This is a department, in itself, not common among the farm buildings,
in the United States; and for the reason, probably, that the domestic
pigeon, or house-dove, is usually kept more for amusement than for
profit--there being little actual profit about them--and is readily
accommodated in the spare lofts of sheds and out-buildings devoted to
other purposes. Pigeons, however, add to the variety and interest of the
poultry department; and as there are many different breeds of them, they
are general favorites with the juveniles of the family.
Our present object is, not to propose any distinct building for pigeon
accommodation; but to give them a location in other buildings, where
they will be conveniently provided with room, and least annoying by
their presence--for, be it known, they are oft-times a most serious
annoyance to many crops of the farm, when kept in any considerable
numbers, as well as in the waste and havoc they make in the stores of
the barns and granaries. Although graceful and beautiful birds,
generally clean and tidy in their personal habits out of doors, they are
the filthiest housekeepers imaginable, and no building can be especially
devoted to their use, if not often swept and cleaned, but what will soon
become an intolerable nuisance within, and not much better without, and
the ground immediately around the premises a dirty place. The common
pigeon is a pugnacious cavalier, warring apparently upon mere punctilio,
as we have often seen, in the distant strut-and-coo of a stranger bird
to his mate, even if she be the very incarnation of "rejected
addresses." On all these accounts, we would locate--unless a small and
select family of fancy birds, perhaps--the pigeon stock at the principal
farm-yard, and in the lofts of the cattle sheds, or the chambers of the
stable.
Wherever the pigeon accommodations are designed to be, a close partition
should separate their quarters from the room occupied for other
purposes, with doors for admission to those who have to do with them,
in cleaning their premises, or to take the birds, when needed. A line of
holes, five inches high, and four inches wide--the top of the hole
slightly arched--should be made, say 18 inches apart, for the distance
of room they are to occupy in the building. A foot above the top of
these, another line may be made; and so on, tiering them up to the
height intended to devote to them. A line of shelves, or
lighting-boards, six to eight inches wide, should then be placed one
inch below the bottom of these holes, and firmly braced beneath, and
nailed to the weather-boarding of the house. Inside, a range of box
should be made, of corresponding length with the line of holes, to
embrace every entrance from the outside, 18 inches wide, and partitioned
equidistant between each entrance, so as to give a square box of 18
inches to each pair of birds. The bottom board of each ascending tier of
boxes will, of course, be the top of the boxes below, and these must be
made _perfectly tight_, to prevent the offal of the upper ones from
falling through, to the annoyance of their neighbors below. The back of
these boxes should have a line of swing doors, hung with butts, or
hinges, from the top, and fastened with buttons, or hooks, at the
bottom, to allow admission, or examination, at any time, to those who
have the care of them. This plan of door is indispensable, to clean them
out--which should be done as often as once a week, or fortnight, at
farthest--and to secure the birds as they may be wanted for the table,
or other purposes--for it will be recollected that squabs, just
feathered out, are considered a delicious dish, at the most sumptuous
tables. It will be understood, that these boxes above described, are
within a partitioned room, with a floor, in their rear, with sufficient
space for the person in charge of them to pass along, and to hold the
baskets, or whatever is to receive the offal of their boxes, as it is
taken out. This offal is valuable, as a highly stimulating manure, and
is sought for by the morocco tanners, at a high price--frequently at
twenty-five cents a bushel.
As pigeons are prolific breeders, laying and hatching six or seven times
a year, and in warm climates oftener, they require a good supply of
litter--short cut, soft straw is the best--which should be freely
supplied at every new incubation, and the old litter removed. The boxes,
too, should be in a warm place, snugly made, and well sheltered from the
wind and driving storms; for pigeons, although hardy birds when grown,
should be well protected while young.
The common food of the pigeon is grain, of almost any kind, and worms,
and other insects, which they pick up in the field. On the whole, they
are a pleasant bird, when they can be conveniently kept, and are worth
the trifling cost that their proper housing may demand.
If our opinion were asked, as to the best, and least troublesome kind of
pigeon to be kept, we should say, the finest and most hardy of the
common kind, which are usually found in the collections throughout the
country. But there are many _fancy_ breeds--such as the fan-tail, the
powter, the tumbler, the ruffler, and perhaps another variety or
two--all pretty birds, and each distinct in their appearance, and in
some of their domestic habits. The most beautiful of the pigeon kind,
however, is the Carrier. They are the very perfection of grace, and
symmetry, and beauty. Their colors are always brilliant and changing,
and in their flight they cleave the air with a rapidity which no other
variety--indeed, which scarce any other bird, of any kind, can equal.
History is full of examples of their usefulness, in carrying tidings
from one country to another, in letters, or tokens, fastened to their
necks or legs, for which they are trained by those who have thus used
them; but which, now, the well known telegraph wire has nearly
superseded.
All these fancy breeds require great care in their management, to keep
them pure in blood, as they will all mix, more or less, with the common
pigeon, as they come in contact with them; and the selection of whatever
kind is wanted to be kept, must be left to those who are willing to
bestow the pains which their necessary care may demand.