THE START 19 



outhouse that can be made damp proof and wind proof wilJ 

 servo the purpose in a very satisfactory manner for a wliile. 

 The floor of this house should be lifted off the ground p.t least 

 one foot and should be so constructed as to permit a free circu- 

 lation of air beneath the floor at all times. All cracks in the 

 walls and roof should be stopped up so as to keep out the wind 

 and rain. This can be easily done by covering sides a«d roof 

 of the house with a medium grade of roofing paper. A window 

 should be provided so that the birds may got out into the fly 

 pen. This fly pen, which will be hereafter called tlie fly, is 

 nothing more or less than a large wire cage with a frarae \\ork 

 of two inch by four inch timbers covered with one or two inch 

 niosh poultry wire. The fly that has proven most satisfactory 

 to the writer is one ten feet long, eight feet wide and six feet 

 six inches tall, though, owing to the different designs ol pigeon 

 houses they sometimes have to be made a trifle higher and 

 wider but we would recommend that the fly never be made 

 • over eight feet liigli as the builder will waste material and will 

 always be at a disadvantage in that he will have a hard time 

 catching his birds when he ^\■ants to do so. Around the sides 

 of this fly is placed a one inch by six inch board known as a 

 running board. This board is set out about six inches from the 

 wire so that when the birds turn around on it they will not 

 break their tail feathers in the wire. It serves as a place where 

 the birds can sun themselves and rest when off duty. 



In the fly we should provide some kind of receptacle for 

 watering the birds. If running water is not to be used a one 

 gallon drinking fountain should be placed in each pen or fly. 

 These can be bought at almost any seed store or poultry sup- 

 ply house. 



A bath pan should also be provided, for pigeons are extremely 

 fond of bathing in water and it is very beneficial to them. A 

 large dishpan is just the very thing for this purpose and cheap 

 ones may be had at the ten cent stores. 



In the house or loft we should provide nests. For the be- 

 ginner these can be orange crates, laid on their sides, in tiers. 



