| Show HOM HOMING ING CARRIER PIGEONS now how tile ho fleet winvil birth birds MJ ma ve re I 1 kept all anil Tra bied A CLEAN DRY AND SPACIOUS ATTIC or loft idoft the fie fleet requisite occa flary asey iod anti tho the proper care or tho the young youir tho ideal Ilo homor Antor and other notable fia ers with will big biff cop right rl M ln by james XV jahnson Joti inon 1 1 L T it 11 0 U U G 31 11 10 0 homing pig pigeons at am tire iho most interesting I 1 I 1 ter te and attractive F of a all 11 birds that are r if possessed ass a a q a it of 4 trong domestic 4 tendencies ton dencks and so ao I 1 little Is known ak concerning their habits habit s and r requirements P I 1 quire ments that I 1 6 tho the average householder hesitates about venturing i to establish H R loft of lit lila own the comparatively few who love dono done so lind find in their swift and graceful flyers a never falling failing source of delight it Is not nores nf cestary ary to boa bo a professional fancier or a member of a homing club to sue sq fully raise suit and train boning iio nang pigeons hons their study and caro can and ought to rank among tile most charming recreations of country or suburban alft NN vitlo bile oien clien in cities valuable flocks docks may be ba and are am Inal tabled fascinating indeed anch birds bo be conio after a very slight actual acquaintance fallen with thorn them tho the growth of that r individual characteristics almost as distinct and varied as I 1 Is A tho ilia human family their marked intelligence their high slid and e IS ap 11 ri 11 C 1 tilt I 1 im r 71 ax I 1 aran I 1 I 1 I 1 4 t I 1 i YN Y N C I 1 A PIGEON long circling sweeps as they grow old enough to test lest their wing then their fisl of it toss loss a fow few miles from home and tho the gradual lengthening of tho the tossing distance until tho the day comes when like miles multiplied by hundreds if w elsh asli it so soom seem never too many to keep hoop tire tho it self ift and strong and tireless liral si flyers dyers from making a direct and lightning liko course chirse to tire tho ono one spot on earth which they love because it is their only homo all these things make homing homine pigeon culture a pursuit which grows la fit later interest with tit every additional day it Is a pursuit which may alay be advantageously taken up by tho the young people of any family vi mihoe hose home Is so arranged that a not be Int inthoulay bomay ill I 1 he a loft Is easily constructed it may bo be b built allt out of doors or a corner of it born barn or shed or garret may bo be wired off for tho the purpose some of tho the most ex lofts in tho the united states aro are built upon tho the flat roof of city bon homos I 1 eq A loft 91 six foot square and six alx lx or seven feet high will comfortably accommodate a flock of forty birds and would not bo be too loo largo for a beginners fow few pairs of young birds nothing Is worse for homing pigeons than han over oscr and it Is just as easy at the start to construct a spacious ter loft t as to build ono that v ill soon on pro a otoo too small still roost important Is 11 to seo that your loft Is free from draughts and dampness attention attend on to details of this kind at the iho beginning Is tire tho best kind of insurance insi ranco against bird diseases in tho the flock you liopo hope to own with tho the loft it dry ry and f freo reo f from real it draught fi no artificial beat girat in winter Is required indeed it should bo be avoided lofts can bo be low priced or expensive according to taste A simple encin mire could bo be made almost without expense ei penso by any clever boy or young man of mechanical chan ch leal skill Shel shelves cs divined divided into compartments should be unlaced along the he walls for future nesting and each compartment should havo have one calo half balf of its front enclosed for homing pig pigeons wh when n a pegs and small platforms can bo be placed about tho the loft as the iho owner pleases somo of 0 coarse aro are necessary tho the home prepared it Is time to look for its occupants A single pair of y young ung pigeons may bo be bought but it Is better to purchase several pairs it if you want a largo flock tho the best plan at bo be ginning Is to buy about sit all pairs of young pigeons and instead of 0 dealing with a single fancier ret get tho the birds from two or three good reliable fanciers in our neighborhood you can bay young homing pigeons it ill 52 a pair but it Is much moro more to lo tell your fancier that you want birds front from tho the best strains obtainable at 85 a pair you can call buy oral first class record birds with guaranteed pedigrees pedigreed grees tho the young of 1 I 1 11 11 1 tp I 1 I 1 0 E Z 0 1 I 1 i I 1 1 il 1 I 1 11 I 1 I 1 N P S 1 I 1 0 a I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 AI r THE IDEAL record makers are ro alwag alwa good birds bird b but a t it I 1 Is 3 better belter to got birds whose cider brothers brother or sisters have also made good records than you are doubly suroor auro of hai having ing pigeons you will yet bo be proud of SOMO LImPs a loft Is IA started by buying two twe or throe pairs of old birds that have brod bred record birds then if tire tho young pet got lust lost or nr kaind in their first outings as sometimes you still bao bat a tho the bro edra they must musi however bf be