CHAPTER VI. 



LAYING AND HATCHING. 



Laying an Egg is under the Control of the Pigeon's Mind — 

 Fertile and Infertile Eggs — How the Cock Drives the Hen — 

 One Day between Eggs — Hatch after Seventeen Days 

 — How Squabs are Fed by the Par en' Birds — Mating 

 Males and Females — Use of the Mating Coop — Determina- 

 tion of Sex — Color of Feathers Has No Effect on Color of 

 Flesh — Pigeons Left to Themselves Will Not Inbreed — No 

 Inbreeding Necessary even if you Start wi^h a Small Flock. 



The hen pigeon builds the nest. When the nest is built, 

 the cock begins to " drive " the hen around the house and 

 pen. In a flock of breeding pigeons you always will see one 

 or two cocks " driving " their mates, pecking at them and 

 nagging them with the purpose of forcing them onto the nest 

 to lay the eggs. The cock seems to take more interest in the 

 coming family than the hen. 



The hen lays one egg in the nest, then skips a day and lays 

 the second egg on the third day. Seventeen days after being 

 laid the eggs hatch. The egg first laid hatches a day before 

 the second, sometimes, but usually the parents do not sit 

 close on the first egg, but stand. over it, and do not incubate 

 it. Sometimes one squab may get more than its share of 

 food, and the younger one will weaken and die. This seldom 

 happens but if you see one squab considerably larger than the 

 other, the thing to do is to exchange with a squab from 

 another nest that is nearer the size of the remaining squab. 

 The old birds will not notice the change but will continue 

 feeding the foster squab. 



The process of laying an egg is a mental operation. We 

 mean by this that it is not a process which goes on regularly 

 in spite of all conditions. The hen forms the egg in her body 

 and lays it when she is in condition to, and when she wants 

 to, not when she is forced to. In other words, the hen lays 

 whefi conditions are satisfactory to her. That she forms the 

 egg at will is proven by many things, principally by the fact 

 that she allows one day to come in between the first and 



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