LIVING QUARTERS ARE SIMPLE 569 



are sometimes deceived in their selection of the male bird. The 

 male is apt to be larger and more active in the love-making, and 

 his voice is more guttural and his expression more masculine — 

 more determined. 



It is customary for the first squabs to be reared in the mating- 

 pen, after which the parent birds are permanently leg-banded 

 and numbered and removed to their permanent quarters on 

 the farm. This is the natural method of mating birds. 



The forced method of mating consists in confining a male and 

 female in a mating coop, a cage about three feet long and twelve 

 to fifteen inches high and the same in depth, with a wire parti- 

 tion in the center which can be removed or hinged back as 

 desired. The hen is placed in one side and the cock in the other, 

 where they can watch and study each other at close range for 

 a week or ten days, and become enamoured of each other's charms. 

 The partition is then removed, and if they take to each other's 

 society and the mating is successful, they are taken from the 

 mating coop and given their freedom in one of the regular pens. 

 This method is used successfully, and is of practical benefit 

 where special matings are desired. For example, some matings 

 produce undesirable qualities in the squabs, in which case it 

 becomes necessary to cull the flock and remate along other lines. 



Quarters. — Pigeons are accommodating creatures; they will 

 adapt themselves to almost every condition, from the eaves of 

 the barn to the nests of a well-appointed loft. They do best, 

 of course, in quarters that are fairly roomy, dry, well-ventilated 

 and sunshiny. Almost any style of building can be converted 

 into a satisfactory pigeon loft with very few modifications. To 

 avoid dampness the location should be well drained. A southern 

 or southeastern exposure is best, and the same general principles 

 that apply to hen houses also apply to pigeon lofts. The walls 

 and roof should be tightly constructed to prevent leaks and drafts, 

 and above everything else the house must be proof against rats. 

 These pests are notorious thieves in a pigeon loft, killing hun- 

 dreds of young birds and destroying the eggs. 



Arrangement of House. — It is customary to divide the house 