kept always in the loft for onro care outside they would fly directly to old home good goard broaders bleeders bro bre oders eders too aro are costly to discourage begin bogannon nom I 1 know that could not bo be bought at any price if f you yoo want them however and can call a obtain thorn them put got them pretty soon for or february nary Is nesting time if you havo have purchased young birds they their u ill bo be about tire weeks old whon when introduced to bour our loft within a weak or ten days day they will still bo be flying 4 bout about outside and getting familiar with t their the oj of tho loft mint ba regarded from thelle th beginning AS a in miller sitter of supreme importance the loft left too be thoroughly cleaned at least once a acry cry wk pigeon on owners ners who clean their lofts every day say that their birds arn healthier and stronger siron for or it it Is certain A that 1151 A real foul tort toft soun soon broods vermin and ills enn baft plenty of ficia drinking water and a spacious belcin bathing bp thang tub are among tho the absolute absolu to of the iho loft washed sand oyster ouster shells and suit salt mixed constitute nil an important item of pigeon food and should always bo be ie ac res tessible sible to lo the iho bird tho the mixture Is IA tv itura corrll 11 placed I 1 la L t small box in tho ilia lif lef the addition ore hla 10 lo 10 c cj benno popper 14 1 beneficial for gon elal cial liao an air of 11 S r V I 1 ii I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 all ak 11 I 1 0 W I 1 F 1 if lis az I 1 90 0 9 f tile ROOF tho the boat best quality of fetid consisting of old cincil fmc round corn old it should bo be always alays small bile canada pans and oat grits these can bo be obtained ill quantities front from any ally fancier it possible too loo add to lo the iho aro small black beans bearis import imported ad from belgium and conil dorod derod by many r an of tile crack pigeon flyers to bo be a T most n y I 1 beneficial article of bird food vet e h beti in this country can generally be obtained front from seeds ser men and often from pigeon fanciers now and then tire tho pigeons will enjoy a 0 mixture of homp heart canary and rapo rape seed ed and will bo be the better for it if IN ith food plenty of drinking and bathing writer wilier andl and a clean dry spacious loft the iho young birds v m ill thrive and dally daily open often air exercise will strengthen their wings and give them confidence in their abilities let thein have plenty of exercise flying around their home and bright day whon when they arn am about tour inon months tirs old tako take 1 them about two miles front from homo home tn in a basket and gise thorn their first toss you probably could go five miles la in safet but it Is just as well to bo be patk fled with m ith two at the start see that tho t birda are released in an open space not necessarily el elevated and that no telegraph wires are directly above to chock their upward flight I 1 ahoy hey will vill speedily find the way to their loft loftland and soon afterward a five mile toss tos may bo be mado made and thin hen I 1 a ten mile toss and so on until oure day perhaps I 1 if r you keep up tip tho the practice to that extent client one of your birds heroines becomes a record breaker and con can lly fly miles between down dann and dusk if long distance dl stanco homes havo have no temptation for you yon tho ilia short hort distance homeward flights of your flock will m ill afford yourself and your friends much pleasure an ordinary crabbing net or a muslin not with ith a handle kept tn in the loft will bo be found useful when ou desire to zatch catch particular bards fotr or a trip sometimes in a fog or in a storm you will loso lose a bird rally a young lard bird with banks hadtka and gunners prowling about oven even old bird are not always safe most fanciers a winter approaches run a wire netting fretting through tire tho center of the abo loft and separate ilia roalo main birds from tho ilia females la in february thin wire ti IA taken town down and the birds aro are mated earthen pans or bowls aro are set let in tho the shelves for the nests which aro arc constructed of straw and hay toy mingled with tobacco sterns stems to keep out vermin here again cleanliness Is always a chief consideration the lion hen bird lays just and her young aro are generally T N z Z I 1 0 41 I 1 I 1 t 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 ai I 1 AT I 1 14 11 7 N I 1 1 44 1 I 1 API I 1 W rf 1 I 1 1 t bwll NS ak THE ITE START a code cock and a hon hen sonie sometimes times two hons bons but that la 14 rare it occasionally bap pens that old birds neglect their young that Is generally ron orally life result of tho parents in such a cao it ll 11 nob unusual for some other mother bird in the loft to adopt one or two extra young pigeons and nurse them as aa though they were her ter awu norse them yes it can be ba fairly said that pigeons anro their young before tho the young birds are hatched ilia iha setting lien begins tu to retain food in her crop there it under undergoes goci a softening process until jt it become almost as milk when whan the birds arft are hatched tho the mother raises this liquid fond to her mouth and with her bill passes her own sustenance into tho the wide open mouths months of hor her hungry helpless little