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Rearing of Pigeons for Market. [aug., 



breeders in each section, and with proper arrangements for 

 keeping the nests clean and feeding outside. Large undivided 

 houses to accommodate hundreds or thousands of birds are not 

 at all satisfactory, and the best results cannot be attained when 

 too many birds are housed together. 



A loft io ft. by 8 ft. will amply accommodate thirty pairs of 

 breeding pigeons, and the nests and perches may be con- 

 veniently arranged in this way : — Movable shelves, 9 in. wide, 

 are ranged round the walls, one over the other, at distances 

 apart of about 1 ft. These are divided into double nests by 

 sliding partitions, placed at distances of 2 ft. asunder. The 

 shelves are supported by brackets, and along the edge of each 

 shelf a 3 in. wide lath is nailed, to keep the nests in position and 

 keep the eggs and young birds from falling to the floor. 



The walls of the rooms are thoroughly lime washed twice a 

 year, and whenever a shelf becomes entirely vacant it is taken 

 out and thoroughly scraped, scoured, and lime washed. While 

 there are eggs or young birds in the nests of course this cannot 

 be done, but as each nest becomes vacant the accumulated dirt 

 is cleared away and that portion of the shelf is dressed with air 

 slacked lime before a new nest is put in. 



Pigeons are inclined instinctively to build their own nests, 

 but if a good supply of suitable material is left on the shelves, 

 much valuable time is saved. Coarse straw, cut to 6 in. lengths, 

 makes a nest to take the pigeons' fancy, and they also like to 

 use stems of plants, thin twigs, &c. 



Perches of a convenient kind may be made by attaching 

 pieces of broom-handle, about a foot long, to the shelves, and 

 one of these will suffice for each pair of birds. On the floor 

 some material, such as saw-dust or peat moss litter, should be 

 spread, and this should be renewed frequently. 



Pigeons must not be fed within the breeding-house for several 

 reasons, the most important of which is that the food would 

 draw rats and mice to the house. Attached to the loft there 

 ought to be a " flier " or enclosure, which can be cheaply made 

 of wire-netting stretched on a light framework. This will be 

 necessary as an exercising and feeding-place for the birds. 



Common Causes of Losses. — A certain percentage of losses 

 must be expected, but it is possible to keep the proportion very 



