Profitable Squab Breeding Part 7

Sometimes a pigeon will sit out in a cold rain or sleep in a stray draft and catch cold. This makes it sick and stupid, and it should be cared for at once.

To cure a cold of this kind, give five-drops of castor oil and the next day a one grain capsule of quinine. Follow this with ten drop doses of cod liver oil for a few days and the bird will soon be as lively as ever.

LEG WEAKNESS

Leg weakness is usually caused by inbreeding or an accidental weakness.

There is no certain cure for it, because we never know just what has caused the trouble. If a bird seems weak in the legs rub some camphorated oil on the hock joint and repeat the operation as long as necessary. The short-legged varieties like the Homer very seldom have any trouble with their legs.

WING DISEASE

Wing disease is a trouble of the "elbow." It is caused by a hurt, and the injured bird becomes lame in the wing. Presently a lump forms on the elbow and this increases in size, filling with a yellowish cheesy matter, causing the bird to drag the wing.

The only thing to do is to run camphorated oil on the injured spot, and when the swelling has reached full size cut it open. Usually the bird is not injured as a breeder, but it must make its nest on the floor, as it can not fly. If the disease is noticed at the very start, it sometimes may be cured; but if the trouble is neglected, a crippled bird is the result. For the sake of the appearance of the flock such birds should not be allowed to remain in the loft. If your windows or openings from the loft to the fly are good size there is little danger of this trouble for it is usually caused by the bird striking the wing in its rush to get outside. Birds that are wild or too often disturbed are more liable to this trouble.

WORMS

Worms sometimes bother pigeons. If a bird has a varying appet.i.te and seems to be running down, watch its droppings and it is likely that worms may be found in them. If the worms are not found, it is not conclusive evidence that they are not sapping the vitality of the bird and it should be treated.

A bit of garlic every morning will usually cure the disease. The piece of garlic should be about the size of a pea. A pill of powdered areca nut mixed with b.u.t.ter is also an effective remedy, or a pill as large as a small pea of gum aloes will kill the worms. Give any one of these remedies and expect a cure. Give the remedy before the bird has eaten in the morning.

LICE

Lice are not a disease, but they can do more damage than any disease. If they once get a start in the pigeon loft, it requires heroic treatment to get them subdued. If attention is paid to cleanliness, old nests taken out and burned as soon as they are empty, insect powder sprinkled in the nest boxes and tobacco stems are used for nesting material, lice will never get a foothold in the loft. If it should happen that lice get a start, take the birds out of the loft and clean it thoroughly. Then paint the walls and nest boxes with kerosene and afterward whitewash every part of the inside with lime.

DISINFECTANTS

Any druggist will supply a good disinfectant and give direction how to mix it for use. This should be sprinkled about the floor once in two or three weeks, and always mixed with the whitewash which is used on the loft. A mild disinfectant should be sprinkled on the floor at least once a week, and twice a week is better. Go quietly into the loft and gently sprinkle the solution on the floor, but not on the nests, as this frightens the birds. Keep the air of the lofts always smelling sweet and pure and there will be no trouble with disease.

DOUGLAS MIXTURE

Douglas Mixture is an old-time tonic, much esteemed by a good many breeders of pigeons and poultry. It is made by dissolving eight ounces of iron sulphate (copperas) in two gallons of water and then very slowly adding one ounce of sulphuric acid. Put in jugs and it will keep indefinitely. If a tablespoon of this is put in the drinking water occasionally, it will act as a tonic and make the blood richer. It is especially recommended for use during the molting season.

GENTIAN AS A TONIC

Compound tincture of gentian is highly recommended as a tonic for pigeons. If the birds seem out of condition, a tea-spoonful of this in the drinking water will tone them up and give them good appet.i.tes again.

When the birds are molting during the months of September, October and November, a tablespoonful of compound extract of gentian in the drinking water every Sunday morning will keep the birds in condition, but this should not be used if the Douglas Mixture is used as a tonic.

