The mating coop should have a partition of lattice work 

 or wire. Place the cock in one side, the hen in the other, 

 and leave them thus for two or three days to flirt and tease 

 each other, then remove the central lattice work or wire and 

 they usually will mate. If thej^ show no disposition to mate 

 but on the contrary fight, replace the partition and try them 

 for two or three days longer. If they refuse to mate after 

 two or three thorough trials, do not experiment any more 

 with them, but select other mates. Be sure your birds are 

 mated before putting them together in the squab house, 

 otherwise a stray cock will visit the nests in search of a mate, 

 breaking up hatchings and causing lights. 



The determination of the sex of pigeons is diffictdt. The 

 bones at the vent of a female are wider apart than of a male. 

 If you hold the beak of a pigeon in one hand and the feet 

 in the other, stretching them oiit, the male bird usually will 

 hug his tail close to its body — the female will throw her tail. 

 The best way to determine the sex is to watch the birds. 

 The male is more lively than the female, and does more 

 cooing, and in flirting with her usually turns around several 

 times, while the female seldom turns more than half way 

 around. The male may be seen pecking at the female and 

 driving her to nest. When one pigeon is seen chasing an- 

 other inside and outside the squab house, the driven one is 

 the female and the driver her mate. 



The Runt pigeons are the largest and have the biggest 

 squabs, but they are poor breeders, and it takes the squabs 

 from one to two weeks longer to reach market size. The- 



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