ones one this IA 1 continued for a nook tho the mothers mot liera road food each day growing a little harder until at lat last the mounir birds can pick up for themselves and digest grain food all this alq can call ln bo readily appreciated initial bo be to ilia iho mother bird and tire tho ten kenderest derest caro and tho ilia most mosi nutritious food are necessary for ilia iho food of herself and her ter young thoro there are nevertheless some borne 11 aloon coll owners choso whoso wife so utterly fall to tills this as to lo fly mother birds bird in races during tho the period a hon thoy they bo be leading feeding the r young this may or may not bo be cruelty to tho tit old bird her unimpaired LIt being certainly needed for fiber racing or nursing nur sint purposes alone it roust roost bo be detrimental to tile tho young birds birdsa at a very susceptible and critical time of their lives ahls fortunately Is now generally understood by pigeon rahm rs arm although all hough there was a not 0 o very long ago when fire of ilia iho health of the mother bird on oft its young was not clearly clo irly recognized feuly hatched bir barila for example aro are with canker lit 11 tho the throat threat thal nad to bo be taken akon as uan an in dietitian that the little victims blood was ws ina in a bad condition and the iho young bird was trea terl while the old lion hon was ignored pigeon fanciers fan cpr who keep up vi ith the time and do a little thinking for them themselves solves now realize when canker in the app appears eurs in a young bird the that tho ilia mother birds stomach Is out of order and that consequently ilia food for the ho young Is import and som poisonous caro care and cleanliness will nearly always keep your tour birds in good condition lint but if disease of any kind should tili appear in ilia loft and you are am hlll dant debeal on off published articles for romily roady mado curcia consult soma experienced perien perlen ced breeder or bird fancier in v from bom you have confidence band aind follow hta directions in taft of your birds after a time you will know just how low to net on our own responsibility in ony any emor genry tho ilia hest best bird fanciers belleve believe como come from tire the maira hatching and tho arc alwa ilio ilia most sought for tire the old nit birie are permitted however to in breed until may M ay iy anti anil arn am their put lit in training raining for life racing season which usually begins in tire middle of that month it II would mould lie act kable lilo before a hatching to write to da clail id S rogers of ilin lh rare ram etire are tary of if tho the federation of american homing pigeon fanciers slid and order nit an officially seamless s band or metal ring fur for eacle 3 near bird looked for each bach b bird led will bo be property properly offered lettered and numbered and tin the letter and number will hn registered in a book with tho the name of lie iho owner opposite four adayr after tho the bird Is hatched the ring la Is slipped over one of lt alte foot feet and allowed to retailer on oil ilia iho teg leg within two weeks tho the foot will mill little liae grown so 0 o that it will lie bo impossible to 0 o remove tho hand band and during the iho birds lifetime it will mill remain on tire leg without injuring it lit in any way ion AID thon their at any time desire to eko a record for ono one of your birds over onn olin of ilia iho numerous recognized ion ions or bort dil conr sea q or over any courtin that can bo be easily anti and accurately measured you yon write to lo I 1 aitio lie racing at al least two weeks in adT fintO of tho the proposed flight fliR lit giving the ibo letter and number of the ilio bird and tire starting point A racing iff representative re p re son tat I 1 vo con can with H floating fifth will bo be assigned il to tire tho starting point and another representative will watch e X 1 I 1 I 1 alf ai I 1 I 1 1 I 1 4 1 4 J I 1 N I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 N 1 J z I 1 1 t 00 11 TIMING THE at tho the homo home loft thus tho the flight cn call bo be accurately timed and it a now new record Is as mado made it u ill bo be onic lally placed to lo your birds credit even should you not caro care to hy fly your birds for records you will find tho the refills leg lef bands useful n fail for some birds is ill at times fifties so go astray or pot got we wounded or become exhausted and tho the registered leg band will enable the iho finder to ascertain tho the whereabouts of the lightf rightful at ow on der an honorable pigeon fancier or loft owner will always go out of his way to soo that such it a bird goti gets safely home here tire tho speed speed of df a homing pigeon depends on tit alio wind tire tho atmosphere atmos phero slid iticia the iho cond condition of tho the bird it often happens that birds in good condition with tho the atmosphere clear and with a good stiff win wind behind them can make maho front 1500 yards to one mile a minute there aro are always somo some birds that can mako make miles in tho the sunlight of a dinglo day if tried at a longer aft dl tance though they wander and rest and lelnd their home it ft at alt all with in much if difficulty and after many das tho uc two champion long distance birds of last summer aro are maxem and petroleum pot holouin ro louin on |
