Identifier: CAT31100926 (find matches)
Title: Squab raising
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Lee, Alfred R.,
Subjects: Pigeons Columbidae
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

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irectly in the nestbox if of a heavier material. Some breeders claim that eaithenwarenests are too cold in the winter. No nest pans are used on somepigeon plants and the nesting material is retained by a 3-inch stripon the front of the nests. Short pieces of hay, straw, pine needles,and tobacco stems are used for nesting material. This is kept in anopen crate or in a comer of the house and the pigeons allowed to selectand build their own nests. SQUAB RAISING. 9 Roosts of various sizes, usually arranged in perpendicular rows, areplaced at convenient points in the pen. A good type of roost isA-shaped, made of two boards about 5 inches wide and 6 or 7 incheslong, placed directly over each other so that the pigeons will notsoil one another with their droj)pings. If hoppers or feed troughs areused they should be of good size, while the hoppers should be con-structed so that the pigeons can not waste the grain easily by throw-ing it onto the floor. Fountains or pans with floats in which the
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Fig. 7.—Interior of pigeon pen showing a feed hopper, roosts, nest boxes, and different kinds of nest pans. pigeons can not bathe are best adapted for drinking vessels, whilea galvanized-iron pan from 3 to 4 inches deep and 15 to 20 inches indiameter makes a good bath pan (see fig. 8). HATCHING AND REARING SQUABS. The hen pigeon usually lays two eggs in three days before shestarts to sit. If more than two eggs are laid it is advisable to removethe extra ones, as a pair of pigeons can raise only two good squabs at 10 FARMERS^ BULLETIN 684. one time. The period of ineubation of pigeon eggs is about 17 days.Both the male and the female pigeon sit on the eg^s, the maleusually relieving the female during part or most of the day. Pigeoneggs are usually fertile if the pigeons are healthy and properly fed,espeeially when they have free range. One squab (usually the male)frequently hatehes first, and where there are several eases where onesquab outgrows its nest mate, it may be advisable to

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