ever been able to build4 ,we have   
seen houses which cost thousands of     
dollars and those which were built of   
the odd boards that were picked up about
 the farm4 ,we have seen as fine birds  
and as large squabs in a house          
improvised from piano boxes as we ever  
saw in any of the great squab-breeding  
plants4  ,it is not so much a question  

of looks in a house as it is of comfort 
and good care4 ,one of the finest       
squab-breeding plants in this country   
has grown up from a few birds which were
 housed at first in a corner of the     
barn4 ,the owner persevered and kept    
adding to his flock as he made money    
from it1 and he now has fine buildings  
and thousands of birds1 all earned from 
an initial investment of something like 
#be4 ,not a cent was ever added to the  
original investment1 all the increase   
and improvement in buildings having been
 paid for out of the earnings of the    
birds themselves4  ,before we go        
further1 let us say that the            
pigeon-breeders do not talk about pigeon
 houses4 ,a house or room in which      
pigeons are kept is called a loft1      
whether it is on the ground floor or in 
the peak of a barn4 ,the pigeon house is
 a loft and the flock of pigeons kept in
 a loft is called a loft of pigeons4 ,it
 is just as well to get the proper terms
 used in the business at first1 as      

pigeon-breeders always use them4 ,to    
return to our pigeon loft4 ,a loft may  
be made in the corner of a stable or    
other out-house1 with a fly outside4 ,we
 might explain for the benefit of the   
beginner that a pigeon fly is a wired-in
 yard1 a sort of big cage in which the  
pigeons are kept within limits4 ,the    
flies are made by setting up posts about
 eight feet high and stretching two-inch
 mesh poultry netting on them4 ,a fly is
 usually about ten feet wide and from   
twelve to thirty feet long4 ,this is    
covered over the top with the same kind 
of poultry netting that is used on the  
sides4    ,illustration3 ,fig4 #c4      
,showing ,end ,view of ,house ,no4 #a4  
,we have seen as good pigeon lofts as   
any one would need made in the loft of a
 stable1 the fly being on the roof4     
,posts were so set up on the roof that  
their tops were even with the peak of   
the roof4 ,the enclosure was then shut  
in1 sides and top1 with poultry netting 
and the birds had a roomy and dry fly   

which was always clean1 as the rains    
washed the droppings off the roof at    
frequent intervals4  ,in ,chicago1 we   
saw an extensive pigeon loft on the top 
of a flat-topped building high above the
 street2 and a very well-known squab    
breeding establishment in a southern    
state is on top of a big hotel1 the     
owner breeding the squabs he needs for  
his hotel in this high-placed situation4
  ,from the foregoing it will be seen   
that the question of housing the        
breeding pigeons is not a very          
complicated one1 as there is a wide     
latitude for action4  ,some breeders    
even allow their birds to fly at large  
not using flies at all2 but this        
practice is not recommended4 ,in the    
first place1 the birds do not produce so
 many squabs as they do under           
confinement and they are liable to      
accidents1 such as being caught by      
hawks1 shot by boys1 or some other      
mishap which causes the owner to lose   
them and often lose squabs which such   

birds have in their nests4  ,it has been
 found best to keep the birds strictly  
confined4 ,one well-known squab-raiser  
has a pen of fifty pairs of birds in his
 lofts which have been confined in the  
same place for seven years and are still
 working well4 ,the writer visited this 
loft at the end of the seventh year of  
their confinement and noticed that they 
were producing squabs at a good rate4   
,for the convenience of beginners1 we   
give ground plan and elevation of two   
styles of pigeon lofts4 ,the loft       
designed as ,no4 #a1 may be built at a  
cost as low as #ae4jj1 for one room1 or 
it may be made to cost #ej or even more4
 ,it will be seen that the plan is for  
two rooms1 but this is not the limit of 
size that is possible4 ,we have seen    
lofts with a dozen rooms in them1 but   
would recommend about four rooms as the 
most convenient limit where pigeons are 
kept extensively4 ,where a four-room    
house is built for lofting purposes1 the
 plan should include a storeroom unless 

the owner has a room which conveniently 
can be used for a storeroom for feed and
 as a place for dressing and packing the
 squabs4  ,in ,house ,no4 #b1 it will be
 seen that an alleyway is built in the  
house back of the lofts4 ,the partition 
between this alleyway and the lofts is  
made of two-inch poultry netting1 but   
the partitions between the rooms are    
solid and as air tight as the outside   
walls4  ,a good many breeders are now   
using stout muslin instead of glass in  
the windows1 as this gives light1 lets  
the warmth of the sun enter the rooms   
and provides a good system of           
ventilation4 ,houses in which cloth     
windows are used are found to be fully  
as warm as those having glass windows4  
,on the side of the house next the fly1 
a series of openings is made near the   
roof1 but low enough to open under the  
top of the fly4 ,these openings may be  
about eight inches square with a        
six-inch wide shelf even with the bottom
 inside and outside4 ,these are the     

doors through which the pigeons go back 
and forth to and from the fly1 and the  
shelves beneath them are the lighting   
perches4 ,these openings should be      
provided with a sliding door so that    
they can be closed when it is desirable 
to shut out the cold or to confine the  
birds for any reason4   ,,nests  ,in    
providing nests for a loft1 at least two
 nests for each pair of birds should be 
provided4 ,this gives the birds a chance
 to build a new nest to use while the   
squabs are maturing in another1 as after
 the birds begin to breed they will have
 eggs in one nest while they have a pair
 of squabs in another4 ,some breeders   
provide #abj nests for fifty pairs of   
birds1 but this is rather more than is  
necessary4  ,the nest boxes are easily  
made4 ,the illustration on page #ba     
shows very clearly the manner of        
constructing them4 ,in practice1 boards 
one foot wide on which cleats one inch  
square are nailed across1 one foot      
apart1 are set against the wall in      

perpendicular lines one foot apart and  
firmly secured1 the edge being to the   
wall1 of course4 ,this leaves the cleats
 opposite each other4 ,then boards one  
foot square are cut and laid on these   
cleats4 ,when the work is done1 we have 
a series of nests one foot every way1   
each shelf forming the bottom of a nest 
and the top of the one under it4 ,if    
nappies are not used1 a cleat should be 
nailed on the front edge of the shelves 
in order that the nesting will not be   
worked out by the birds4 ,nests made in 
this way are very easily cleaned1 as the
 shelves may be drawn out and cleaned   
without trouble4   ,,nappies  ,nappies  
are dishes or bowls of a peculiar shape 
which are made for pigeon nests4 ,these 
nappies are used by a great many        
pigeon-breeders1 but we have not found  
them necessary as the birds are         
perfectly able to build their own nests 
and will do so if the nest boxes are    
provided4  ,where only a few pairs of   
birds are kept1 we have seen boxes used 

for nests4 ,boxes about the size of     
orange crates are used1 these being     
divided into two compartments and       
fastened to the wall by nails driven    
through the bottom4 ,we recommend that  
regular nests be provided as they give a
 nearer appearance to the lofts and are 
more easily cleaned4   ,,nesting        
,,material   ,a good supply of nesting  
material should be provided for the     
pigeons4 ,this may be short straw1 or   
coarse hay in short lengths1 but the    
best material is tobacco stems which may
 be bought at about one cent a pound    
from the stores that keep pigeon and    
poultry supplies4 ,these tobacco stems  
prevent insects from being harbored in  
the nests and save a great deal of      
trouble in this way4 ,the ideal nest is 
one made of tobacco stems for a         
foundation and then finished with soft  
straw4    ,illustration3 ,fig4 #d4      
,showing a ,cheap and ,convenient       
,arrangement   for ,nests4 ,many        
,breeders ,prefer to ,use ,this ,style  

of ,nest ,box   ,without the ,nappies1  
,tacking a ,strip ,across the ,front to 
,hold the   ,nesting ,material4         
,,water ,,fountains  ,pigeons are great 
drinkers and should be watered at least 
twice a day as they need a plentiful    
supply of fresh water4 ,the best way to 
supply this is by using the regular     
watering fountains which are made for   
this purpose4 ,these may be bought      
through almost any breeder who sells    
pigeons4 ,if the one of whom the pigeons
 are bought does not keep them for sale1
 he will give the name of a firm which  
handles them4 ,these fountains cost only
 a small sum and they keep the water    
clean1 whereas if open water vessels are
 used1 the water becomes foul with dirt 
and dust4   ,,bathing  ,pigeons must be 
provided with facilities for bathing1 as
 they will not keep in good health if   
they cannot have a bath regularly4 ,they
 delight in getting into water and      
bathing themselves all over4 ,an        
ordinary big dishpan makes a good       

bath-tub for pigeons1 or a barrel so cut
 off as to be four inches deep makes a  
good tub for bathing purposes4 ,empty   
the bath-tub as soon as the pigeons have
 finished their baths to prevent them   
from drinking the foul water4           
,,sanitation  ,a pigeon loft must be    
kept free from insects and disease germs
 by carefully attending to sanitary     
conditions4 ,the free use of            
lice-killers1 cleaning the nests out as 
soon as the squabs are taken from them  
and whitewashing the whole interior of  
the loft at least twice a year will keep
 the enemies of the birds from gaining a
 foothold1 as well as destroy stray     
disease germs which may be floating in  
the air4   ,,dryness  ,pigeons must have
 a dry loft or they will fall victims to
 disease4 ,to keep the houses dry they  
should have the floor at least a foot   
from the ground and the location should 
be such that water does not stand around
 the house or under it4 ,make the floor 
double1 so that it will be air-tight and

 let the air circulate under the house  
freely4 ,two objects are accomplished by
 having the floor off the ground2 the   
rooms are kept dry and rats will not    
burrow under the house4   ,,floor       
,,covering  ,the floor of the pigeon    
houses should be kept covered with about
 an inch of sand1 if this can be        
procured handily4 ,otherwise keep it    
covered with chaff1 which should        
frequently be renewed4    ,illustration3
 ,fig4 #e4 ,showing ,construction of    
,crate for ,nesting   ,material4    ,the
 cover is removable and protects the    
material from the droppings   and filth4
 ,tobacco stems1 straw or hay cut into  
lengths of six or   eight inches1 should
 be kept before the birds at all times  
and this   crate is the handiest and    
best way to furnish this material4      
,,cleanliness  ,it is necessary to keep 
the pigeon lofts clean4 ,some breeders  
advocate cleaning them every week1 we   
think a good cleaning once a month will 
do4 ,every time the lofts are cleaned1  

