GRIT, CHARCOAL, SALT .AND WATER 97 



a supply of running water constantly. In freezing weather 

 water can be turned on twice or three times a day for a short 

 length of time while all the birds drink, and if it should freeze 

 it can be thawed out by pouring a little hot water in the trough. 

 By making this drinking trough V-shaped the birds can drink 

 with only a small amount of water in the bottom of the trough, 

 while if the trough is made with a fiat bottom it will require 

 much more water to make it deep enough for the birds to drink, 

 which will make it freeze easier and also consume much more 

 water. 



Open drinking pans or troughs that permit birds to get into 

 or perch on the sides of are not practical for pigeons, as they 

 will foul the water and then drink it, which will make them 

 sick. Drinking fountains that are made with a dent at the 

 bottom are the most practical for pigeons in the absence of a 

 drinking trough, but even if you have only two or three pair 

 of birds it is but little trouble to make a small three-cornered 

 V-shaped drinking trough to run along one side of the nest room, 

 and either arrange faucets with city water or a keg with a faucet 

 that can be filled up once or twice a week and the faucet turned 

 on so it will drip slowly into the trough. This will supply fresh 

 water constantly and save much more trouble and time than 

 will be required to make the trough and arrange the keg. If 

 the trough is placed inside of the nest room it should have a 

 board cover with about two-inch space between the board and 

 the trough which will permit the birds to drink and at the same 

 time prevent them from fouling the water. 



By supplying drinking water inside the loft, as well as in the 

 fly pen, it will enable the youngsters on the floor to get plenty 

 to drink before they are old enough to get in the fly pen, which 

 is very essential. It will also enable a female to fly down off 

 her nest any time during the day and get a fresh drink while if 

 the water was out in the fly pen she would not want to leave 

 her nest long enough to get a drink. Then, too, during feeding 

 time the birds often are afraid to spare the time to fly out in the 

 fly pen to get water after they have eaten, so fly to the nest and 

 feed their young and then fly back to get something more to eat 

 before it is all gone, while if the water is handy inside the loft 

 they will invariably take a drink before feeding their squabs, 

 which is the natural and proper way for them to do. 



