The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



10 swing to the right and one to the left. This I think 

 the better form, as then you can leave one of the doors 

 closed before the nest in Which the hen is sitting, thus 

 partially secluding her. 



For nests there is nothing better than the circular 

 carthern nest-pan, found at the poultry-supply stores, 

 and made in sizes of 9, 10, and 12 inches diameter, the 

 g-inch being for the smaller class of pigeons, like Tum- 

 blers, Owls, etc., while the lo-inch answers for the 

 medium-sized pigeons, and the 12-inch for Pouters, 

 Runts, and Carriers. But you may be in a locality 

 where such nests can not be found ; in such a case tin 

 pans can be used, such as are m_ade from block tin, 

 pressed. These can be nailed to a square wooden foun- 

 dation, thus making them movable and preventing them 

 from being upset. Or you can make square wooden 

 boxes of same width as diameter of the pans. • If boxes 

 are used the corners should be fitted with triangular 

 corner-blocks to keep the nesting-material towards the 

 center. If the tin pans or wooden boxes are used I 

 would advise giving them a good coating of paint. This 

 will act as a preventive against lice, and make them 

 easier to clean. 



For nest-material there can be nothing better than 

 pine sawdust, as this can be frequently changed and also 

 has a tendency to keep insects away. Cedar sawdust is 

 even better if one lives in a locality where it can be pro- 

 cured. You will also need perches in different parts of 

 the room for the convenience of birds not nesting. 

 These can be made of half-inch material, 4 inches wide. 

 Take two pieces 5 or 6 inches long, nail two ends to- 

 gether, thus forming the two sides of an angle. Hang 

 these on ten-penny nails, driven into the walls in various 

 places'^separate from each other. These make the best 



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