The Feather's Practical Pigeon Book 



'.s a great advantage, as they then do not annoy their 

 parents while attending to the cares of a second family, 

 and are, also, free from any chances of abuse from other 

 members of the loft that they may importune "for a 

 feed." Some male birds will feed any youngster that 

 may solicit it, whether his own or not. Others are more 

 pugnacious, and resent any such familiarity with severe 

 punishment, and it is such that I want to guard against 

 in recommending a separate room for all weanlings. 



Soon after being weaned a partial molt takes place 

 of the body-feathers known as "shedding the nest-feath- 

 ers." These feathers are all dropped gradually through 

 the summer, until the bird has all of its adult plumage. 

 Wing- and tail-feathers are shed about the time of the 

 annual autumnal molt, except in the case of very late- 

 hatched birds, when they are retained until the follow- 

 ing year's autumn molt. The age of young birds can 

 be pretty correctly determined by their feathers. In 

 young birds, fully fledged, but still squealing, the body- 

 feathers will be laced with a very narrow edging of 

 reddish-brown color. The wing^ and tail-feathers are 

 comparatively short and narrow. As they increase in 

 age, these laced feathers are replaced by the broader and 

 clear adult feathers of the body, and when the complete 

 fall molt takes place the wing- and tail-feathers are also 

 replaced by longer and broader feathers. So that if a 

 young bird is found to have all of its body-plumage 

 and its wing- and tail-plumage as well, it can be counted 

 on being at least five or six months old. If younger 

 than this some of its nest-feathers will be found in 

 wings and tail. A young bird can also be told by its 

 feet and bill. Where an adult bird's feet will usually be 

 bright red and firm in texture, the youn^ bird's will be 

 of a bluish-red cast and soft and fine. 



78 



