106 
FOREST AND STREAM 
July 26, 1913 
Squab Breeding 
II.—The Arrival of Spring 
By THOS. WRIGHT 
Photographs by Helen D. Van Eaton. 
T HE continuous coo and assurance of in¬ 
crease in the squab house calls us to an 
unlimited number of duties, which if not 
listened to, means considerable loss. As all 
nature is appealing to us now, harmonizing our 
concentrated thoughts upon the attraction of 
outdoor life, the flowers springing from their 
winter sleep, many leaves bursting into life, so 
in our squab house nature has asserted herself, 
and calls all our birds to a sense of duty; also 
reminds us as their attendants and assistants in 
their confinement there are many details in which 
we can be helpful. 
We shall now reduce the quantity of all 
heating and carbonium foods, especially the 
quantity of corn and substituting the same pro¬ 
portion in wheat, which should be about 20 per 
cent, of the entire bill of fare. 
Cut short the usual supply of hemp seed, 
except in pens where there is a lax among the 
breeders. Hemp is a stimulant very fattening, 
and is a nourishing feather food. Also a tonic 
to the genital organs, creating in a languid bird 
a sense of activity in its desire to breed. Kaffir 
corn and peas may be used more freely, as they 
possess less carbon than maize. Indian corn, and 
fills the bill in its stead as a summer diet. 
See to it that all surplus cocks are removed 
from the breeding birds, until they are mated, 
one unmarried gentleman is capable of destroy¬ 
ing the harmony and successful attempt of a 
whole pen of breeders. Feed a little earlier in 
the morning and give less at a meal now than 
two months, ago, dividing the daily allowance into 
three meals instead of two. Our custom here in 
the mountains, after April 15, is to feed at 6 
a. m., again at 11 a. m., again at 4 p. m., or a 
little later. No more grain is used than when 
we fed in winter only twice, but the variety is 
changed as are the hours of feeding. Egg pro¬ 
duction is largely governed by the normal con¬ 
dition of the bird, environments made cheerful 
and agreeable, fatty degeneration must be un¬ 
known to the system. There is much more than 
we are apt to imagine belong to the relation¬ 
ship of the bird and its attendant, both in 
pigeons and poultry. There must be a happy 
assimilation of duty and response in both. I 
have seen squab breeders who could not make 
a given lot of pigeons breed squabs enough to 
pay for the water they drank, say nothing of 
food. I have also seen the self same pigeons 
taken by another person, and in no time breed 
like rats, and now is the time when all birds, 
whether confined or not, are desirous of in¬ 
creasing their race. 
From now until July all large birds hatched 
should be saved for stock purposes. Squabs will 
be plentiful and cheap, but squabs weighing from 
ten to twelve pounds to the dozen are never so 
degenerate in price, or so abundant, but what 
the breeder may almost secure his own quotation. 
Upon this farm we anticipate our output 
from our large squab breeding stock will fill 
every requirement. We are replacing all homers 
except a few with large specimens of different 
varieties of our own breeding. We had a caller 
the other day—a proprietor of an up-to-date 
hostelry in New York—who wished to see some 
of our improved squabs, and who was very much 
surprised when we showed him squabs weighing 
from thirty-eight ounces to the pair at three 
weeks old up to two pounds and three-quarters 
at four weeks old to the pair. These were Flor¬ 
entine Maltese crosses, plump, light in color of 
flesh, and of excellent proportions. I also 
showed him many others at different stages of 
infancy which he complimented me very highly 
upon, as he said they were better than he ever 
believed possible to breed, and a great lesson in 
squab progression. 
The season now is favorable, as naturally 
in the proper season of increase the productive 
organs are at their best, but it is equally possible 
to obtain the same results under artificial con¬ 
ditions in winter if well understood. 
It is a good plan to sow a good bed of let¬ 
tuce. Pigeons are very fond of this salad and 
enjoy it more than any other green food we 
can feed. Poultry enjoy cabbages and other 
green foods, but lettuce and the wild plantain 
are the only vegetation we may feed to our 
pigeons, without danger of purging, and upon 
Yarna Farm here at Napanoch we sow an un¬ 
limited crop of lettuce that they may have it 
the year through as far as possible. 
As the spring advances, the bath must not 
be omitted. A four-inch deep galvanized iron 
pan, about two feet in diameter, is the proper 
pan for bathing purposes, filled with good clean 
water every day with a few drops of sulpho 
napthol in it will answer two purposes—add to 
the sanitation and cleanliness, and aid in the 
necessary moisture during incubation. I have 
seen instances where neglect in general reigned 
supreme. Pigeons would fly any distance to get 
access to water for bathing, and it is such an 
inexpensive requisite and so important, especially 
in the warm breeding season; and when only 
scantily supplied, squabs often die at hatching, 
the inner membrane becomes harsh and dry, and 
the peeper cannot extricate itself from the shell. 
All these little details need our attention. 
Use tobacco stems for nest material. We 
may throw a little coarse litter of straw, cut 
finely, in the aviaries for the birds to line 
the nest, but if we break up tobacco stems 
into about four-inch pieces and place in nest¬ 
ing apartments, we retard the breeding of para¬ 
sites ; and after each nesting, when squabs have 
left the nest, thoroughly clean the bowl and 
scrape the shelf perfectly. Pigeons are not apt 
to produce lice if kept reasonably clean. Never 
disturb a pair of growing squabs in the nest. 
No lice will breed until after fermentation of 
droppings, and this fermentation never takes 
place until manure, which may be left around 
nests where squabs have deserted, becomes dry; 
and, of course, no reasonably cleanly squab 
breeder would allow this possibility. Attend 
strictly to the sanitary condition of details, per¬ 
taining to the question. Squabs will be healthier 
and will grow proportionately faster and larger. 
Our aim at Yama Farms is to practice what we 
preach, and by constant care, attention and per¬ 
severance to breed a stud of squab pigeons which 
are second to none in this or any other country. 
In view of the fact that no provisions are 
made for the education of the squab breeder 
at our agricultural colleges, and desiring to share 
our knowledge and facilities with the inexperi¬ 
enced, the owner of Yama Farms extends to the 
person contemplating the industry an invitation 
to come here and get the proper initiation and 
knowledge of practicability. It is with no de¬ 
sire to make money this opportunity is offered, 
THE THREE AGES OF SQUAB. 
Photograph by Helen D. Van Eaton. 
