The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



foods that are desirable and answer all the purposes re- 

 quired of them. Rye my pigeons never seemed to take 

 to, and while I have seen frequently in the fall of the 

 year flocks of pigeons on the harvested rye-fields, I 

 never found fancy pigeons partial to it when they could 

 get anything else. I have had the same experience with 

 poultry ; they never took kindly to rye. 



Whatever grain is fed should be thoroughly cured 

 and dr}-, as much loss and disease have been engendered 

 by feeding pigeons new grain, strange to say, as pigeons 

 flying at large seem to eat newly-ripened grain with 

 impunity. I have seen fancy pigeons that were confined 

 waste away and grow thin with an abundance of food 

 before them, of which they seemed to partake freely, 

 and on examining into the cause could come to no other 

 conclusion than that it was from_ eating new grain. 

 While using it the floor of the loft would be as wet as 

 though sprinkled with water, and it was evident that the 

 food was producing a loosened condition of the bowels 

 that was weakening and killing the birds. A return t6 

 good, sound, old grain worked a change at once, and 

 ever after I shunned new grain. 



Pigeons are very fond of corn, and many are in the 

 habit of feeding it whole to their birds. This is a danger- 

 ous practice, especially to small birds, as the large ker- 

 nels are liable to lodge in their throats and choke them. 

 The best way to feed this grain is to feed it cracked, 

 imless you can get the small Yankee corn a little larger 

 than a pea. In some sections of the country it is quite 

 abundant and when it can be had is preferable to aii 

 larger corn. Although I have found, in my experience, 

 that pigeons seem to prefer good, sound, yellow gourd, 

 seed-corn, they soon learn to know and like the smaller 

 variety above mentioned. 



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