the birds must be disturbed more or     
less1 and this results in some little   
loss1 so the matter of cleanliness      
should not be carried to extreme4 ,if   
the house is dry and light1 the         
droppings will quickly dry up and will  
not become offensive for several weeks4 
,illustration3 ,fig4 #f4 ,showing       
,ground ,plan of ,house ,no4 #a4        
,illustration3 ,fig4 #g4 ,showing       
,ground ,plan of ,house ,no4 #b4        
,,chapter ,,iv  ,,feeds ,,and           
,,feeding--,,breeding ,,habits          
,pigeons are exclusive grain eaters4    
,they do not require animal food of any 
kind1 nor is green food necessary for   
them4 ,occasionally a nice tender head  
of lettuce may be given to each loft and
 they will eat it with relish1 but such 
green foods as grass1 lawn clippings1 or
 cut clover should never be given them4 
,the lettuce is not necessary but may be
 given by way of variety1 but not more  
than one head to fifty pairs of birds4  
,the principal feeds are red wheat1     

sifted cracked corn1 ,canada peas1      
kaffir corn1 hemp seed and ,german      
millet seed4 ,besides these1 buckwheat1 
barley1 and canary seed may sometimes be
 given2 but the first-named constitute a
 good variety and should be used as a   
constant feed4 ,all of them are         
necessary and they should be properly   
rotated4   ,,sound ,,grain ,,necessary  
,we want to emphasize the fact that all 
grain used for feeding pigeons must be  
sound and wholesome4 ,it is the very    
poorest kind of economy to feed         
shrunken1 musty1 or damaged grain of any
 kind4   ,,wheat  ,the wheat used should
 be sound red wheat which has been      
thoroughly dried4 ,new wheat should     
never be used4 ,good ,no4 #b red wheat1 
at least six months out of the straw1   
should be selected4   ,,peanuts  ,in    
many localities ,canada ,peas are so    
high in price that breeders can hardly  
afford to feed them but the cheapest raw
 peanuts may be obtained at a low price 
and these will take the place of the    

,canada ,peas and give just the same    
results4 ,i have found them very        
satisfactory as a feed and hundreds of  
my customers have reported excellent    
results with them4   ,,cracked ,,corn   
,sound1 well dried1 ,no4 #b sifted      
cracked corn should be used for pigeons4
 ,by well dried1 we mean that the corn  
should be of the crop of the previous   
year4 ,it should be cracked so that the 
pieces will be about the size of wheat  
grains4 ,it should be sifted to separate
 the fine meal1 as the pigeons will not 
eat the meal and if it is left in the   
food troughs it will sour and produce   
bowel trouble in the birds1 old and     
young4   ,,canada ,,peas  ,canada peas  
should be well dried out1 selecting     
those of the previous year as they are  
thoroughly dry and sound4 ,this is the  
highest priced feed the pigeon-keeper   
will need to buy but it is not fed      
largely1 being used sparingly on account
 of the great nutritive qualities1 which
 cause squabs to grow rapidly and make  

heavy breast meat4   ,,kaffir ,,corn    
,kaffir corn has become a regular       
article of sale and can be bought almost
 anywhere4 ,it is between wheat and corn
 in value and makes a very good pigeon  
feed4 ,buy seed of the previous year    
when buying for pigeons4   ,,hemp ,,seed
  ,but a small quantity of hemp seed is 
used4 ,if too much were given the birds 
they would become very fat and get lazy4
 ,a good plan is to throw a handful of  
hemp seed on the floor once a week on a 
stated day1 say ,wednesday4 ,never put  
hemp seed in a feed trough1 as the first
 birds to get to the trough would hog   
all the seed4   ,,millet ,,seed  ,the   
seed of the ,german millet makes an     
excellent pigeon feed4 ,it also is quite
 fattening and must be used sparingly4  
,it is usually quite cheap1 compared    
with its food value1 and should be kept 
on hand at all times4   ,,buckwheat     
,buckwheat is very fattening and should 
be fed sparingly4 ,the pigeon-breeder   
need not take any special pains to get  

it for his birds1 but in some localities
 buckwheat is raised extensively and in 
these places the grain may be used by   
way of variety4 ,buckwheat is very      
heating and therefore is best used in   
severe cold weather4   ,,canary ,,seed  
,canary seed is too costly to use as a  
regular feed1 but birds relish a small  
feed once in a while4 ,in some parts of 
this country canary seed might be grown 
very easily and it would find a large   
sale if enough of it were produced to   
meet the demand which would soon grow   
up4    ,illustration3 ,fig4 #h4 ,showing
 ,end ,view of ,house ,no4 #b4   ,,other
 ,,food ,,requisites  ,pigeons require1 
besides the grain they eat1 salt1 grit1 
and charcoal4 ,these should be kept in  
the lofts constantly1 so that the birds 
can get at them at any time4   ,,grit   
,pigeons must have grit and plenty of it
 at all times4 ,moreover this grit      
should contain some tonic mixture and   
other essentials to keep the birds in   
the best of working order4 ,many        

breeders fail to supply their birds with
 grit of the right sort and for that    
reason do not get the best results from 
their birds4  ,there are many so-called 
,health ,grits on the market and many of
 them with more or less merit but grits 
are heavy and freight and express       
charges are high so it is usually best  
for the breeder to secure clean sharp   
sand and mix the grit at home4 ,there is
 great saving in this and at the same   
time better results are obtained4       
,,salt  ,salt is absolutely necessary to
 the health of the pigeons4 ,it should  
never be given them in the form of table
 salt1 because they will eat too much of
 it4 ,if rock salt can be secured1 it is
 the best form in which to give salt to 
the pigeons4 ,if this is not procurable1
 buy a five-pound bag of table salt and 
wet it4 ,then put it in the oven and dry
 it1 when it will become almost as hard 
as the original rock salt4 ,put a bag in
 each loft and let the pigeons pick out 
the salt through the bag4   ,,charcoal  

,charcoal keeps the birds in good       
condition and a cigar box full of       
charcoal1 broken into bits about the    
size of wheat grains1 should constantly 
be kept before the birds4 ,this crushed 
charcoal is to be found in poultry      
supply stores4 ,if none of these are    
within reach1 the pigeon-breeder may    
make his own charcoal by burning wood to
 a coal and then extinguishing the fire 
with water4 ,corn cobs1 charred in this 
way1 make an excellent charcoal for     
pigeons4    ,illustration3 ,swiss       
,mondaine4 ,very large but usually slow 
workers4   ,,how ,,to ,,feed  ,it is    
usually best to feed pigeons by hand4   
,they should be fed twice every day4 ,in
 summer1 feed at #g3cj a4 m41 and at    
winter #d3cj p4 m4 ,in winter1 feed an  
hour later in the morning and an hour   
earlier in the evening4 ,of course1     
these hours may be varied but the       
feeding should be done at the same hour 
every day1 morning and evening1 as the  
birds soon become accustomed to the     

feeding hours and if not fed on time    
become very restless4 ,many successful  
breeders feed their birds in hoppers    
thereby greatly reducing the labor of   
feeding4 ,this method is successful     
unless the birds get to picking out only
 certain grains and then more or less   
trouble will be met4 ,it is always      
necessary to construct hoppers in such  
form that the birds cannot get into them
 and foul the grain1 but this is a very 
simple matter as shown by the           
illustration on next page4 ,mixed grains
 sufficient for several days feeding may
 be placed in these hoppers and the     
birds will eat only what they need for  
each meal4   ,,feed ,,troughs  ,feed    
troughs should be ten inches wide1 six  
feet long and three inches deep4 ,these 
are easily made and are much better than
 any of the automatic hoppers on the    
market4 ,where the feed is given in     
hoppers the birds will eat the kind they
 like best and waste much of the rest of
 the feed4   ,,mixtures ,,recommended   

,for the morning mix equal parts of     
wheat1 cracked corn and ,canada peas4   
,give three quarts of this mixture to   
each fifty pairs of birds4 ,for the     
evening feed kaffir corn1 cracked corn1 
millet and ,canada peas1 equal parts4   
,give three quarts to each fifty pairs  
of birds4  ,every third day1 substitute 
hemp seed for millet1 or feed a little  
less of the regular ration and throw a  
handful or two of hemp seed on the floor
 as recommended above4 ,if broken rice  
can be bought cheaply a small feed of   
this may be substituted for one of the  
feeds of hemp seed each week4 ,peanuts  
may be substituted for ,canada peas     
wherever it will mean a saving in cost4 
,,always ,,feed ,,indoors  ,never feed  
pigeons out of doors1 as any feed left  
over is likely to be damaged by the     
weather2 and in bad weather they must be
 fed indoors1 so it is best to feed them
 indoors at all times4    ,illustration3
 ,fig4 #i4 ,showing ,construction of    
,feeding ,hoppers4    ,fig4 ,a shows end

 construction of the double hopper from 
which the   birds may feed at both sides
 and ,fig4 ,b shows construction of the 
single hopper4 ,the style illustrated   
may be made in a few minutes   from an  
old box and will hold about four bushels
 of grain4 ,this   method of feeding    
saves a great amount of time and labor4 
,,economical ,,feeding  ,the pigeon     
breeder should always feed his birds1 so
 that he will know it is properly done4 
,if at any time any of the grain from a 
previous feed is left in the troughs1   
the ration should be reduced a little4  
,if the troughs are emptied in a way    
that shows the birds have not plenty to 
eat1 add a little to the quantity given 
them4  ,pigeons which are feeding squabs
 require more feed than those not       
working1 as they must eat enough for the
 squabs and for themselves also4        
,squabs are fed by the parents in a most
 peculiar way4 ,the old birds1 male and 
female1 eat the grain and drink water   
freely4 ,this is partially digested     

