LAYING AND HATCHING 



25 



to hatch has the advantage in getting food first. It is not a 

 bad idea, tlioreforc, where squabs arc to be killed later, to 

 change them from one nest to another so that both squabs in 

 any nest will he of the same size and liii\i> tlie same chance at 

 gelling food. Where one s(|uali is larger fhan the other the 

 largei- one usually gets the most food and very naturally grows 

 faster and larger. The \\rifer does not adxdcate this change 

 in a case where tlii' sqnahs arc lucd li-om exiiihition specimens 

 and are, tlieinsehcs, to lie saxi'd foi' it is not at all unlikely 

 that a mistake may occur in tlic record keeping, thus losing 

 track of the [lai'entage of the sqnahs. 



wnrrto icinc yqu.vp.s three ri.\v8 (.)i,ii .vNn T\yEiA'E d.ws old 



rholo from .laelc M. Tun, Stocklon, Calif. 



When squabs are jjorn they look like little yellow Iwlls of 

 down. At the end of the first \\'eek of their lives they still have 

 this suit hut have about trebled their formi'r size. The expira- 

 tion of two weeks finds them very much larger and practically 

 covered with feathers. Al three weeks old they are alniust com- 

 pletely covered \\ith all of fheii' feathers and at fovu' \\'eeks of 

 age they are entirely feathered and ready to leave the nest and 

 go to market or to the floor of the loft if they are to be saved for 

 breeding purposes. They are allowed to remain in the lofts about 

 one week after leaving the nests, if they are to be saved. This 



