MANAGEMENT OF PIGEONS
[Illustration: Fig. 206. Small pigeon house and fly[23]]
[23] The photographs for illustrations in this chapter, when not
credited to others, are from Elmer E. Rice, Boston, Massachusetts.
Almost every child knows something of the lives of the common pigeons
that are seen at large in both city and country. Some flocks have owners
who take a slight interest in them and make rude provisions for their
safety and comfort. Nearly all the country flocks, and many of the city
flocks, are in this class. But there are in all large cities, and in
some smaller places, many flocks of pigeons which no one claims to own.
They build their nests in high cupolas, in the belfries of churches, on
sheltered ledges under the cornices or other projections of high
buildings, and in all sorts of places from which they cannot be easily
dislodged. The streets and areas of a great city afford daily food
sufficient for vast numbers of birds. The principal part of this is
fresh oats scattered by thousands of horses as they take their noon meal
from pails or nose bags, and oats that, passing through the horses
undigested, are mixed with the dust and dirt of the street. Very large
quantities of food also fall on the streets from torn bags or broken
boxes as cereal products are carted from place to place and handled in
transportation. Then there are the crumbs and remnants of food thrown
from windows by innumerable people who carry their lunches when they go
to their work; and besides these a great deal of waste food from the
occupants of tenements, as well as from many hotel and restaurant
kitchens. Much of this is thrown out at random, but often, when pigeons
begin to frequent places where food supplies are regular, the people
there take an interest in the birds and throw out more than they did
before. From all these various sources an abundance of food is available
for birds that forage on the city streets.
[Illustration: Fig. 207. House and fly for a small flock]
The pigeons do their part in saving this waste food, but the people
derive little benefit from the saving, because so many pigeons are not
kept under control, where their produce may be taken and used when it is
ready. Good management of pigeons consists in keeping them so that the
owner gets all the benefits of ownership. Good management in the large
sense requires that all pigeons shall be owned by some one who is
responsible for them, and who keeps them under full control or under
partial control, as the circumstances in each case require.
=Size of flock.= A flock of breeding pigeons may contain as many pairs
as can nest in the place where they are kept. Most pigeon keepers prefer
lofts about 12 or 14 feet square, because in larger spaces it is harder
to catch the birds when they must be handled, and in many ways the very
large flock makes extra trouble for the attendant. A place with a floor
area of from 150 to 200 square feet will accommodate from fifty to sixty
pairs of breeding pigeons. Except when undertaking squab breeding on a
large scale, pigeon keepers usually begin with a small number and keep
most of the increase until the full capacity of the loft is used.
[Illustration: Fig. 208. Small barn and shed arranged for pigeon
keeping]
=Quarters for pigeons.= A pair of pigeons may be kept in a coop, box, or
cage about 3 feet square, and 2 or 3 feet high. A cage 4 or 5 feet high,
or one as high as the room in which it is placed, is still better,
because it will allow the birds a little room to use their wings. If
such a cage has a few perches at various heights, the pigeons will not
seem to miss their liberty. Such close confinement, however, is not
recommended except for those who cannot provide larger quarters, or who
merely wish to keep one or two pair a short time for observation. A
house about 6 feet square makes a convenient size for a small breeding
flock of pigeons. In a place of that size eight or ten pairs may be
kept. Attached to it there should be a wire-inclosed fly, as pigeon
keepers call the outdoor compartment for pigeons. The size of the fly
can be adjusted to suit the conditions and the available space. The
larger the fly the better the pigeons will like it, but even a very
small place where they can be much in the open air and lie and sun
themselves is better than constant confinement indoors, which makes them
anemic and greatly reduces their vitality.
Where the space for pigeons is very limited and there is room for only
one small loft and fly, breeding operations are closely restricted. Most
pigeon fanciers want at least two lofts of this size--one for the
breeding birds, the other for the young birds that no longer need the
care of their parents. With such facilities the work in the breeding
loft goes on better, and promising young birds can be kept until they
are well matured and the breeder can tell whether it is advisable to
keep some of these and dispose of a part of the old ones.
To provide for larger numbers of birds, either more lofts or larger
lofts may be made. A breeder of fancy pigeons usually prefers many small
compartments. A breeder of squabs for market makes each compartment as
large as is convenient and builds as many as he has room for.
[Illustration: Fig. 209. Old poultry house arranged for pigeons.
(Photograph from Dr. J. G. Robinson, Pembroke, Massachusetts)]
Buildings for pigeons are constructed on the same plans as buildings for
fowls. The furnishings of the pigeon loft are different from those of
the poultry house, and of course the fly is always completely inclosed.
Upper floors or lofts of buildings are used for pigeons to much better
advantage than for poultry, but where there is room it is more
satisfactory to have all quarters for pigeons on the ground floor.