until it is formed into a milky liquid  
mass4 ,then the squab puts its beak     
inside that of the parent bird and the  
parent by a peculiar jerking motion of  
the head and neck pumps this liquid food
 into the crop of the young bird4 ,this 
feed is called pigeon's milk and is very
 nutritious1 young squabs growing more  
rapidly than any other kind of young    
birds4   ,,breeding ,,habits  ,the      
breeding habits of pigeons are peculiar4
 ,when a male has selected the female he
 desires for his mate1 there follows a  
course of true love-making in which the 
male struts around his favorite1 coos to
 her and evidently tries to show her    
what a grand bird he is4 ,the female1 if
 attracted by her wooer1 becomes        
friendly with him and the two bill each 
other very much as if they were         
exchanging kisses4  ,the two then select
 a nesting place and build a nest       
therein and the cock bird becomes very  
anxious for the hen to begin laying4 ,if
 she does not promptly attend to her    

duties1 he will drive her about the     
loft1 talking angrily to her and        
striking her with his wings4  ,finally  
the hen takes to her nest and deposits  
an egg4 ,then she misses a day and      
deposits a second egg1 this usually     
being all that are laid at one time4    
,as soon as the first egg is laid1      
brooding begins4 ,the hen occupies the  
nest from about four in the afternoon   
until ten the next forenoon4 ,the cock  
then sits while his mate eats and rests4
 ,in this order the brooding goes on and
 at the end of about seventeen days the 
first laid egg hatches1 and in due      
course the last one hatches if no       
accidents have happened to it4  ,in this
 way it happens that one of the young   
birds is two days older than the other  
and almost invariably the first hatched 
is a male1 the latter one being a       
female4  ,the old birds now begin to    
feed the young1 and they grow           
marvelously4 ,they are kept stuffed full
 of pigeon milk and on this they seem to

 grow while one watches them4  ,in a few
 days the hen is ready to lay again1 and
 if there is a spare nest box the pair  
makes another nest and the hen lays two 
eggs1 after which the couple are kept   
very busy brooding one pair of eggs and 
at the same time feeding a pair of      
rapidly growing squabs4  ,when the      
squabs are about four weeks old they are
 heavier than they ever will be again in
 their lives1 as they have reached full 
size and are very fat4 ,it is at this   
time that they are taken from the nest  
and sent to the market4  ,if not taken  
from the nest about this time1 the old  
birds1 desiring to start with another   
pair of eggs1 turn the squabs out and   
they fall on the floor of the loft so   
fat they can hardly get about4 ,here    
they become lean while learning to eat  
for themselves1 and soon become sleek   
and trim1 instead of being unwieldy with
 fat4  ,this doubling up with families  
shows the necessity of providing at     
least two nest boxes for each pair of   

pigeons in a loft4 ,it is even better to
 have more than two nests for each pair1
 as this gives them some liberty of     
choice and often saves quarreling       
between two couples4  ,as pigeons mate  
for life1 it is very important that only
 mated and married pairs are kept       
together4 ,if an odd cock or an odd hen 
is left in a loft1 there are family     
troubles without end2 and the quarrels  
which arise from this cause result in   
broken eggs and squabs killed in the    
fights4  ,it sometimes happens that a   
pair will not produce young4 ,this is   
usually because the hen is barren4 ,in  
such a case the hen should be disposed  
of and a new mate for the cock          
furnished4 ,it is best to shut the two  
in a box with a wire partition between  
the two until they become acquainted    
with each other1 after which they will  
usually mate1 although they do not      
invariably do so4   ,,determining ,,the 
,,sex4  ,it is very difficult to        
determine the sex of pigeons without    

watching them at work in the fly4       
,various breeders have methods by which 
they are sometimes able to distinguish  
the male from the female but at best1   
these methods are only a guess and the  
only safe way is to place the birds in a
 mating coop or in a fly with others and
 watch them carefully4  ,as a rule the  
bones at the vent of a female are wider 
apart and softer than those of a male1  
especially in older birds that have laid
 and hatched young4 ,sometimes the sex  
may be determined by an examination of  
the tail feathers1 those of the male    
being worn on the under side at the ends
 from throwing the tail down against the
 ground or the roof of the loft when    
strutting4 ,others hold the bird by the 
beak in one hand and the feet in the    
other and then when the bird is         
stretched out1 the male will usually    
hold the tail close to the body1 while  
the female will throw her tail out4     
,these signs are only indications of the
 sex and even the most experienced      

breeder will often be badly fooled in   
handling unmated birds4 ,the best and   
safest way is to watch the birds1 as    
stated above1 and it will quickly be    
noted that the male is livelier than the
 female and is usually cooing and       
strutting about her and will turn       
entirely around in his flirting while   
the female seldom turns more than half  
way around4    ,illustration3 ,fig4 #aj4
 ,showing the ,construction of a        
,practical and   ,convenient ,fly4      
,,chapter ,v  ,,increasing ,,the        
,,flock--,,selecting ,,future ,,breeders
 ,,banding--,,mating   ,almost everyone 
who raises squabs finds that he must    
constantly increase the number of       
breeding pigeons in his lofts in order  
to keep pace with the increasing demand 
for squabs4  ,the most economical way to
 increase a flock is to save the best   
squabs from the first breeding stock    
bought2 and to do this it is necessary  
to select squabs for this purpose as    
they are hatched1 the object being to   

improve the quality of the flock by     
keeping only the best of the squabs4    
,where a flock is being increased1 it is
 a good plan to buy some new stock which
 has been banded and mate the cocks     
which have been bought with home-raised 
hens and the hens which have been bought
 with some home-raised cocks4 ,this     
saves inbreeding4  ,close inbreeding    
soon runs down the vitality of a flock  
and should be avoided4 ,this matter will
 be taken up further on4  ,as we have   
said1 the first pigeon to hatch in the  
nest is almost invariably a cock and the
 last one a hen4 ,this rule is so       
constant that it may be depended upon4  
,in selecting squabs for breeding stock1
 always select those from the nests of  
pairs which produce squabs most         
regularly4 ,such squabs are more likely 
to be good producers themselves4        
,select the squabs which grow most      
rapidly and weigh the most at the time  
they are ready for the market4 ,such    
squabs are from pairs which are good    

feeders and will be most likely to      
become good feeders themselves4  ,be    
sure to select squabs which have        
light-colored flesh1 as these will      
produce squabs like themselves and light
 flesh brings the highest price in the  
market1 unless they are sent in too     
soon4  ,when we say the light color in  
flesh of a squab denotes that it will   
produce light-fleshed squabs1 it is to  
be understood that this will be the case
 if the parents are properly fed        
according to directions given in a      
previous chapter4 ,pigeons which are    
kept confined and properly fed always   
produce more and better squabs than     
those allowed to run at large4  ,having 
selected the squabs which are to be     
retained for breeding purposes1 band    
them at once4 ,open pigeon bands can be 
bought at about a cent each4 ,the best  
plan is to band the cocks right leg and 
the hens on the left1 using consecutive 
numbers for each pair4  ,thus1 #aaa     
might be a cock and #aab hen4 ,in making

 matings1 the owner would know at once  
that these two were not to be allowed to
 mate together1 as they would be brother
 and sister4 ,if1 in any case1 nest     
mates show inclination to mate together1
 they should be shut away from each     
other1 and forced to mate with          
non-related birds4  ,a forced mating is 
made by using a mating pen4 ,this is a  
cage with two compartments in it1       
separated by a wire screen1 such as     
two-inch mesh poultry netting4 ,put the 
cock in one side and the hen with which 
you want him to mate in another1 and    
leave them in the pen until they are    
acquainted with each other4 ,then shut  
them in the same compartment and usually
 they will mate up with each other all  
right4  ,squabs which are to be kept for
 breeding should be taken away from the 
older birds as soon as they have learned
 to eat for themselves4 ,feed them well 
all the time1 and at the age of about   
six months they will begin to mate and  
then require regular attention1 as they 

should be kept under close supervision  
at this time4  ,as soon as a male bird  
is seen driving a female1 both should be
 caught and their bands examined4 ,if   
they are nest mates they should be      
separated as recommended in the         
beginning of this chapter and forced to 
mate with other birds4 ,it will only be 
necessary to remove the cock bird1      
substituting another cock in his place4 
,if the cock and the hen he is driving  
are not nest mates1 their band numbers  
should be recorded in a book kept for   
this purpose4 ,such a record gives the  
owner an opportunity to keep account of 
the number of squabs a given pair       
produces and to pick squabs for breeding
 in the future1 knowing what the parents
 have done4  ,the record should give the
 number of the cock and hen and a brief 
description of each4 ,the following form
 is recommended3 ,cock #aaa--,red       
,check1 ,hen #bbb--;,blue ,bar4  ,each  
pair should have a space in which to    
keep account with it4 ,after the number 

and description may be a ruled space in 
which to keep account of the number of  
squabs the pair produces month after    
month4 ,if they regularly produce and   
raise two squabs of good size and light 
color1 they are valuable as the parents 
of breeding stock and should be kept4   
,if a pair does not produce squabs1 the 
chances are then the hen is barren and  
she would be sold for what she will     
bring in the market and the cock mated  
with another bird4 ,if the eggs are     
infertile1 the trouble is likely with   
the cock and the matings should be      
broken and two birds tried again4 ,if   
the eggs still are infertile1 the cock  
should be sold in the market4  ,usually 
there are more cocks than hens in a     
given lot of squabs and it is easier to 
give a hen which lays infertile eggs a  
new mate and sell the cock without      
experimenting further4  ,barren hens and
 impotent cocks are not common in well  
bred birds1 and very little trouble may 
be anticipated from such causes4  ,when 

one of a pair of squabs dies1 the       
chances are about nine out of ten that  
the female of the pair dies4 ,this is   
because she is two days younger than her
 brother and has less chance to get a   
start4 ,thus it happens that every loft 
produces more cocks than hens1 a        
circumstance which has led some of the  
hucksters who sell pigeons as           
squab-raisers to send out lots of birds 
in which there were many more cocks than
 hens4 ,this is why we have insisted    
that the buyer should buy from a        
reliable breeder and buy mated pairs4   
,in a loft containing fifty young cocks 
and fifty young hens it almost always   
happens that the matings are not all    
made up1 as some birds refuse to mate   
with certain other ones1 and there may  
be a few birds which have not mated4 ,in
 this case the odd birds may be put     
among other young birds and so find     
mates that suit them4  ,in catching     
pairs at the time they are being        
recorded1 or when they are to be sold as

