94 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



In order to get birds to eat an extra supply of charcoal mix 

 salt with it or pour salt water over the charcoal. Sometimes 

 it is necessary to take other forms of salt away from the birds 

 for a day or two in order to make them eat the salt and charcoal 

 mixture. This is only necessary, however, in extreme cases of 

 bowel trouble. The same charcoal and salt mixture should be 

 kept before the young birds during weaning time and for a few 

 weeks after the old birds have stopped feeding them. ■ 



In dry weather it is not a bad plan to throw a few handfuls 

 of charcoal in the fly pens, as birds seem to enjoy picking it 

 up, but this is a wasteful method in wet or bad weather. 



OYSTER SHELL 



Pigeons require a certain percentage of lime substances to 

 keep them healthy. Their systems require the consumption of 

 lime in certain seasons of the year and under certain conditions 

 more than at other times. The female, however, requires more 

 lime than the male as she needs it for the manufacture of egg 

 shell. Lime for this purpose must be supplied in the form of 

 shells or certain lime stone. Oyster shell is probably the best, 

 most convenient and usually the cheapest lime containing sub- 

 stance and the one that the birds seem to like the best. Clam 

 shells will do, but are not as good. Small sea shells are extra 

 fine. 



Do not confuse your oyster shell with grit, however. Birds 

 need grit with which to grind their food, and lime-containing 

 substances do not serve this purpose. Mediumly crushed oyster 

 shell should be kept before the birds at all times. It can gener- 

 ally be secured in three sizes, fine, medium and coarse, at 

 poultry supply houses. The coarse is too large and cannot be 

 swallowed by pigeons. The fine is so small that there is a 

 lot of waste to it as pigeons will not eat the dust. Hence, the 

 medium is the practicable size for pigeons. 



The best way to supply oyster shell is in a small receptacle 

 placed in the middle of the nest room or in a grit hopper as is 

 described elsewhere under that head. 



SALT 



People who are not familiar with the habits of pigeons are 

 surprised to learn that they eat salt, and especially when they 



