14 PIGEON RAISING 



mands — ^buy at least 200 or 300 for the market 

 pen and four or five dozen for the parent stock. 



Unless the intending pigeon raiser has suffi- 

 cient means to follow out these rules, I would 

 not advise him to go into the squab raising busi- 

 ness. It does not pay to go into it on a smaller 

 scale, for the steady income comes from regular 

 shipments, and the income must be steady to 

 counterbalance the regular output for grain. 



A first-class, systematized, and well-cared-for 

 pigeon plant should double its original stock 

 every six to eight weeks. That is, if the pigeon 

 raiser has 300 breeders he should count on hav- 

 ing close on to 300 squabs during six or eight 

 weeks to sell or raise, as he chooses. But, of 

 course, he must give his pigeons the proper con- 

 ditions, as it is an acknowledged fact that laying 

 and hatching are purely optional with the 

 pigeon. To quote a noted pigeon raiser, " The 

 process of laying an egg is a mental operation. 

 The female pigeon forms the egg in her body 

 and lays it when she wants to, not when she is 

 forced to. In other words, she lays when con- 

 ditions are satisfactory to her." 



I was once a novice myself, but I loved birds 

 and I was eager to study and and gain all the 

 knowledge I could for their welfare. 



When I took possession of my place, a coun- 