 breeders1 two people should do the     
work4 ,a catching net1 which is a netted
 bag the mouth of which is fastened to a
 hoop with a long handle1 is used4 ,the 
pigeon breeder soon gets so expert that 
he can trap a pigeon in such net without
 fail and without disturbing the other  
birds in the loft4  ,when a couple of   
pigeons is found driving1 the one who   
does the catching traps one of them with
 the net while his helper keeps watch on
 the other one of the pair4 ,the        
captured pigeon is examined and its band
 number put on the record4 ,then the    
helper takes the net and catches the one
 he has been watching and the band      
number is taken1 always remembering that
 a bird with a band on the right leg is 
a cock and one with a band on the left  
is a hen4  ,if the method here          
recommended is followed1 the            
pigeon-keeper will be able to know just 
what each pair of birds is doing and    
keep a pedigree of every bird in his    
flock by a simple method of bookkeeping 

as follows3  ,when the squabs that are  
to be kept as breeders are being banded 
the band numbers of the parent birds    
should be taken and set down in this    
way3    ,squab numbers       ,parent    
numbers    ,cock #aaa                   
#hd-fg   ,hen #aab                      
#hd-fg  ,in making this record the      
number under the head ,parent numbers is
 always set down in the same way1 the   
name of the father first and the mother 
next4  ,it is but very little trouble to
 keep such records and the value of them
 is very great1 for the pigeon-keeper   
can refer to his records at any time and
 find how any bird that was hatched in  
his lofts has been bred4  ,this enables 
him to select the best producers and    
feeders and improve his stock all the   
time1 selling off its inferior ones and 
keeping up a high standard1 which will  
in time give him a reputation for squabs
 or breeding stock that will be valuable
 to him1 as he will get higher prices   
than he could get for ordinary stock4   

,on a large plant this method means an  
endless amount of bookkeeping work so it
 has not been attempted4 ,the largest   
breeders do not bother to band their    
birds or keep a record of squab         
production for each individual pair but 
usually have a pen of select breeders   
that have proven their worth and from   
these are raised the new breeders to    
replenish or increase the flocks4  ,when
 a bird dies out of the working flock it
 is dissected to determine the sex and  
another of the same sex is placed in the
 fly to mate with the odd bird4 ,these  
two soon get together and the fly is    
once more filled with mated1 contented  
workers4     ,,chapter ,,vi  ,,making ,a
 ,,market--,,preparing ,,squabs ,,for   
,,market   ,we make one of the sub-heads
 of this chapter1 ,making a ,market1    
although the market for squabs is       
already established1 and the demand for 
them in the larger cities is constantly 
increasing4  ,notwithstanding this1 the 
enterprising squab-breeder will make his

 own market and get better prices than  
he can get if he sends his squabs to the
 larger cities4  ,in the beginning he   
may be obliged to ship to the cities1   
but he can build up a home trade among  
those who like to have the best the     
market affords and by degrees his home  
demand will grow until he will find a   
ready sale nearby and will be saved     
freight and commission charges as well  
as the cost and trouble of packing and  
icing for the longer shipments4  ,we    
know of numerous cases where            
squab-breeders have built up a home     
demand which takes all the squabs and   
brings them high prices the year around4
  ,very often the enterprising beginner 
will turn his attention to raising      
squabs to sell to others for breeding   
purposes1 and finds this very           
profitable1 although a good market for  
squabs is about the same as a good      
demand for breeding stock4 ,other squab 
breeders arrange to sell their young    
stock to those who do breed pigeons to  

sell as breeding stock and thus have a  
regular and constant demand for their   
young birds4  ,all these ways of        
disposing of the increase of the loft   
are open to the beginner1 but the food  
market is the one that should be        
cultivated4 ,we know of a case where a  
beginner started in with a view of      
selling breeding stock only1 as he      
thought he was not so located that he   
would have any demand for his squabs in 
the handiest market1 a small interior   
city1 where squabs had never been put on
 sale4  ,after he got started he found  
that he could sell a few pairs of squabs
 to one or two restaurants and the best 
hotel in the town4 ,he began supplying  
orders from these places and others     
began to call on him for squabs for     
special occasions1 such as local        
banquets1 receptions and other social   
functions4  ,he started with fifty pairs
 of breeders4 ,he selected his best     
squabs to keep for the purpose of       
increasing his flock and sold the others

 in his nearest market4  ,at the end of 
a year he had saved another fifty pairs 
for breeding and found he had sold      
squabs enough to pay for a new house and
 all of the feed he had bought during   
this time4  ,then he concluded to begin 
advertising squabs for sale as breeders4
 ,he received quite a number of orders1 
but the demand for squabs for the market
 became so strong that he gave up the   
breeding part of the business and began 
to sell in the market only4 ,at last so 
many were sold in the town that a       
prominent provision firm came to him and
 made him a flat offer of #d4jj a dozen 
for all the squabs he would raise4 ,he  
refused this offer1 as he was getting   
more than this for a good many of his   
squabs and did not think he could afford
 to make a binding contract on a market 
where the price was increasing all the  
time4 ,this same breeder now has a      
thousand pairs of breeding pigeons and  
hires a man to take care of them1 while 
he attends to his own business1 and     

makes about #a1jjj4jj clear money from  
his pigeons every year4  ,another way to
 build up a private trade is to         
introduce nicely dressed squabs among   
the wealthiest families of a town4 ,this
 can be done by presenting them with two
 or three pairs1 nicely put up in a box1
 and asking them to try them4 ,one      
breeder who started out in this way now 
sells all his squabs at #a4jj a pair4   
,he dresses them neatly1 puts a pair in 
a nice white box with a colored bit of  
baby ribbon4 ,he has a demand for all he
 can get at #a a pair1 although he lives
 near a large city where the price is   
often lower than this4  ,the            
enterprising squab breeder will be able 
to find a market for the product of his 
loft1 no matter where he lives4 ,the    
express companies carry squabs at the   
regular dressed-poultry rates1 and in   
many places there are fast freight lines
 which take butter and eggs to distant  
markets in the shortest possible time4  
,the ,parcel ,post now brings a large   

field of customers right to your door1  
for dressed squabs may be sent many     
miles for a few cents and the package   
will be promptly delivered in good order
 to your customer4 ,this new branch of  
the ,postal service opens up greater    
possibilities for the squab producer and
 the live breeder who first takes       
advantage of this service will reap the 
rewards4  ,squabs properly packed may be
 sent #a1jjj miles to market and yet be 
profitable1 but there is hardly a place 
in this country where a good market can 
not be found within #bjj or #cjj miles1 
and even a thousand miles is not a long 
distance for an express train4  ,the    
trouble will not be so much where to    
find a market as how to produce squabs  
enough1 once the breeder has been in the
 business long enough to make a name for
 himself4  ,if any breeder sends squabs 
of good size and color and keeps up the 
quality regularly1 it will not be long  
before there will be a call for his     
particular brand of squabs1 and after   

that it will be a question of meeting   
the demand1 for this will grow all the  
time4   ,,dressing ,,and ,,packing      
,,squabs  ,squabs are usually ready to  
send to the market when four weeks old4 
,some well-fed ones1 or those bred from 
the best parents1 will come to market   
condition a few days earlier and some a 
few days later4 ,as a rule1 it will be  
about four weeks from the time they are 
hatched until they are ready to send to 
market4  ,they should be dressed just   
about the time they are ready to leave  
the nest1 for they are heavier and      
fatter at that time than they ever will 
be again4  ,they should be dressed at   
the time all the pin feathers are out4  
,they then have a solid feeling about   
the abdomen and the breast is plump and 
full4 ,it is very easy to learn the     
exact time that squabs should be sent to
 market1 and anyone can learn it at     
once4  ,go over the nests in the evening
 and select the squabs which are to be  
dressed the next day4 ,these should be  

put in a coop by themselves1 where they 
can not get anything to eat1 so their   
crops will be empty when they are       
dressed4 ,if they are sent to market    
with full crops1 the contents of the    
crop will sour and ferment and spoil the
 squabs for food purposes in a short    
time4 ,when dressed with the crops empty
 and properly iced in warm weather1 they
 will remain fresh until they can be    
sold in the market4  ,a killing rack    
should be made before dressing begins4  
,this consists of a frame not quite     
shoulder high1 a #bx#d scantling making 
a good cross-piece for the top4 ,in the 
side of this cross-piece drive ten-penny
 nails about six inches apart1 leaving  
half the length of the nail protruding4 
,illustration3 ,fig4 #aa4 ,showing the  
,arrangement of a ,small ,plant on a    
,back ,lot4  ,make a loop of stout cord1
 looping it over both feet of the squab1
 and by this string hang it on one of   
the nails4 ,then cross the wings over   
the back in such a way that they are    

locked4 ,this prevents fluttering and is
 painless4 ,to lock the wings1 turn the 
pigeon with the back to you and cross   
the hands4 ,then take a wing in each    
hand and pass one under the other in    
such a position that the elbows lock    
together4  ,with the small blade of a   
pen-knife in the right hand take the    
head of the squab in the left hand in   
such a way that the thumb and forefinger
 may be used to hold the mouth open4 ,if
 held in the right way1 the shoulders of
 the birds will be in the palm of the   
hand4  ,run the blade of the knife up   
through the top of the mouth into the   
brain and immediately pass to another   
squab1 letting the one just killed      
bleed1 as it is necessary for the bird  
to be free from blood to prevent red    
spots from appearing along its back     
after it has been killed a few hours4   
,these red spots are called blisters and
 injure the selling qualities of a squab
 which shows them4  ,after the birds are
 thoroughly bled1 carefully pick the    

feathers from them1 being careful not to
 tear the skin in any place1 as this    
also lowers the value in the market4    
,the ,english method of killing is      
rapidly gaining in favor in this country
 and is superior in many ways to the use
 of the knife4 ,by this method the      
operator grasps the bird firmly in the  
left hand with the thumb and fingers    
about the neck and the breast and wing1 
butts held securely in the hand4 ,the   
bird's head is caught in the right hand 
with the thumb over and at the back of  
the head and the first and second       
fingers at the throat4 ,then with a firm
 pull1 the neck is dislocated and the   
jugular vein is ruptured so the bird is 
killed instantly and thoroughly bled1   
all of the blood however remaining      
inside the skin of the neck4  ,a little 
practice will enable anyone to learn    
this method and it is much faster1      
neater and cleaner than the old method4 
,when a squab is plucked clean1 throw it
 into a tub of water from a spring or   