SWEET FERN TEA

For looseness of the bowels, sweet fern tea has been found a very good remedy. Looseness of the bowels occurs from feeding too much wheat that has not been well dried. It also comes from impure water or unsound feed of any kind. To cure it a good handful of the leaves is put into three gallons of water and boiled down to one-half. Put a teacupful of this in two gallons of drinking water.

NUX VOMICA

Some breeders recommend nux vomica very highly as a tonic, and we mention it so those who follow the directions in this book may have their choice. Sixty drops of the tincture of nux vomica is put in two gallons of the drinking water twice a week, during the molting season.

At other times in the year it is given when the flock seems to lack liveliness or to be droopy for any reason.

The tincture of nux vomica is about the easiest of all the tonics to use, as enough for a year can be kept in a small bottle and put into the water without trouble at any time it is needed.

THE MEDICINE CHEST

Every pigeon-breeder should have a small box in which to keep a supply of the medicines which may be needed. This box should contain a pot of carbolated vaseline to be used on cuts or bruises, as in wing trouble.

There should be a four-ounce bottle of peroxide of hydrogen, a small bottle of camphorated oil, an ounce or two of carbolic acid, a few quinine capsules, a bottle of cod liver oil and a bottle filled with kerosene. There should also be a medicine dropper, such as is used to fill fountain pens, and a small sewing machine oil can to use in cases of roup. Such a medicine chest will come handy many times a year.

Don't get into the habit of dosing your birds for every imaginary trouble. If pigeons are given a dry, light house, good sound grain, plenty of grit, salt, charcoal and perfectly pure water to drink, with good facilities for bathing, there will be little call for use of medicines. Only doctor sick birds when necessary, and then take them out of the loft and keep them out until they are well. The careful pigeon-breeder will always learn to know his birds by sight and will notice any symptoms of disease as soon as they appear. Once any disease is noticed, apply the remedy at once without giving the ailment opportunity to become chronic.

If the directions given in this book are followed, the pigeon-breeder, although he may start without practical knowledge of the business, will be able to carry his birds along in good health and promote productiveness in such a manner that he may antic.i.p.ate the best results from his work.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER VIII

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION--CATCHING MATED PAIRS

When it is desired to catch mated pairs, take the catching net into the fly with you. Drive all the pigeons out in the fly and shut them out of the house. Then take another person with you and go into the fly. Watch until a c.o.c.k begins to drive a hen and trap him in the net, while your helper watches the hen. Take the c.o.c.k out of the net and hand it to your helper, who will catch the hen. Then band the two, putting the band on the right leg of the c.o.c.k and on the left leg of the hen. If squabs are banded in the nest, nearly all of them will be found banded correctly if the band has been put on the right leg of the squab first hatched and on the left leg of the one hatched later.

STARTING A LOFT

Buy from ten to fifty mated pairs, according to the amount with which you decide to begin. Keep all the best squabs hatched during the year, so cross-mating them as not to have nest mates mated up for breeding.

Dispose of all under-sized squabs, and when the birds have grown up sell all those which prove inferior. In this way you will learn to manage your loft and get your breeding stock at the lowest possible cost.

THE PRICE OF BREEDING STOCK

It does not pay to start with poor breeding stock. Buy of a reliable breeder and pay a fair price. No one can afford to sell first-cla.s.s breeding stock except in certain seasons at less than $1.50 a pair in large numbers or less than $2.00 a pair when from ten to twenty-five pairs are sold in a lot. It is poor economy to buy common pigeons as squab-breeders at any price and just as bad management to buy cheap Homers and run the risk of getting old and worn out birds.

BEST WEIGHT FOR SQUABS

Squabs that weigh less than eight pounds to the dozen are not desirable, as they sell at a price which drops rapidly as they run below eight pounds to the dozen. It costs just as much to raise a dark-fleshed and light-weight squab as it does to raise a big plump bird with white flesh; and a pair of pigeons which produce dark squabs of light weights should be disposed of. Select all the time for heavy weights in your squabs and get the top of the market.

LENGTH OF BREEDING PERIOD