80 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



A good practice when feeding a small assortment of cheap 

 grain, is to change the feed combination slightly once or twice 

 a week. Some breeders switch from one combination to another 

 daily; for instance, wheat, kafir corn and peas one day, and 

 wheat, milo maize, corn and peanuts the next day. 



Corn is the one grain that contains the largest per cent of the 

 different essential food values for pigeons. 



Kafir corn, milo maize and feterita contain about the same 

 food value as corn, and each contains more of the different 

 essential food values than any other grain. Each of these 

 grains constitute almost a balanced food, and either could be 

 fed alone for a short period and for a longer period by adding 

 a small portion of peas, or pea substitute. 



Cracked corn is not as good as whole corn for pigeons, but 

 is necessary in the absence of kafir corn, milo maize or feterita 

 when pigeons have young squabs to feed, as squabs less than 

 a week or ten days old can not take whole grain com. Squabs 

 can swallow whole com easily after they are ten days old. 

 There is no danger of squabs getting choked on whole corn, 

 for their throats are larger than the opening in their beaks, 

 and they can swallow anything that they can get in their mouths. 



COMPOSITION OF PIGEON FEED 



If one cares to go into the question of the composition of feed 

 in a scientific way much benefit can be had by studying care- 

 fully the relative values of the different articles of feed suitable 

 for pigeons, but even a sight knowledge gained by a hurried 

 reading of the following facts will prove beneficial as well as 

 interesting. To start with, I will quote from an article written 

 by Mr. Jas. P. Kinnard: 



"The feed of herbivorous animals, poultry and pigeons, con- 

 tains the same four groups of substances found in the body, 

 towit: (1) Water; (2) Ash; (3) Protein (or nitrogenous nutri- 

 ents) ; (4) Fats; and in addition thereto they also contain another 

 class of nutrients called (5) Nitrogen-free extracts, mostly carbo- 

 hydrates, which is, by far, the most plentiful feed contained 

 in nearly all grains and vegetable feeds. Thus it will be seen 

 that there is no element contained in the animal body similar 

 to the nitrogen free extracts, or carbohydrates, the most plenti- 

 ful of all material contained in seeds and grains." 