As the young pigeons remain in the nest and are fed by the parents until
they are almost full-grown, each pair of old pigeons must have their own
nesting place. As has been stated, the domestic pigeon is a shelf
builder. So in arranging for nests the pigeon keeper builds shelves 10
or 12 inches apart, and divides these into compartments about 12 inches
wide, thus forming pigeonholes. Because a hen pigeon often lays again
and begins to incubate before a pair of young are ready to leave the
nest, it is usual to arrange the pigeonholes in pairs. This is sometimes
done by omitting alternate dividing boards, making each pigeonhole twice
the size required, so that a nest can be made in each corner. Some
people prefer to have single pigeonholes and to arrange them in double
sections by making each alternate perpendicular board project several
inches beyond the front edge of the horizontal shelf. When this is done,
a pair of pigeons in possession of one side of a double section will
usually claim the entire section and prevent others from entering it
even when they are themselves using only one side.
[Illustration: Fig. 210. City back-yard squab plant]
For indoor perches for pigeons individual perches shaped like an
inverted V are most used. These are attached to the wall, one above
another, about 12 or 14 inches apart. The pigeons rest on the upper edge
of the perch, and the sloping sides prevent their plumage from being
soiled by birds roosting above them. In the outdoor flies running boards
are placed along the sides to make exercising and resting places for the
birds, for they usually prefer a shelf of this kind to the ground. Long
perches are also placed in the fly when the running boards do not give
room for all the pigeons in the flock. Out of doors the birds get along
very well on long perches, but in the house each wants a separate perch.
Feed hoppers like those used for fowls are used in pigeon houses.
Drinking vessels for pigeons should be of the fountain type, exposing
only a small surface of water, because if the vessel is open the birds
will bathe in it. For the bath any circular vessel with a depth of 4 or
5 inches and a diameter of 18 inches or over may be used.
[Illustration: Fig. 211. Running boards in pigeon fly. (Photograph from
Springer Brothers, Bridgeton, New Jersey)]
=Ventilation and cleanliness.= The ventilation of a pigeon house is
managed in the same way as that of a poultry house, by adjusting the
openings in the front. Most kinds of pigeons are very rugged and, when
fully feathered, can stand a great deal of cold. When a house is open in
winter, some of the young, unfledged squabs may be chilled and die from
exposure, but breeders agree that, on the whole, it is better to keep
the windows or other openings for ventilation partly open at all times.
While this causes some loss of the weaker squabs, it keeps the old birds
in much better condition than when the house is tightly closed.
[Illustration: Fig. 212. Constant water supply for pigeons]
To keep the loft looking clean and neat the droppings should be removed
from the floor, and from all shelves that can be cleaned without
disturbing breeding birds, at least once a week. Many pigeon keepers
clean the houses oftener than that, but if the ventilation is good and
the droppings are dry and firm, a house may go uncleaned for weeks or
months without detriment to the birds. It is customary to keep the floor
of the pigeon loft thinly covered with fine gravel, coarse sand,
sawdust, or chaff. To prevent the wind from the pigeons' wings from
blowing this from the middle to the sides of the floor, a small box is
placed in the middle of the floor. Whenever it is possible, the bath pan
is placed outdoors, because in taking a bath pigeons splash the water a
great deal, and if they are given the bath indoors, they will make a
nasty mess of the house floor unless it is perfectly clean. The bath
need not be given oftener than once or twice a week. In bad weather it
is better to let them go without a bath than to have them take one and
get chilled before their feathers dry.
=Handling pigeons.= When a few pigeons in a small loft get a great deal
of attention, they usually become very tame and allow themselves to be
caught at any time. For catching pigeons that are shy, pigeon keepers
use a net, called a landing net, such as is used by fishermen. A pigeon
is held securely in the hand by grasping it so that the breast of the
bird lies in the palm and one wing is held against the side by the thumb
and the other by the fingers. A pigeon may also be carried by the tips
of the wings by bringing them together over the back and letting the
bird hang by them.
[Illustration: Fig. 213. Small pigeon house and fly]
=Mating pigeons.= The beginner's first serious difficulty in breeding
pigeons is to get the birds in his loft all mated and each pair
attending to the work of hatching and rearing its young. As has been
said, the sexes cannot always be identified by appearance. Most of the
pigeons sold for breeding are young birds that have not yet mated. Some
breeders and dealers are very expert in selecting males and females, but
all make some mistakes, and the average person makes a great many of
them. There are two ways of selling pigeons. The most common way is to
sell the desired number of birds, the seller selecting, according to his
best judgment, equal numbers of males and females, with the
understanding that if, when the birds mate, there is an excess of one
sex, he will make a suitable exchange. The other way is to sell the
number of pairs desired, guaranteeing them as mated pairs--which means
that the pairs are all known to be properly mated. The advantage of
buying guaranteed mated pairs is that the question of mating requires no
further attention at the outset, but the prices for them are so much
higher than for those not known to be mated, that most beginners buy on
the other plan.
[Illustration: Fig. 214. Large squab plant. (Photograph from Dr. J. G.
Robinson, Pembroke, Massachusetts)]
Where the flock is small and the birds are to be allowed to select their
own mates, all that is necessary is to watch them closely until all are
mated or it is evident that there is a surplus of one sex. Surplus males
will quarrel persistently with the other males and endeavor to coax
their mates away from them. The unmated males must be provided with
mates or removed from the loft. Unmated females are not so readily
noticed except when there are only a few birds in the loft, but by close
watching they will soon be found. When a start is to be made with quite
a large number of unmated birds, the best plan is to put the flock first
in a different apartment from that in which they are to be kept
permanently, and, as each pair mate and begin to build their nest,
remove them to their permanent quarters.
