PIGEON NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 14998, 4 October 1912, Page 8

PIGEON NOTES.

[By The Antwerp.] Questions relating to pigeon-breeding, etc., requiring answer must be sent to Antwerp,” care of this office, not later than noon of Thursday, in zWcr io secure attention the same week. ■ Mr Jack Wedderspoon, 3 Royal crescent. Kew. writes to inform me that he has found a pigeon which the owner can have by elating color and giving the ring number. Hereunder I give a brief article from 1 Pigeons 1 on the management of Muffed Pigeons. As there are many breeders of these facinating varieties in Dunedin, the article should be of interest to them: “This matter is of the greatest importance to those interested in feather-legged varieties, as on it their future success or failure largely depends. If the muff be once .haoly broken the bird is useless as a show bird until the next moult. Of course, if the damage be confined to one or two feathers, these can he drawn, and the bird's appearance not much interfered with ; but this is a risky thing to do in the case of birds with reel or yellow foot feather, as hy so doing the color of the same may be permanently changed. la considering how to produce abundant foot feather, I. may say that my experience io confined solely to Long-faced' Tumblers, but probably what applies in their case covers other varieties also. I have never found any benefit derived from very early or late breeding, as in the former case the lack the ’stamina to produce what is desired, and in the latter cnee latobred birds are always- deficient in muff, hut if bred right thev may be long-muffed after their next moult. I have bred many Biich. but the game is not worth the candle. Good pedigree is absolutely essential. Long-muffed birds are only produced from birds whose pedigree will stand inspection In this respect. Sea that the stock birds vre plump and sound in health at the-time ‘t pairing up, or failure is certain, as the oungstere will lack the. strength to stand ho strain which the growing of long foot .’ather entails. Feed on eound maple ,cas and tares, with a very little wheat and Indian corn, and add a- little sulphate M iron and chmchona bark occasionally to thedrinking water, to tone up the parents until the youngsters are hatched, when much benefit is derived by the. substitution of a few drops of Parish’s Chemical Food to the water,’ as it strengthens and nourishes the nestlings. If the young birds seem weakly when about to leave the nest, this can be overcome by a few Sanatogeu capsules, which. I think, are invaluable in rearing muffed birds. The youngsters must be kept going, or the foot feather will suffer. If you" follow these instructions, and Providence is on your fide, yon will have foot feather even if you have nothing else, and the problem that now confronts you is how to maintain it. The most frequent causes of broken foot feather are: (a) Damp, caused by improper houses ; (hj) unsuitable loft fittings ; (c) overcrowding ; (d) exhibition. First, j ns to damp. It is useless attempting to | keep muffed birdc unless they can bo provided with absolutely dry quarters, and for this reason, if kept on the ground floor, it is best, in their ease to dispense with the usual loft and flight arrangement and provide.them with a structure" which combines the two. Let them have a. pen of moderate s:ze. Thev require far loss room than ihj ar-legs. as much exercise is to he dis- I couragcd. An ideal loft should have i snug corners at each and. with th© middle ; portion wived from the fop. halfway down, i all the rest of the building being of wood i or brick It is well to have a curtain to pull down over the wire at night in .cases 1 of inclcnmnt weather. The floor may he j eilher of wood or concrete, and must be i raised above the level of the ground. It ! should be covered with a thick Inver of j clean sawdust. Tim pen must be, iuv I pervious to rain, or a!! your labors will He ! Inst- To those fortunate enough to possess j an upstairs* loft all these advantages will be i obtained;.without- any (rouble, but I cer- ! fair,lt prefer the breeding loft to be on the i ground, as I always think the youngsters | so bred are stronger than those- reared up \ aloft. M ith regard to fittings, the fewer i the better. • Nothing canals bracket j perenes. Nn shelve s should be permitted ■ in the hn't, merely the perches and th*> ! eawdusf-covered floor, and the birds kept ; ns quiet .as possible. Overcrowding causes i as much as anything for two j reasons : Firstly, hern use the birds will not j hj? kept so clean as if housed in small nura- ! tars, and, secondly, because a. large number ! of healthy, vigorous cocks will not live at i peace together. They will light for the i perches and scramble for the food, and all I fhi« means broken mt’tf«. There only re- | mains one cause of damaged foot leather now to consider, and. unfortunately. in ! this rase the owner is powerless, as it I occurs when the bird is out of his possession at shows ; and this is the most frequent cause of all others. It is verr rare to And chaff or sawdust put in the pens of muffed birds, but. alas, it is only too {reouent that one finds a big water "tin inside thp non. inviting the hrd to take a bath, which he is only ton willing to avail him’ seh of. splashing the water about, until it bus saturated the pen floor and the handful crit which has been put into the pen yith the best of intentions. One can well in.seine the condition of the bird’s foot feather after he has remained a couple of davs in such a pen. Be well advised, fhcretor:'. and do not show the same bird fn,i frequently. Muffed birds should ho rent to shows in baskets which allow them plenty of room to turn freely about in, or limy will sustain much damage in transit. When moulting, the foot feather should bo occasionally looked, to. and the feather rcleased from the sheatdi if necessary, as sometimes it happens that it will not free itself. Occasional doses of sulphur are ofgreat benefit to the birds at this period.”