National Standard Squab Book. 75 
Question. My birds seem timid and I am afraid to catch them. How 
shall I go about it? Answer. Do not be afraid of hurting them. Take a 
broom and drive one where you will, finally pinning it against the side of 
the squab house, or in a corner. Grasp dt and hold its wings firmly and 
it will not struggle. Or you may make a net on the end of a pole, like 
an ordinary fish landing net, and scoop the bird into it as it flies through 
the air. 
Question. Suppose I have several squab houses, as you describe, but 
tet all the birds together inio one large flying pen, where they can bathe 
from one lauge fountain. Answer. This is all right if you do not wish 
to keep close track of your birds. If the birds can roam from one house 
to another, there is nothing to prevent a pair from building one nest on one 
house and then going to another house to build the second nest. 
Question. I believe I will put a strip of ‘wire or piece of wood across 
the front of each nest box so as to keep each pair more secluded, and to 
keep the nests from dropping out. Answer. Don’t do it. You do not 
need, and the pigeons do uot like a dark, secluded nest. Don’t worry 
about the nests falling out. Build the pigeon holes perfectly plain. 
Question. How many squabs shall I pack in one box when sending to 
market? Answer. Having picked out the size of the box you wish, 
fill it up close with squabs, so they will not “shuck.” As to the size of” 
the box, make it as big or little as you ‘please, but do not make it any 
bigger than one expressman can handle easily. A good size is two feet 
square and one foot deep. 
Question. Send me two males and ten females. Answer. You must 
buy your birds in pairs. They pair off in this way, namely, one male to 
one female. One male does not have two or three females. We have 
heard pigeon breeders talk of having one cock which would attend two 
hens, but never had a case in our experience. 
Question. After plucking the squab, and before sending it to market, 
do you remove the entrails? Answer. No. 
Question. In order to avoid the trouble of using the mating coop, may 
I put an equal number of cocks and hens in the same pen? Answer. Yes. 
Question. Can I discover the male and female organs by examination of 
the birds with a magnifying glass? Answer. No. You can discover them 
by dissecting the dead bird. 
Question. Suppose I build the nest boxes larger, so as to give a shelf on 
which the birds can alight? Answer. Don’t do it. The bird will fly 
directly into the nest, or onto the nest box in front of the nest. You do 
not need an alighting place. ; ; 
Question. Seems to me that if I start with 48 pairs of birds, I ought to 
have 96 perches. Auswer. The birds do not all perch at the same time. 
While some are perching. others are on the nests, or walking on the floor, 
or are outside in the flying pen, or on the roof. Put up a few perches 
where you have room and let it go at that. 
