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APPENDIX G 



BACK YARD SQUAB BREEDING. " 



Showinp; thnt sijuabhouses in the rear of a city home may be 

 made attractive and interesting. A very satisfactory business of 

 considerable magnitude has been built up here. For particulars, see 

 the accompanying article. 



WHAT WE HAVE DONE WITH SIX 

 PAIRS, by Columbus Nelson. We started 

 here in the State of Washington two years ago 

 with six pairs of Plymouth Rock Homers. 

 From these we now have over two hundred 

 mated pairs of breeders. We sell the squabs 

 in Anacortes at a good figure. Besides saving 

 a number of pairs of breeders during March, 

 over $20 worth of squabs were sold to local 

 fanciers and eager consumers. Ours is the 

 only plant of the kind, so far as we know, in 

 Skagit County. In connection with squabs, 

 my wife and I make a specialty of thorough- 

 bred buff and white Orpingtons and Pekin 

 ducks. We expect to enlarge our plant to two 

 thousand mated pairs of Homers, and then will 

 devote our entire time and our five-acre tract 

 to the raising of squabs for the city markets. 

 We declare, after much work, careful study 

 and experiment, that the business will be a 

 complete success. 



To break up floor nesting, first let the male 

 and female build the nest and as soon as she 

 has laid the first egg, take her and her egg 

 and nest and put her in a nestbox. Put on 

 a wire door so she cannot get out. The door 

 must be taken away at night, so she will not 

 see you. You will not have any more trouble 

 with them. I have been raising pigeons since 

 September, 1908, and have one hundred pairs 

 of Homers and Carneaux. I send my squabs 

 to New York, where I receive the top price. — 

 Walter Hudson, Connecticut. 



HOW I PUSH SQUABS 

 ALONG IN TACOMA, by 

 Adam Sossong. I started with 

 one dozen common pigeons 

 about two years ago to see how 

 it would pay raising squabs for 

 market. I raised one dozen 

 squabs from the commons, took 

 them to the Tacoma Hotel. 

 The first question asked was, 

 are they Homer squabs? I had 

 to tell him, no. The answer he 

 gave me was to get Homers and 

 he would buy the squabs at all 

 times. So I came to think that 

 X would sell the commons and 

 buy Homers. I bought two 

 dozen. As soon as I glanced 

 over Mr. Rice's Manual, I saw 

 some mistakes on my coops and 

 nests. I took the book, read it 

 over carefully and followed his 

 directions up to the mark. I 

 did not have any more trouble 

 selling my squabs, and got more 

 customers in a short time. At 

 present I have four hundred 

 pairs of Homer squab breeders, 

 which are doing their best and 

 raising fine squabs. I do all my 

 selling to hotels and high-class 

 fraternity clubs. My squab- 

 houses are in my back yard. (See 

 photograph.) I praise soaked 

 wheat bread which I give to 

 my birds twice a week, all that they will eat, 

 and green vegetables such as lettuce, clover and 

 cabbage. I will give you the prices on all 

 the feed. Wheat is $2.35, peas $4, kaffir corn 

 $3.50. millet $3, scratch food $2.35, hemp $7, 

 flaxseed S4, buckwheat S6. 



The prices for squabs are from $3.75 to 

 $4.50; if you supply good squabs, you get top 

 prices, for there is always a big demand. 

 There are lots of markets here that would buy 

 squabs if they could get them and enough of 

 them to keep the trade. I don't bother with 

 any markets. I have my steady weekly cus- 

 tomers. I dress all my squabs and get top 

 prices. I get letters from Seattle for squabs 

 so I am not worried about not having a sale. 

 I am going to get a few acres next fall and 

 then I will put in a large stock of breeders. 

 The more Tacoma is growing the better squab 

 sales there will be. Take my advice and get 

 interested in raising squabs, 



I was troubled by three and four weeks old 

 squabs leaving the nests, especially those close 

 to floor. I have begun to wire each in with 

 two-inch poultry wire, tacking a six-inch piece 

 of lath on to the front for a perch, so that par- 

 ents may alight there and feed them through 

 the wire. Most parents feed them O. K. I 

 have had a few that seemed to be allowed to 

 starve to death. — E. S. Riggs, Missouri. 



Keep your squabhouses clean, and neat 

 looking; that is, if you wish to interest visitors. 



