MATED BIRDS DEFINED 



77 



weakly squabs will result. How best to avoid such re- 

 sults is told in Chapter XIV. 



Another misleading announcement is that a dealer's 

 birds are "mated equally as to sexes," and again one 

 guarantees 90 per cent of the birds to be mated. In 

 Chapter XII attention is called to the fact that pigeons 

 do not mate until after . a courtship, but when once 

 mated they usually remain true to each other during 

 life. This courtship and mating will take just the 

 amount of time that the birds themselves decide; but 

 if they do pot decide to mate, they will simply add to 

 the feeding expense as long as they are kept. 



A beginner frequently desires to know how long a 

 flock of say 50 cocks and 50 hens wilt take in mating. 

 This is a question which all experienced breeders re- 

 fer to the birds themselves. When they have mated 

 the time can then be told. This much can be said, that 

 if they are healthy, vigorous and young birds, are fed 

 properly and given good care, and are really of equal 

 number as to the sexes, they ought to mate without 

 much delay and if they do not, there is a grave sus- 

 picion that some of the named conditions are lacking. 



FIG. 30--FEOM THE NEST. 