well from thirty minutes to an hour4    
,then it should be thrown into a tub of 
ice-cold water to further cool and      
solidify the flesh1 for all the animal  
heat must be chilled out before a squab 
is packed or it will not keep well1     
arriving in the market soft and         
unattractive in appearance4  ,be very   
careful to have the second chilling     
water almost cold enough to freeze the  
birds4 ,in cold weather they soon cool  
out in water which has been exposed to  
the air1 but at any time in the year    
first cool them in well or spring water 
of normal temperature4  ,after the      
squabs are picked and cooled1 pack them 
in ice in barrels or boxes4 ,we prefer  
rather small boxes1 say about the size  
of soap-boxes1 but many thousand pairs  
are sent to market in clean barrels4    
,empty apple barrels or cracker barrels 
may be used4  ,in the bottom of the     
packet put a good layer of cracked ice4 
,a good many times the ice is not       
cracked as small as it should be4 ,it   

should be broken into pieces about the  
size of a hickory nut1 so the pieces    
will work down through the space between
 the birds4 ,after the bottom is covered
 with ice1 put in a layer of squabs1    
pack down and so the carcasses are      
closely packed but not squeezed         
together4 ,over these put another layer 
of ice and again a layer of birds until 
within two or three inches of the top4  
,fill the remaining space with cracked  
ice and fasten the package4  ,be liberal
 about using ice1 for it is necessary   
that the birds should be kept cool and  
the express companies make allowance for
 the weight of the ice in weighing      
squabs packed this way4  ,if any grain  
has been found in the crop of a squab as
 it is being dressed1 it should be      
removed4 ,cut a very small slit in the  
breast over the crop and wash out the   
grain4 ,a small hose with light pressure
 from a tank or water system is very    
handy for this purpose4  ,before packing
 the birds1 carefully wash all the blood

 from them and wash the feet and legs   
until they are bright and red4  ,if     
there is a shade of difference in the   
quality of squabs1 select the best for  
the top of the package and take pains   
that the top layer is very carefully    
laid in so that it will look nice when  
the package is opened4  ,if there       
happens to be a number of dark-fleshed  
or rather light-weight squabs in a      
killing1 these should be packed by      
themselves and sent on in anticipation  
of receiving a low price for them4      
,nothing is gained by putting some poor 
squabs among a number of good ones1 for 
they will reduce the price of the whole 
package4 ,if fine ones are put by       
themselves and marked ,firsts and the   
poorer ones sent without any particular 
mark the prices obtained for the whole  
shipment will be larger than it would   
have been if good and poor had been     
packed together4  ,it is best to kill on
 a certain day in the week1 the day     
depending on the distance to market4 ,in

 ,south ,jersey they kill on ,monday or 
,tuesday and send the squabs to ,new    
,york and usually get a check for them  
by ,saturday4 ,some kill ,thursday in   
order to catch the ,saturday markets1   
but as a rule it is best to reach the   
market ,friday morning1 so as to give   
the commission merchant two days in     
which to sell the birds4 ,often an early
 shipment gets the best price4  ,at the 
same time the squabs are sent to market1
 mail a letter to the commission man1   
advising him of the number of birds you 
sent to him and by what express company 
or freight line4 ,give him any          
particulars which may help him to make a
 good sale1 if you think of anything    
that might interest him4  ,in the       
eastern market squabs are graded by     
weight and quality4 ,they are called    
#aj-pound1 #i-pound1 #h-pound1 #g-pound 
and #f-a_/b pound1 and the prices range 
accordingly4 ,when #aj-pound squabs are 
worth #f4jj a dozen1 those weighing     
#f-a_/b pounds will sell for from #a4ej 

to #b4ge a dozen1 according to the state
 of the market1 the high-priced ones    
always selling first1 unless a buyer has
 a special reason for securing a lot of 
light-weights4  ,when breeding straight 
,homers1 one can reasonably expect #hj  
or #ij per cent which will run #h pounds
 or over to the dozen4 ,about two-thirds
 of the remainder will run close to #h  
pounds to the dozen and one-third will  
be classed among the lowest quality4    
,when #aj-pound squabs are selling for  
#f a dozen1 a lot weighing more than #aj
 pounds to the dozen will bring a       
premium of from #ej cents a dozen up2   
but as a rule the most profitable squabs
 are the #h- and #aj-pounders4  ,in     
picking squabs1 some leave them hanging 
where they are killed1 while others take
 them in the hand4 ,the weight of       
practice is in favor of holding them in 
the hand4   ,,numbers ,,of ,,squabs ,,to
 ,,the ,,pair  ,some enthusiastic or    
dishonest sellers of breeding pigeons   
talk about their birds producing nine or

 ten pairs of squabs each year4 ,there  
are occasional pairs of very select     
birds which will do this1 but they      
cannot be bought at any reasonable      
price4 ,no pair of birds will raise two 
squabs every time they hatch1 for       
accidents will happen1 and one squab or 
both1 in some brooding periods1 will    
die4 ,occasionally an egg will be       
broken1 and once in a while an egg will 
prove infertile4 ,these accidents1 which
 happen in the best cared-for lofts1    
come to every pigeon-breeder4  ,if a    
large loft of pigeons average six pairs 
of pigeons a year1 it will do as much as
 can be expected of it4 ,more will fall 
below that than run above it1 because   
there are more careless pigeon-breeders 
than careful ones4  ,say1 for the sake  
of a basis from which to arrange1 that a
 loft of a good strain of ,homers1      
properly housed and fed1 will produce an
 average of six pairs of squabs each    
year4 ,as pigeons breed ten months in   
the year1 this average should be easily 

made4 ,this would be an even dozen      
squabs for each pair of pigeons in the  
loft4 ,these we will put at the very low
 price of #c a dozen1 a price they will 
bring in a country town of any size1 and
 we have #c as the gross returns from a 
pair of fair breeding ,homers4          
,deducting from this the highest        
estimated prices for the feed of a pair 
of pigeons1 we have #a4ge left4 ,this   
will be the returns from which the      
pigeon-breeder must get his profits4    
,the manure will pay well for the labor 
of feeding the birds1 so this item is   
eliminated from the bill of cost4  ,it  
will not cost more than #be cents per   
pair to pay for the other labor of      
caring for a loft of pigeons where any  
number above #ajj pairs are kept4 ,the  
owner of such a loft could do all the   
work before working hours in the morning
 and after hours in the evening so the  
birds would not interfere with his      
regular work4  ,the cost of ice1 the    
cost of killing and picking the birds1  

and the cost of packages may be put at  
#be cents a dozen1 which is a very      
liberal estimate4 ,this leaves #a4be    
clear profit1 after paying all expenses 
and paying the owner for the time he    
puts in feeding his birds1 this work    
having been done when he would otherwise
 have been idle or not earning money4   
,say1 it cost #a4jj for each pair of    
birds kept in a house and the birds     
costs #b4ej a pair4 ,the interest on    
this investment at #f per cent a year   
would be #ba cents1 thus leaving #a4jd  
as absolutely net profit from a pair of 
pigeons in a year1 after paying all     
expenses at a liberal rate and paying   
good interest on the investment4  ,there
 is no other business open to those who 
have a small capital which will give    
such large returns4 ,for every #ajj     
pairs of pigeons kept1 it is perfectly  
safe to say that a clean and clear      
profit of #ajj may be made4 ,where a    
large number are kept1 it is not        
uncommon for the owner to realize #a4ej 

net profit from a pair of ,homers4  ,the
 one who begins with ten1 twenty-five1  
or fifty pairs of birds will get        
proportionate returns from his          
investment in the way of increased      
number in his flock and will soon be in 
position to consider himself an         
extensive pigeon-breeder1 because he may
 expect to have at least four pairs of  
first-class breeders from each pair he  
started with at the beginning of any    
year1 having kept only the best and sold
 the poorest of the squabs4 ,these      
estimates are very conservative for it  
is our intention in this book to give   
the beginner only the facts on which he 
may rely4 ,if he fails to do much better
 than these figures after some          
experience in the business1 he may well 
feel that he is not gaining the fullest 
measure of success4  ,the business is   
only in its infancy and those who start 
in now or any time soon may expect to   
reap a rich reward in the way of        
profits4    ,illustration3 ,a ,flock of 

,mammoth ,white ,homers in far off      
,alaska4  ,the illustrations on this    
page and succeeding pages show the rapid
 development of squabs from the egg to  
the market in four weeks4               
,illustration3 ,eggs in the ,nest4      
,illustration3 ,squabs ,one ,day ,old4  
,you ,can ,almost ,see ,them ,grow      
,illustration3 ,squabs ,one ,week ,old4 
,illustration3 ,squabs ,two ,weeks ,old4
    ,illustration3 ,squabs ,three ,weeks
 ,old4    ,illustration3 ,squabs ,four  
,weeks ,old4 ,just ,prime for ,market4  
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,diseases ,,of        
,,pigeons   ,the very best way to escape
 trouble from diseases among pigeons is 
to prevent them by always keeping the   
lofts and flies in first-class          
condition4 ,carelessness is the worst   
disease that affects pigeons1 and this  
is always manifest in the owner before  
it has any effect on the birds4  ,if the
 lofts are kept clean1 the feed supplied
 is sound and sweet1 the water pure and 
the feeding regular1 the birds          

themselves will not often be troubled   
with diseases of any kind4  ,however1   
with all possible care1 diseases will   
appear at times1 and it is well to know 
what to do to prevent them from         
spreading and causing serious loss4     
,epidemic diseases will never appear in 
a flock which has been properly cared   
for1 unless they are brought in through 
putting newly purchased birds among the 
healthy ones4  ,it is just as well to   
use caution when introducing new birds  
even if there is not the least suspicion
 that they are not perfectly healthy4   
,when new stock is bought it should be  
kept by itself for a week to determine  
if it is free from disease4 ,not once in
 a hundred times will birds bought of a 
reliable breeder be found unhealthy1 but
 prevention is better than cure any     
time1 so precautions should be taken4   
,in such cases it is much better to be  
over cautious than to have losses occur 
through lack of precaution4   ,,going   
,,light  ,going ,light is the common    

