The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



The size of the building can be suited to the wants 

 of the fancier, and be governed by the space he can de- 

 vote to it, and also to the number he intends to accom- 

 modate. I would say in addition, do not, if you want 

 to enjoy your birds, get it too small. A building of this 

 kind could be put to other uses if the time came, as it 

 eventually does to most Americans, when other matters 

 require their attention and the hobby has to be relin- 

 quished. 



From these descriptions the reader can deduce his 

 own conclusions, and arrange such accommodations as 

 his necessity and means demand and will admit of. He 

 must also be governed by the number and variety he 

 desires or intends to keep, and fashion his house accord- 

 ingly. As a guide as to dimensions, I will say that a 

 room 15x12 by 8 feet high will easily accommodate fifty 

 pairs of birds. I would also add that all rooms should 

 be provided with an extra wire partition so that young 

 birds just out of the nest can be kept apart from the 

 breeding pairs, and, also, so that when the breeding sea- 

 son is over the cocks may be separated from the hens, 

 as for the good of the hens it is better to keep the sexes 

 apart during the molting season and extreme cold 

 weather. Otherwise ■ the hens will be wasting their 

 vitality by laying, hatching, and feeding at a time when 

 they need to be recuperating for the spring and sum- 

 mer's work. 



These remarks apply to such as have high-class birds 

 and the conveniences to control them, and not to the 

 owner of common birds, who uses the primitive house I 

 have described, and allows his pigeons to live in a com- 

 parative state of nature, and under no control. In cases 

 where they are allowed to "shift" for themselves,' nature 

 must be allowed to take its course, let the results be 



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