414 



APPENDIX G 



decided advantage over the haphazard, thought- 

 less breeder. 



; It is not my intention in this article to discuss 

 in detail these principles of breeding, because 

 of lack of space, but I may do so in future 

 articles; but it is my purpose here to call the 

 attention of the reader to the great, funda- 

 mental laws of breeding and cause him to 

 think and consider whether to secure the best 

 results, even the breeding of pigeons requires 

 careful thought and study as well as practical 

 experience. 



I merely wish to mention two matters in 

 conclusion that I will not have time in this 

 article to elaborate: 



1. That the haphazard cross-breeding of 

 pigeons is not nearly so likely to produce 

 pigeons of high quality as a systematic course 

 of breeding thoroughbreds that have had their 

 excellent qualities impressed upon them by 

 generations of careful breeding, and a careful 

 selection for breeding stock of those only that 

 possess in a high degree the qualities desired, 

 as in utility pigeons — size, quality, and color 

 of the meat, and iiroHficness, while at the same 

 time being attractive in appearance. 2. There 

 is nothing in the assertion made by some that 

 there is a principle of breeding which causes 

 the squab to take its color from the cock and 

 its shape and size from the hen, though it is 

 contended for by some breeders and writers. 

 My_ contention, which is sustained by the ex- 

 perience of the best known breeders of live- 

 stock, poultry, and pigeons, is that there is 

 no law of sex controlling any certain qualities, 

 but that the cock and hen have an equal 

 tendency to impart all their qualities upon their 

 squabs, • strengthened or^ weakened by the 

 prepotency or want of it in each. I may 

 discuss this question further in a future article. 



The object of this article is not to arouse 

 controversy, but to offer some suggestions in 

 order to. arouse the young breeder to endeavor 

 by careful thought, study, and practice to 

 breed better birds than he is now breeding. 



WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN BREEDIWCJ 

 SQUABS, by Judge Ocie Speer. Most people 

 who have owned a dozen pigeons stand ready 

 at a moment's notice to give all sorts of advice 

 about the pigeon business, and I want to 

 exercise that privilege at this time, — possibly 

 to the profit of some beginner. 



First, one should not expect to breed twelve 

 pairs of squabs a year, from each pair of birds. 

 No one but a Micawlaer expects every lot in 

 the block to be a comer lot, and none but the 

 most_ delectable ■ optimist numbers his pro- 

 spective herd by calculating every calf a heifer. 

 It is not safe to buy your seed stock of any 

 breed, however prolific, and count in advance 

 that you will certainly get twelve pairs of 

 squabs from each mated pain, the first year, and 

 that all youngsters will live, mate at four 

 months, and repeat the process of producing 

 twelve pairs of squabs every twelve months. 

 In the first place, if such figures " panned 

 out " (that isn t a good figrure, I mean " hatched 

 out"), everybody would go into the pigeon 



business, and tl rre wouldn't be room for the 

 birds raised. } Urthermore, there would be 

 no glory in achie ing a thing so easy to be done. 

 Pigeons won't i^icrease that fast, with any 

 amount of care. Don't be foolish and expect 

 it. If you get eyiht pairs of squabs a year, 

 and have parent "pairs enough, you stand a 

 good chance to get rich. 



Second, one should not expect to raise every 

 squab that is hatchtd. I have tried chickens 

 and they are the best diers I ever saw. Mor- 

 tality tables, if they were kept for chickens, 

 would read something like this : 



STANDARD MORTALITY TABLE SHOWING LIFE 

 EXPECTANCY OF CHICKENS 



At pipping time Nil. 



At hatching time Too early to estimate. 



One day old . . One chance in a thousand to sur- ' 

 vive. 



One week old One day (if not too hot or too 



cold). 

 One month old .... One week (if no sign of sick- 

 ness). 



Now, every one who has tried both, knows 

 that pigeons are more healthy and easier to 

 raise than chickens, yet squabs can die, and do 

 die. The breeder is lucky if, with the best 

 care, he raises to full maturity, ninety per cent 

 of the squabs hatched. He ought not to raise 

 less chan seventy-five per cent. If he raises 

 only fifty per' cent, his busines may yet be 

 profitable, since squabs, like the good, die 

 early, and their keep has been inconsiderable, 

 and the parent pair " get busy " again. 



Next, one should not get discouraged too early, 

 nor at all. There is no royal road to wealth; 

 not even the pigeon fancier is borne "on 

 flowery beds of ease " to that earthly haven of 

 "peace and plenty." Everything worth ac- 

 complishing requires an effort, and an intel- 

 ligent effort at that. Experience proves that 

 pigeon breeding is not only a pleasant occupa- 

 tion, but a profitable one. The business can 

 be made a " go," even under unfavorable con- 

 ditions, and knowing this, the beginner must 

 acknowledge no such word as quit. 



But enough of advice. I shall now tell you 

 some other things either interesting or helpful. 



Item number one. One of my fine Car- 

 neau hens accidentally broke her egg. I don't ■ ' 



mean it was broken on the floor and the con- 

 tents spattered about, but the outer shell was 

 broken in a place as large as a pea. I care- 

 fully sealed up the break with a little plaster, 

 commercially known as Cementiimi, and re- 

 placed the egg in the nest. It hatched on 

 time, and the pigeon is now mated and working 

 in my loft of solid reds. I have repeated this 

 many times. 



Item number two. I have a pair of birdi 

 that have been nesting and laymg for some 

 time, but that is all they do. Try as I may. I 

 have never been able to induce madame to 

 sit a single day. She lays every ten days. I i ; 



shall keep her to see how long she will continue ■ 



to do so. 



Item number three. I had a pair of very 

 fine solids reds to mate and set up houseke^ing 

 at four and a half months old. They were 