name for tuberculosis in pigeons4 ,it is
 brought on by drinking impure water1   
eating unsound feed1 lack of good supply
 of grit1 or from natural lack of       
vitality4 ,this disease never attacks   
healthy and vigorous birds1 but takes   
for its victims those which have become 
weak from any reason4 ,if it is not     
taken in hand at once1 the bird wastes  
away and becomes nothing but skin and   
bones and dies4 ,the first symptoms are 
usually diarrhoea1 the droppings being  
thin and watery4 ,the bird does not eat1
 but sits around with its head drawn    
down and really starves to death because
 it has no appetite to eat4  ,if a bird 
which has started to go light1 is taken 
in hand at once it is very often        
possible to save it for future          
usefulness4 ,give it a dose of castor   
oil1 giving about five or six drops4    
,put in a coop by itself and the next   
day give it ten drops of cod liver oil4 
,repeat the dose of cod liver oil every 
day until the bird is cured4 ,give it   

hempseed every day and be very certain  
the seed is sound and free from         
mustiness4 ,a good health grit or tonic 
is the best preventive to be used4      
,,canker  ,canker is a disease of the   
same nature as diphtheria in human      
beings4 ,it appears occasionally in     
lofts where it never before has been    
found1 and seems to be contracted from  
germs which float in the air4 ,it often 
attacks the birds in one nest and not   
the one next to it1 although if it is   
not taken in hand it will soon spread to
 all the birds in the loft4  ,it no     
doubt comes from a cold very often and  
for that reason birds which show        
symptoms of having caught cold should be
 carefully watched4 ,the first          
appearance of this disease shows in     
little yellowish white blisters on the  
lining or mucous membrane of the mouth  
and throat4 ,these rapidly increase in  
size and spread to other parts of the   
throat and form a cheesy growth until   
they show outside around the mouth1 and 

the bird chokes to death4  ,when canker 
appears in a squab only and the parent  
bird shows no sign of it1 the best thing
 to do is to kill the squab1 disinfect  
the loft and stay the disease in this   
way4 ,it may be cured by using a little 
patience1 unless it has gone too far    
before it is discovered4  ,remove the   
sick bird from the loft and keep it in  
some place not adjacent to the pigeon   
house4 ,take a small sharp splinter of  
wood1 such as sharpened match1 and      
scrape the cankers off1 doing this as   
gently as possible4 ,this will leave a  
raw red spot1 which should be gently    
swabbed with a solution of peroxide of  
hydrogen and water1 half and half4 ,the 
solution will foam as if it were        
boiling1 but it is entirely painless and
 does not hurt the bird in the least4   
,repeat the swabbing1 putting on plenty 
of the solution1 until it ceases to     
foam4 ,it does not matter if a little of
 the solution goes down the throat of   
the bird1 as it is perfectly harmless   

when swallowed by man1 beast or bird1   
and it is the best germicide known1     
being non-poisonous and odorless4  ,some
 good authorities recommend painting the
 cankers with lemon juice and putting a 
piece of alum in the drinking water1 but
 we prefer the peroxide of hydrogen     
treatment4 ,do not return a bird to the 
loft until it is entirely well1 and     
always disinfect the loft when a case of
 canker is found in it4 ,directions for 
disinfecting are given further on in    
this chapter4  ,if the disease does not 
respond quickly to treatment1 it is     
sometimes best to turn the affected     
birds out of the fly and let them shift 
for themselves without restraint4 ,the  
open air and scanty supply of food      
together with whatever they are able to 
find of nature's remedies will effect a 
cure in nearly every case4 ,sometimes a 
bird will leave and never return but    
just as well this loss as to kill the   
bird1 or have others in the fly         
affected4 ,by this method ,i have often 

cured young birds just beginning to     
shift for themselves and older breeders 
in the last stages of ,canker and when  
the bird is entirely recovered from the 
disease it may easily be caught and     
returned to the loft without endangering
 the rest4   ,,roup  ,roup sometimes    
appears in a loft1 especially during    
damp weather or when the birds have not 
had proper housing4 ,it is shown by the 
discharge from the nostrils1 which has a
 very offensive odor4 ,it is highly     
contagious in its later stages1 and if  
not cured before it takes on the        
contagious form is incurable4 ,when a   
bird has reached the last stages it     
should be killed and burned or buried   
far from the loft4  ,if a bird is       
noticed to have a discharge from the    
nostrils it should be attended to at    
once as the disease is very easy to cure
 at that time4 ,put some coal oil in a  
sewing machine can and squirt some of   
the oil up each nostril and in the slit 
in the top of the mouth4 ,this usually  

effects a cure1 but if it is not better 
in a few hours use camphorated oil in   
the same way4 ,any druggist will supply 
the camphorated oil4   ,,cholera        
,cholera is a dreadful disease to       
contend with1 but no pigeon-breeder who 
keeps his birds properly need fear it1  
as it is caused by cold1 dampness and   
filth in nine cases out of ten4 ,it is  
very contagious and it is very hard to  
cure4 ,happily1 the disease does not    
worry the careful breeder1 but once it  
gets started in a loft it may kill off  
every bird in it unless vigorous        
measures are taken to stop its progress4
  ,when a bird is attacked with cholera 
it presents a very miserable appearance4
 ,its plumage is ruffled up1 its crop   
fills with water which has a very       
offensive odor1 and diarrhoea appears4  
,the disease runs its course rapidly and
 soon the victim is dead4  ,to stop the 
progress of cholera in a loft1 put ten  
drops of carbolic acid in a gallon of   
drinking water for two days4 ,feed only 

the very best feed4 ,follow the carbolic
 acid by putting a tablespoonful of     
tincture of gentian in each gallon of   
drinking water for ten days4 ,disinfect 
the house thoroughly twice a week until 
the disease disappears4   ,,vertigo     
,vertigo is a brain affection which is  
incurable1 although it does not usually 
kill quickly4 ,it is characterized by   
turning the head over the shoulder and  
convulsions4 ,these convulsions often   
occur when anyone enters the loft1 while
 at other times the bird is quiet4      
,there is no cure and it is best to kill
 the bird to put it out of its misery1  
as it will never again be of any use as 
a breeder4   ,,egg-,,bound  ,young hens 
are often affected by becoming          
egg-bound2 that is2 they are unable to  
force the passage of the egg from the   
ovary to the nest4  ,when a hen shows   
signs of distress1 catch her and        
carefully feel of her abdomen4 ,if she  
is egg-bound1 the egg can be felt4      
,anoint the passage with vaseline and   

introduce the finger as far as possible1
 being careful not to break the egg4    
,then hold the hen over steam as hot as 
can be borne without scalding1 until the
 parts are thoroughly steamed and       
relaxed4 ,after this1 carefully put the 
hen on the nest and usually she will be 
able to pass the egg4   ,,pigeon ,,pox  
,sometimes a disease similar to small   
pox in human beings and chicken-pox in  
poultry appears in a loft4 ,this is     
known by small sores which appear about 
the head and face4  ,when this disease  
appears1 wash the sores with a solution 
of copper sulphate or a solution of     
peroxide of hydrogen and water1 equal   
parts4 ,either of these solutions will  
cure the disease in a short time4       
,,sudden ,,colds  ,sometimes a pigeon   
will sit out in a cold rain or sleep in 
a stray draft and catch cold4 ,this     
makes it sick and stupid1 and it should 
be cared for at once4  ,to cure a cold  
of this kind1 give five-drops of castor 
oil and the next day a one grain capsule

 of quinine4 ,follow this with ten drop 
doses of cod liver oil for a few days   
and the bird will soon be as lively as  
ever4   ,,leg ,,weakness  ,leg weakness 
is usually caused by inbreeding or an   
accidental weakness4 ,there is no       
certain cure for it1 because we never   
know just what has caused the trouble4  
,if a bird seems weak in the legs rub   
some camphorated oil on the hock joint  
and repeat the operation as long as     
necessary4 ,the short-legged varieties  
like the ,homer very seldom have any    
trouble with their legs4   ,,wing       
,,disease  ,wing disease is a trouble of
 the elbow4 ,it is caused by a hurt1 and
 the injured bird becomes lame in the   
wing4 ,presently a lump forms on the    
elbow and this increases in size1       
filling with a yellowish cheesy matter1 
causing the bird to drag the wing4  ,the
 only thing to do is to run camphorated 
oil on the injured spot1 and when the   
swelling has reached full size cut it   
open4 ,usually the bird is not injured  

as a breeder1 but it must make its nest 
on the floor1 as it can not fly4 ,if the
 disease is noticed at the very start1  
it sometimes may be cured2 but if the   
trouble is neglected1 a crippled bird is
 the result4 ,for the sake of the       
appearance of the flock such birds      
should not be allowed to remain in the  
loft4 ,if your windows or openings from 
the loft to the fly are good size there 
is little danger of this trouble for it 
is usually caused by the bird striking  
the wing in its rush to get outside4    
,birds that are wild or too often       
disturbed are more liable to this       
trouble4   ,,worms  ,worms sometimes    
bother pigeons4 ,if a bird has a varying
 appetite and seems to be running down1 
watch its droppings and it is likely    
that worms may be found in them4 ,if the
 worms are not found1 it is not         
conclusive evidence that they are not   
sapping the vitality of the bird and it 
should be treated4  ,a bit of garlic    
every morning will usually cure the     

disease4 ,the piece of garlic should be 
about the size of a pea4 ,a pill of     
powdered areca nut mixed with butter is 
also an effective remedy1 or a pill as  
large as a small pea of gum aloes will  
kill the worms4 ,give any one of these  
remedies and expect a cure4 ,give the   
remedy before the bird has eaten in the 
morning4   ,,lice  ,lice are not a      
disease1 but they can do more damage    
than any disease4 ,if they once get a   
start in the pigeon loft1 it requires   
heroic treatment to get them subdued4   
,if attention is paid to cleanliness1   
old nests taken out and burned as soon  
as they are empty1 insect powder        
sprinkled in the nest boxes and tobacco 
stems are used for nesting material1    
lice will never get a foothold in the   
loft4 ,if it should happen that lice get
 a start1 take the birds out of the loft
 and clean it thoroughly4 ,then paint   
the walls and nest boxes with kerosene  
and afterward whitewash every part of   
the inside with lime4   ,,disinfectants 

