The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



quently when given perfect liberty to go in and out as 

 they please, having plenty of outdoor exercise, make 

 as good feeders as one could wish. The change from 

 the artificial to the natural conditions seems to work 

 wonders in such cases. 



In making selections for feeders, as far as possible 

 select them according to the varieties you want to raise ; 

 for instance for long-billed varieties, you want long- 

 billed feeders, for the short-billed, you want either short 

 or medium-billed varieties, for it can be readily seen 

 that a short-billed bird, no matter how good a feeder, 

 could not feed a Carrier or a Pouter as well as an Ant- 

 werp, a Dragoon, or a common pigeon. While most 

 I'outer breeders find it necessary to employ nurses for 

 raising their young, I have, in my long experience, 

 known of one Pouter breeder who raised d great many 

 in the course of a season, and who depended alone on 

 his Pouters to care for .their young ; this they did as per- 

 fectly as any pigeons do, and go to his lofts at any time 

 and you would find plenty of fat squabs in the nests, and 

 well-matured squealers running about the floor. An- 

 other thing, he disregarded all advice and example in 

 the matter of feeding hemp-seed. He scattered it about 

 lavishly and his birds were never without it. It may be 

 that the stimulating effects of this grain was the cause 

 of such good results in raising so many. But like the. 

 effects of strong drink, once addicted to the use of it, 

 it became a necessity, for Pouters taken from the loft 

 and fed in the usual way, soon lost their sprightly ap- 

 pearance, and if they did not die, it took a long time for 

 them to again regain their life and animation, and come 

 back to what we might term a normal condition. 



.In choosing feeders also some consideration must be 

 taken of their dispositions. As far as possible select 



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