CHAPTER XII. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
Women and Squab Breeding—Atteutions of the Male to the Female 
Pigeon—Equal Number of Males and E'emales—Birds Flying Wild— 
Sale of Birds for Flyers—Variation in Size of Nest Boxes—How 
Squabs Are Artificially Fattened—Shipping to Hngland—Training 
Flyers—A. Remarkable Service for Messages Between Islands. 
Question. J am a woman who knows absolutely nothing of squab rais- 
ing. Do you think I can make a success of it? Answer. Our books are 
written and printed for the purpose of telling an absolutely ignorant per- 
son just how to proceed. If you will study this Manual, until you get the 
general plan and method of procedure in your mind, there is no reason 
why you cannot make a success of it. A woman is quick enough to 
puzzle out a new pattern of embroidery or a blind cooking recipe the 
terms of which are expressed in language utterly incomprehensible to a 
man. We find that our women customers are just as quick to compre- 
hend pigeons as soon as they get started. It is necessary to have confi- 
dence, first that the birds can make money, and second, that you are able 
to handle them right. Women succeed with hens quite as well as men. 
They ‘‘take”’ to animals fully as well as men. The fact that you, our 
eustomer, are a woman, ought to encourage rather than depress you, in 
the squab business. 
Question. I have an old poultry house 15 by 20 feet in size, ten feet 
high. How many pairs of pigeons can I accommodate? Answer. We have 
this question asked us many times, and our reply to all is the same. 
Sometimes the customer varies it ‘by asking, How large a house do I need 
to accommodate 100 pairs of breeders? Sometimes they say they propose 
remodeling a barn loft which is 30 by 20 feet in size. The dimensions of 
the building vary with the customer. You can always accommodate as 
many pairs of breeders as you can make room for pairs of nest boxes. 
Fix up your building to suit yourself, and put in as many nest boxes 
as you wish. Then count your nest boxes and you will know how many 
birds you can accommodate. You must have two nest boxes for every 
pair of birds. If vou have 100 nest boxes, you should order 50 pairs of 
birds. If you have 200 nest boxes, you, should order 100 pairs of birds. 
For 24 pairs of birds you will need 48 nest boxes. 
Question. How does the male bird impregnate the female bird? They 
do not seem to me to act as roosters and hens do. Answer. The human 
eye is not sharp and quick enough to follow the actions of the male bird. 
72) 