[Illustration: Fig. 215. Neat pigeon house and fly]
When it is desired to mate a particular male and female, the best way is
to place them one in each side of a small coop with a wire partition
across the middle. This coop should be put where they cannot see other
pigeons. Sometimes one of the birds shows a decided antipathy to the
other. In such a case it is, as a rule, useless to continue efforts to
induce them to pair. In most cases, however, the birds will soon show
mutual affection. When this stage is reached, they may be taken to the
loft and released. Short coarse straw or fine twigs should be placed
where pigeons that are building nests can take what they want. No nest
box or pan is really needed, but many pigeon keepers use a nest bowl,
called a nappy, of earthenware or wood fiber.
=Feeding.= The food of pigeons consists almost wholly of grains and
seeds. The principal grains used in America are wheat and corn (usually
cracked corn). Field peas are also used quite extensively. While pigeons
will eat the same kinds of ground-grain products as are fed to poultry,
pigeon keepers rarely use such foods. They prefer to give a variety of
hard grains and seeds. Those who keep large stocks of pigeons often buy
separately the feeds which they use, and mix the grains to suit
themselves, or feed them in such alternation as seems desirable. People
who keep only a few pairs of pigeons usually find it more satisfactory
to buy the feed mixtures sold by dealers in pigeons' supplies. As a
rule, old grain and seed that are very dry and hard are best for
pigeons, and especially for exhibition and breeding stock.
[Illustration: Fig. 216. An attractive squab plant]
The most common practice is to give the feed in hoppers, keeping a
supply always before the birds. This is done principally because it is
the most convenient way, particularly for those who are away from home a
great deal. For them hopper feeding is really necessary, but pigeon
fanciers seem to agree that when the birds can be fed by throwing on the
floor of the loft or the fly, two or three times a day, just about the
quantity of food that they need for a meal, they do better and the cost
of food is less than by the hopper method. Unlike poultry, pigeons
require considerable quantities of salt. The common practice is to keep
it before them in the form of lumps of rock salt, one large lump being
enough for the birds in a loft of ordinary size. Oyster shell should
also be supplied.
[Illustration: Fig. 217. Homer squabs four weeks old]
[Illustration: Fig. 218. Carneaux squabs four weeks old]
=How pigeons rear their young.= After a pair of pigeons have completed
their nest, the male seems to come at once to the conclusion that home
duties demand his mate's constant attention. At the nest he struts
about, cooing and coaxing, entering the nest himself, then leaving it
and plainly showing his wish that she should take the nest. If she goes
away from the nest, he follows her with his head high and his neck
inflated. His cooing turns to scolding. He pecks at her and will not
give her a moment's peace until she returns to the nest. The hen lays
one egg and, after laying it, spends most of her time standing on the
nest until the second or third day after, when she lays another egg and
immediately begins to sit. She seems to know that if she sat on the
first egg before laying the other, one squab would hatch two or three
days earlier than the other, and the second squab, being smaller and
weaker, would have a hard time. The work of incubation is done mostly by
the hen, the cock taking only a minor part. For about an hour in the
middle of the morning and again in the middle of the afternoon he
relieves her on the nest, giving her a chance to eat, drink, and take
some exercise. Counting from the time the last egg was laid, the period
of incubation is sixteen or seventeen days.
Young squabs, like all other young birds that are naked when hatched,
are ugly little things. They have apparently insatiable appetites, and
their mouths seem to be always open. They are fed by the parents with
pigeon milk, which is simply the usual food of the old birds softened in
the crop. The pigeon has the power of disgorging the contents of the
crop at will, and feeds its young by forcing food from its crop into
their mouths. When they are well fed, the squabs grow very fast. Young
Homers four weeks old often weigh from three quarters of a pound to a
pound, or even more, and are ready for market. Many of the fancy
varieties of pigeons are hard to rear, because the abnormal structure of
the beak or the interference of peculiar feather characters prevent the
old ones from feeding their young properly. All the breeds described in
detail in the preceding chapter are known as good feeders.
[Illustration: Fig. 219. Dressed squabs. (Photograph from Dr. J. G.
Robinson, Pembroke, Massachusetts)]
Pigeons will breed nearly the year round, stopping only while molting,
but in cold climates many young birds die in the nests in winter. Those
who are breeding for market take this as one of the risks of their
business. If only half of the squabs are reared in winter, the profits
may be as great as when the actual results are much better, because in
winter the prices are much higher than at the seasons when squabs are
most easily produced. Fanciers do not usually allow their pigeons to
breed during the coldest winter months, but take the eggs from the nests
or keep the sexes separate until spring approaches. The object of the
fancier is to produce specimens having the finest possible development
of form and color. He cannot do this successfully under conditions that
cause heavy losses. The birds may grow under such conditions but will
not have the superior quality that he desires, and so he finds it more
profitable to concentrate all his attention upon the birds that he can
produce when the weather is most favorable.