162 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



HOW TO CARE FOR SQUABS AFTER THEY LEAVE NEST 



As stated in my article, "\\'hen to Remove Squabs from Nest 

 Room," squabs that are to be kept for breeders, should be left 

 in the nest room with their parents until about seven or eight 

 weeks old, at which time they should be removed to a separate 

 compartment, where they can be given special care and atten- 

 tion. Young pigeons at that age are, as a rule, very delicate, 

 easy to catch cold, and sometimes lose their appetite to such an 

 extent that they become very weak and often die. 



There are four necessary things to the successful care of a 

 young pigeon. First, they must be provided with a room which 

 has plenty of fresh air and free from drafts. The room must be 

 at all times dry, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. 



Special precaution must be taken to guard against colds in a 

 climate where the days are warm and the nights are cool. 

 Under such conditions the temperature of the room should be 

 legulated by opening the doors in the middle of the day and 

 closing them at night. 



If the floor of the room is damp, it is best to place some low 

 boxes around the wall or run a little shelf around the edge of 

 the room for the youngsters to run on. Often there is a draft 

 that can hardly be detected an inch or two off the floor, that 

 will cause young birds to catch cold. They are very susceptible 

 to a draft, and too much precaution cannot be taken to guard 

 against it. 



Second, a sufficient supply of good feed must be provided for 

 the young birds. As a rule they are small eaters just after they 

 are weaned, and unless a constant supply of rich, nourishing 

 food is kept before them, some of the youngsters will not eat 

 enough to keep them alive. One can well afford to feed birds 

 at this age choice and more expensive food than is usually re- 

 quired for the reason that they will eat but little anyway, and 

 the added expense for good food will be more than made up in 

 the results secured. 



A good variety of grain should be furnished so that if a bird 

 does not like one kind of feed, there will be a chance of it liking 

 another. Young squabs are very finicky when it comes to eat- 

 ing. Some will pick at nothing except white or light colored 

 grains, while others will pass up everything but dark colored 