,any druggist will supply a good        
disinfectant and give direction how to  
mix it for use4 ,this should be         
sprinkled about the floor once in two or
 three weeks1 and always mixed with the 
whitewash which is used on the loft4 ,a 
mild disinfectant should be sprinkled on
 the floor at least once a week1 and    
twice a week is better4 ,go quietly into
 the loft and gently sprinkle the       
solution on the floor1 but not on the   
nests1 as this frightens the birds4     
,keep the air of the lofts always       
smelling sweet and pure and there will  
be no trouble with disease4   ,,douglas 
,,mixture  ,douglas ,mixture is an      
old-time tonic1 much esteemed by a good 
many breeders of pigeons and poultry4   
,it is made by dissolving eight ounces  
of iron sulphate 7copperas7 in two      
gallons of water and then very slowly   
adding one ounce of sulphuric acid4 ,put
 in jugs and it will keep indefinitely4 
,if a tablespoon of this is put in the  
drinking water occasionally1 it will act

 as a tonic and make the blood richer4  
,it is especially recommended for use   
during the molting season4   ,,gentian  
,,as ,a ,,tonic  ,compound tincture of  
gentian is highly recommended as a tonic
 for pigeons4 ,if the birds seem out of 
condition1 a tea-spoonful of this in the
 drinking water will tone them up and   
give them good appetites again4 ,when   
the birds are molting during the months 
of ,september1 ,october and ,november1 a
 tablespoonful of compound extract of   
gentian in the drinking water every     
,sunday morning will keep the birds in  
condition1 but this should not be used  
if the ,douglas ,mixture is used as a   
tonic4   ,,sweet ,,fern ,,tea  ,for     
looseness of the bowels1 sweet fern tea 
has been found a very good remedy4      
,looseness of the bowels occurs from    
feeding too much wheat that has not been
 well dried4 ,it also comes from impure 
water or unsound feed of any kind4 ,to  
cure it a good handful of the leaves is 
put into three gallons of water and     

boiled down to one-half4 ,put a         
teacupful of this in two gallons of     
drinking water4   ,,nux ,,vomica  ,some 
breeders recommend nux vomica very      
highly as a tonic1 and we mention it so 
those who follow the directions in this 
book may have their choice4 ,sixty drops
 of the tincture of nux vomica is put in
 two gallons of the drinking water twice
 a week1 during the molting season4 ,at 
other times in the year it is given when
 the flock seems to lack liveliness or  
to be droopy for any reason4  ,the      
tincture of nux vomica is about the     
easiest of all the tonics to use1 as    
enough for a year can be kept in a small
 bottle and put into the water without  
trouble at any time it is needed4       
,,the ,,medicine ,,chest  ,every        
pigeon-breeder should have a small box  
in which to keep a supply of the        
medicines which may be needed4 ,this box
 should contain a pot of carbolated     
vaseline to be used on cuts or bruises1 
as in wing trouble4 ,there should be a  

four-ounce bottle of peroxide of        
hydrogen1 a small bottle of camphorated 
oil1 an ounce or two of carbolic acid1 a
 few quinine capsules1 a bottle of cod  
liver oil and a bottle filled with      
kerosene4 ,there should also be a       
medicine dropper1 such as is used to    
fill fountain pens1 and a small sewing  
machine oil can to use in cases of roup4
 ,such a medicine chest will come handy 
many times a year4  ,don't get into the 
habit of dosing your birds for every    
imaginary trouble4 ,if pigeons are given
 a dry1 light house1 good sound grain1  
plenty of grit1 salt1 charcoal and      
perfectly pure water to drink1 with good
 facilities for bathing1 there will be  
little call for use of medicines4 ,only 
doctor sick birds when necessary1 and   
then take them out of the loft and keep 
them out until they are well4 ,the      
careful pigeon-breeder will always learn
 to know his birds by sight and will    
notice any symptoms of disease as soon  
as they appear4 ,once any disease is    

noticed1 apply the remedy at once       
without giving the ailment opportunity  
to become chronic4  ,if the directions  
given in this book are followed1 the    
pigeon-breeder1 although he may start   
without practical knowledge of the      
business1 will be able to carry his     
birds along in good health and promote  
productiveness in such a manner that he 
may anticipate the best results from his
 work4    ,illustration     ,,chapter   
,,viii  ,,miscellaneous                 
,,information--,,catching ,,mated       
,,pairs   ,when it is desired to catch  
mated pairs1 take the catching net into 
the fly with you4 ,drive all the pigeons
 out in the fly and shut them out of the
 house4 ,then take another person with  
you and go into the fly4 ,watch until a 
cock begins to drive a hen and trap him 
in the net1 while your helper watches   
the hen4 ,take the cock out of the net  
and hand it to your helper1 who will    
catch the hen4 ,then band the two1      
putting the band on the right leg of the

 cock and on the left leg of the hen4   
,if squabs are banded in the nest1      
nearly all of them will be found banded 
correctly if the band has been put on   
the right leg of the squab first hatched
 and on the left leg of the one hatched 
later4   ,,starting ,a ,,loft  ,buy from
 ten to fifty mated pairs1 according to 
the amount with which you decide to     
begin4 ,keep all the best squabs hatched
 during the year1 so cross-mating them  
as not to have nest mates mated up for  
breeding4 ,dispose of all under-sized   
squabs1 and when the birds have grown up
 sell all those which prove inferior4   
,in this way you will learn to manage   
your loft and get your breeding stock at
 the lowest possible cost4   ,,the      
,,price ,,of ,,breeding ,,stock  ,it    
does not pay to start with poor breeding
 stock4 ,buy of a reliable breeder and  
pay a fair price4 ,no one can afford to 
sell first-class breeding stock except  
in certain seasons at less than #a4ej a 
pair in large numbers or less than #b4jj

 a pair when from ten to twenty-five    
pairs are sold in a lot4 ,it is poor    
economy to buy common pigeons as        
squab-breeders at any price and just as 
bad management to buy cheap ,homers and 
run the risk of getting old and worn out
 birds4   ,,best ,,weight ,,for ,,squabs
  ,squabs that weigh less than eight    
pounds to the dozen are not desirable1  
as they sell at a price which drops     
rapidly as they run below eight pounds  
to the dozen4 ,it costs just as much to 
raise a dark-fleshed and light-weight   
squab as it does to raise a big plump   
bird with white flesh2 and a pair of    
pigeons which produce dark squabs of    
light weights should be disposed of4    
,select all the time for heavy weights  
in your squabs and get the top of the   
market4   ,,length ,,of ,,breeding      
,,period  ,pigeons will breed regularly 
for seven or eight years1 so it is to   
the interest of the breeders to keep    
only the best in his lofts4 ,the good   
breeder watches what kind of squabs each

 pair produces and keeps selecting the  
best from time to time until he has a   
loft full which may be depended upon4   
,,don',t ,,overcrowd  ,don't overcrowd  
your lofts4 ,it is better to waste a    
little room than to have too many birds 
together4 ,give each fifty pairs a room 
eight by ten feet and a fly at least ten
 by twenty-four feet4   ,,squab ,,homers
  ,health and vigor are the foundation  
on which success must be built4 ,the    
well-bred squab ,homer carries its head 
erect1 its plumage is smooth and sleek1 
and its neck carries the colors of the  
rain-bow4 ,when it stands still1 it     
seems on wires and when you go in to    
your loft in the morning and look over  
the flock any bird which does not in    
turn give you a looking over is not fit 
for a breeder4 ,the eye is the index of 
health of pigeons4 ,if the eye is dull  
or the bird sits winking in a listless  
manner1 there is something wrong about  
it4 ,sickly birds shun society and mope 
in dark corners4 ,the droppings should  

be noticed4 ,if the birds are healthy1  
there should be a fair proportion of    
pure white in them1 and they should be  
rather firm4 ,the squab ,homer in health
 is a beautiful bird1 alive every moment
 and noticing keenly everything that    
passes4   ,,increasing ,,prices  ,squabs
 have constantly increased in price in  
the larger markets for several years1   
and hundreds of new towns have come in  
with a call for good squabs4 ,everyone  
who begins to raise squabs for the      
market makes the demand for them larger4
 ,there is no danger of overdoing the   
business and it will continue to grow   
larger as game birds decrease in        
numbers4 ,many restaurants now serve    
squab when there is an order for quail  
on toast1 and those who like good things
 usually go back and want some more of  
that same kind of quail4 ,good          
restaurants now keep squabs on hand and 
put them on their tables under their    
proper name1 having learned that it pays
 to do so4   ,,the ,,south ,,jersey     

,,squab ,,district  ,the great business 
of raising squabs which is carried on in
 ,south ,jersey started with one man and
 has spread out until almost every one  
in the country for miles around         
,bridgeton keeps pigeons and sells      
squabs4 ,about #g1jjj squabs are sent   
out of this district every week1 equal  
to #cfe1jjj in a year1 and there is     
never a time but these squabs sell as   
soon as they reach the market at prices 
which make it very profitable to produce
 them4 ,men1 women and children raise   
squabs in this district1 nearly every   
one of them being sold in ,new ,york    
,city4   ,,the ,,profession ,,of ,,squab
 ,,breeding  ,only a few years ago the  
man who spent his time breeding pigeons 
was thought to be engaged in a small    
business4 ,now it has become a          
profession and is followed by all sorts 
of men as a profitable way of putting in
 spare time4 ,the professional man      
raises squabs as a diversion1 the clerk 
or shop operative keeps a loft to help  

out on his income1 young men pay their  
way through college on the profits of   
the squab business1 old men who have got
 beyond the harder work of life make a  
good living from squabs2 and still the  
insistent food markets call for more    
squabs at better prices4 ,there is no   
risk in going into the squab business1  
if the birds are properly cared for4    
,,regularity  ,have a certain time to do
 all the work and work to the schedule  
you have prepared4 ,clean the house on a
 certain day in the week1 kill the      
squabs on the day which best suits your 
market4 ,feed as nearly at the same time
 every day as possible1 for the birds   
soon learn to know when feeding time    
comes1 and the squabs even learn to know
 when to look for the parents to feed   
them4 ,keep everything going like clock 
work1 and the work will be properly done
 and the birds thrive better for the    
regular habits they learn4   ,,go       
,,quietly  ,there will always be a      
number of birds sitting1 others will be 

