Description of Passaic valley squab Farm and housing in general.

The Passaic Valley Squab Farm, I feel, is an ideal plant in an ideal location. It embodies all the best points and has few detriments.

I am going to describe it rather carefully, pointing out its advantages and how it might be improved upon. The diagram will give a general idea of the floor plan, and photo in beginning of book gives a view of entire plant and water tower.

The plant is situated in a valley, protected from the full sweep of the wind. The buildings cover about one acre of land and consist of 86 pens combined into one large connecting building. (A) is granary and stock house. (B) is picking and packing room. (C) is office. The granary has entrance to sections 1, 2, 3 and 4, by halls. Each section is divided into 20 pens, each 10 feet by 12 feet, with entrance on hall. Each pen has its own aviary, 10 feet by 20 feet, for the pigeons to exercise. The pigeons nest and raise their young inside, but bathe and exercise outside, where they have running water. Each pen accommodates 50 pairs of pigeons, so the plant capacity is over 8,000 birds.

Water is supplied by an artesian well and electric driven pump, that pumps to tower shown in picture. Each section is watered by one pipe running full length of building and perforated at each pen. The pan at each pen fills and when full runs down an overflow pipe into a drain under building. In this way a whole section of 20 pens is watered with one shut-off and the supply is always fresh. All pipes in this system slope to one low point, so that even in zero weather, we can water and drain the pipes without difficulty. The bathing system is worked on the same plan in the aviaries, but we disconnect this part of the system in the extreme weather.

The entire plant is raised about 18 inches off the ground at all points, as a protection against rats. All entrances have heavy screen doors as well as wooden ones, which work with weights to always keep them shut. In this way, rats are kept out, and any pigeons which may get loose inside the halls, are always caught. Rats are the greatest menace to successful squab raising and too great precautions cannot be taken.

You will note on looking over diagram of plant that sections 1, 2, 3 and 4 are connected by granary only. This feature could be considerably improved by a hall connecting the four sections at the other end. Then again, there are no windows on the north side of all four sections, and although this was done to keep out cold, it could be improved with a few windows for greater light.

Altogether I feel that the plant is as near to a model plant as can be found, and being within 20 miles of New York City and eight miles of Newark, the best markets are always available.

I am not describing this plant to discourage any one starting in a small way in a back yard, barn, or outhouse; but I wish to show the possibilities within the grasp of any one to establish a real profitable business of his own.

In the next chapter, I will handle the situation from the beginner’s standpoint.