198 



AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



The board across the front will keep the other old birds from 

 flying right in the nests on top of its occupants. If a bird by 

 mistake flies into a nest it generally starts a fight thinking 

 that some bird has -its nest. 



Each pair of pigeons needs two nests as they have squabs in 

 one nest and eggs in another. With the old plan several pairs 

 will likely build in a particular section of the room occupying 

 all the nests in that section. Then when a pair is ready to lay 

 the second time all the adjoining nests are taken and as a result 

 they generally lay back in the nests with their squabs, which is 



END VIEW OF SQUAB PLANT— EGGLESTON PLAN 



bad for several reasons, or they do not start to work until their 

 squabs are old enough to leave their nests. 



To provide a double nest some breeders in the eastern states use 

 a nesting system known as the "T" double nest. This style of 

 nest has some advantages, but the principal objection is that the 

 squabs will climb over to the other half of the nests, when they 

 get about three weeks old and bother the old birds on eggs, often 

 breaking the eggs or crowding the mother bird off of them, 

 thus allowing the eggs to get chilled. The old birds in order 

 to avoid being thus bothered by. their squabs will often build 

 in another double nest which requires two double or four nests 