feeding the young1 and quick motions or 
loud noises disturb them and cause them 
to stop feeding or to leave their nests4
 ,keep the birds tame by going among    
them but go quietly4   ,,the ,,best     
,,age  ,a pair of pigeons begin to breed
 at about six months of age1 but young  
birds are not very profitable as        
breeders4 ,after they are one year old  
they are in full working condition and  
for the next seven or eight years may be
 depended on to produce regularly1 if   
they are the right kind of stock4       
,,don',t ,,kill ,,too ,,young  ,do not  
kill your squabs too young4 ,they should
 be killed just before they are ready to
 leave the nest1 but not before their   
flesh has become firm and solid4 ,a     
squab which is killed too young never   
brings a good price1 as the buyers in   
the cities know one immediately they    
have felt of it1 and a few squabs which 
have been killed too soon decrease the  
price of the whole package4 ,remember   
that the price paid for squabs in a     

given package is made on the basis of   
all of them being as poor as the poorest
 in the package4   ,,mice ,,in ,,nests  
,if you find some of your squabs smashed
 flat in the nests1 look out for mice4  
,these little pests like to nest with a 
pair of pigeons1 and particularly in    
cold weather have a fashion of crawling 
between the parent bird and the squab4  
,this causes the parent to move about   
and kill the young4 ,to kill the mice1  
take a large cigar box--or any box of   
about that size--and cut a small hole in
 one end4 ,put under this box a         
mouse-trap baited with bits of toasted  
cheese and on top of the box put a heavy
 weight so the pigeons can not get at   
the trap4 ,set a few traps around the   
feed bin also1 and it will not be long  
until the last mouse is caught1 as they 
like cheese better than the grain which 
has brought them to the pigeon house at 
first4 ,a good cat kept around the feed 
room is often a good investment1 but do 
not forget that a cat likes squabs very 

much and must be carefully kept outside 
the breeding lofts4   ,,feed ,a         
,,variety  ,in the proper place we have 
given directions for mixing feed4 ,we   
refer to it in this place to emphasize  
the necessity of feeding a variety of   
grains and the mixtures we recommend on 
previous pages will be found such as    
will produce results4 ,never feed one   
grain for the reason that it is cheaper 
than the other4 ,it does not pay to     
economize in this way4 ,true economy in 
feeding is to feed the proper kinds and 
just as much as the birds will eat      
without wasting4 ,they always pick out  
the kind they like the best first1 but  
they should be compelled to eat the     
whole of the feed each time and should  
be fed just as much as they will clean  
up from one feeding to another4         
,,ventilation  ,most pigeon-breeders    
keep their houses closed too tight      
during the winter4 ,if cloth is used in 
the windows instead of glass1 there will
 be good ventilation all the time as the

 muslin used for the windows allows the 
air to get in and keeps it pure inside2 
but where glass is used1 the fly holes  
should be left open nearly every night  
during the winter or the air will become
 so impure that it will be likely to    
breed disease4 ,pigeons when they are   
not breeding1 do not mind cold weather1 
but breeding birds should have a tight  
house on account of the squabs4 ,see to 
it that the ventilation is attended to4 
,,testing ,,pigeon ,,eggs  ,if you want 
to know whether an egg is going to hatch
 after the hen has been sitting for some
 time look through it1 if it is clear it
 will not hatch and might as well be    
thrown away4 ,if it is partly clouded1  
the egg will hatch but not for several  
days4 ,if it is dark all over except at 
the large end1 the young bird will hatch
 in three or four days1 or it has died4 
,to find if it is alive1 put some water 
in a pan having it as warm as the hand  
can be held in it without burning4 ,set 
the pan down and put the egg in the     

water1 little end down and let it float4
 ,if the bird is alive it will struggle 
in the egg and cause it to bob around in
 the water4 ,testing eggs is not        
necessary unless it is noticed that a   
certain pair have set for a suspiciously
 long time4   ,,selecting ,a ,,site  ,in
 selecting a site for the pigeon house  
as much care and judgment should be     
exercised as in choosing the location of
 one's own home4 ,an unhealthy location 
for man would most likely prove         
unhealthy for the birds4 ,a damp place1 
or one exposed to extremes of heat1 cold
 or wind1 is to be rejected4 ,the spot  
selected should be well drained1 should 
be facing the south or east1 should be  
free from obstructions which shut out   
the rays of the morning sun and be      
sheltered either by trees or buildings  
from the north and west winds4 ,such a  
place1 with a shallow stream of pure    
running water for drinking and          
bathing--so essential to the health of  
pigeons--will be an ideal site1 and will

 require a minimum of expense and daily 
work in caring for the stock4 ,of       
course1 such sites can only be obtained 
in the country4  ,in no case should a   
house be built for more than #bej pairs 
nor more than #ej pairs be kept in each 
section4 ,it must be so designed as to  
be well ventilated and easily kept      
clean1 secure from attacks of mice1     
rats1 and other animals and not subject 
to drafts of air4  ,if feeding hoppers  
are used they should be of good size and
 properly constructed4 ,if you do not   
provide a liberal supply of mixed grit  
in a suitable hopper1 you should keep at
 least a peck of clean sharp sand on the
 floor of each pen all the time4        
,provide salt1 charcoal and oyster shell
 and keep a clean supply of each before 
the birds at all times4  ,it is usually 
better1 however1 to procure a good      
health grit or the tonic ingredients and
 mix the grit yourself4  ,in these      
receptacles should be kept a generous   
supply of sifted cracked corn1 ,canada  

peas1 wheat1 ,german millet1 kaffir corn
 and hemp4 ,these are the six principal 
feeds4  ,a room #h by #aj feet will     
accommodate #ej pairs very comfortably4 
,the fly should be extended #cb feet if 
possible4  ,pigeons should be fed twice 
a day--in the summer time at #f3cj a4   
m41 and #d3cj p4 m42 in the winter at   
#g3cj a4 m41 and #c3jj p4 m4  ,the best 
kinds of feeds to use are cracked corn1 
red wheat1 kaffir corn1 millet1 peas1   
hemp and rice4 ,in the morning give     
wheat1 cracked corn1 and peas in equal  
parts2 in the afternoon give equal parts
 of cracked corn1 peas1 kaffir corn1 and
 millet4 ,the birds should be fed in the
 pen rather than in the fly4  ,water the
 birds every morning before feeding     
using nothing except fresh pure water4  
,always clean out the fountains before  
filling4  ,bathing is very essential to 
the health of pigeons4 ,in summer they  
should have an opportunity to bathe at  
least every other day4 ,in winter the   
bath should be given only on bright1    

sunny days4 ,it is essential to clean   
house every week4 ,after cleaning the   
nests1 put powdered carbolated lime in  
all cracks1 corners1 and damp places4   
,sprinkle the floor with lime and       
sprinkle a bucket of sand evenly over   
the lime4    ,illustration3 ,six        
,mammoth ,homer ,squabs weighing full   
six pounds when   dressed for the       
market4     ,,index                     
,page    ,banding1                      
#cg   ,bathing1                         
#bb   ,best ,breeds1                    
#aa   ,breeding ,habits1                
#bf   ,breed for ,years1                
#fb   ,buckwheat1                       
#bg   ,buying ,stock1                   
#aa    ,canada ,peas1                   
#bg   ,canary ,seed1                    
#bg   ,carneaux1                        
#ab   ,canker1                          
#ed   ,catching ,mated ,pairs1          
#ci-fa   ,charcoal1                     
#bi   ,cholera1                         
#ee   ,cleanliness1                     

#bc   ,corn1                            
#bf   ,cost of ,feeding1                
#i-dh   ,common ,pigeons1               
#ae   ,cooling the ,squabs1             
#de    ,diseases1                       
#ec   ,disinfecting1                    
#eh   ,douglas ,mixture1                
#eh   ,dressing and ,packing1           
#dc   ,dry ,lofts1                      
#bb   ,duchess1                         
#ab    ,egg ,bound1                     
#ef    ,feeding1                        
#bf-ca-fd   ,feed ,troughs1             
#ca   ,feed ,hoppers1                   
#cb   ,floors1                          
#bc   ,fly1 ,how ,built1                
#ai    ,gentian ,tonic1                 
#eh   ,going ,light1                    
#ec   ,grading for ,market1             
#df-dg   ,grit1                         
#ab   ,growth of ,squabs1               
#ej-ea-eb    ,hemp ,seed1               
#bg   ,homers1                          
#aa-fb   ,houses1 ,cost1                
#ag   ,houses1 ,plans1                  

#bd-be    ,increasing the ,flock1       
#ca    ,kaffir ,corn1                   
#bg   ,killing1                         
#de-fd   ,killing1 ,english ,method1    
#de    ,leg ,weakness1                  
#eg   ,lice1                            
#eh    ,making a ,market1               
#da   ,maltese ,hens1                   
#ab-ad   ,mated ,pairs1                 
#ac   ,mice1                            
#fd   ,millet ,seed1                    
#bg   ,mondaines1                       
#ab-cj    ,nappies1                     
#ba   ,nests1                           
#ba-cd   ,nesting ,material1            
#ba   ,nesting ,material1 ,crate for1   
#bc   ,number of ,squabs1               
#dg   ,nux ,vomica1                     
#ei    ,over-crowding1                  
#fb    ,parcel ,post1                   
#db   ,peanuts1                         
#bf   ,pox1                             
#ef   ,prices ,increasing1              
#fb   ,prices of ,breeders1             
#fa   ,profits1                         

#fa   ,profession of ,squabbing1        
#fc     ,quiet1                         
#fc    ,record of ,breeding1            
#dj   ,regularity1                      
#fc   ,roup1                            
#ee   ,runts1                           
#ab    ,salt1                           
#bi   ,sanitation1                      
#bb   ,sex1 ,how ,determined1           
#ce   ,site for ,plant1                 
#fe   ,sound ,grain1                    
#bf   ,south ,jersey ,district1         
#fc   ,starting a ,loft1                
#fa   ,sweet ,fern ,tea1                
#ei    ,testing ,eggs1                  
#fe    ,ventilation1                    
#fe   ,vertigo1                         
#ef    ,water ,fountains1               
#bb   ,weight of ,squabs1               
#fa   ,wheat1                           
#bf   ,wing ,disease1                   
#eg   ,worms1                           
#eg     ,a4 ,b4 ,,morse ,,company1 ,,st4
 ,,joseph1 ,,michigan