Davenport Democrat Davenport, Scott, Iowa Feb 4, 1912 Davenporter Has Been in Pigeon Raising Business Over 50 Years Herman Buergel, Life Long Bird Fancier, Tells of Profession Chicken fanciers are as thich around Davenport that "How many eggs did you get yesterday?" is almost as common a question as "Do you think we will have any more cold weather?" but pigeon enthusiasts are mostly confined to small boys and when you run across a man who has made pigeon raising a specialty for the last 50 years you have a rarity. Such a man is Herman Buergel, 1440 West Fourth street. Mr. Buergel, who was born in Milwaukee 62 years ago, has been a pigeon fancier since his boyhood days. He can name varieties of pigeons that have become extinct and tell you the characteristics of any given breed. Up to six or seven years ago, when the laws were enacted prohibiting live pigeon shoots, Mr. Buergel bought and sold from 30,000 to 40,000 birds annually. He furnishes pigeons for all of the big shoots in Iowa and Illinois, frequently 1500 in one consignment, and although having extensive coops where he raised several thousand birds annually, had to purchase an immense number to supply the demand. Bought Birds By Wagon Load. Mr. Buergel who now keeps approximately 1000 birds, a few years ago was accustomed to make buying trips through the country stopping at every farm house along the road and purchasing as many pigeons as possible. He had a wagon load of crates and drove for several days at a time, sometimes as far as Waterloo or Geneseo before secruing a wagon load of over 1000 of the feathered targets. "I don't seem to take the interest in the pigeons that I used to," said Mr. Buergel as he gazed at teh deserted coop that had once housed many birds. "I have a thousand now, perhaps, but that's nothing like it used to be." He didn't need to have said that things were not as they used to be for most of the coops and sheds were vacant. In the middle of the yard was a big log which had rotted off and was lying prone on the ground. "I planted that over 20 years ago and it fell down last winter, said the old pigeon man reminiscently. "That used ot hold the coop for my prize birds. I haven't used it since the shoots were called off." Married Unhappiness "Pigeons have their troubles, jsut the same as people" remarked the old fancier as he watched two of the birds fighting to gain entrance to one nest. "If two young birds are mated everything generally goes all right, but one of them is apt to get killed, and when this happens he has to look for another mate. In case he finds one younger than himself there will be trouble for the young and old birds never get along happily together." "The birds sometimes live to be 20 years old. This is a natural lifetime, and the reason that most of them do not become that old is that they are either marketed, shot or caught by cats and hawks before that time." No Race Suicide "One pair of pigeons will raise 11 pairs of young ones in a year," continued the old fancier. "in the winter thay are not as prolific as in the warmer months and many times the eggs freeze solid as the birds are too small in body to keep them warm. The male and the female take turns covering the eggs and both seem to take equally good care of the squabs which hatch out in 16 days." Breeds Have Individuality "Each breed has its individuality," the old pigeon man continued. "Tehre is the Turmpeter, for instance. He is a great home bird and never goes far from the house. The common variety is different for they are the greatest wanderers of all the pigeons, and as a result more of them get lost of any of the other breeds. The Carrier is more of a show bird than anything else and the Homer is the log distance flyer, although he has to be trained before accomplishing anything out of the ordinary in this line." "The squabs are fed by the old ones until able to fly and at first are given predigested food by the parents. They are soon able to eat grain, however, and fly when about a month old. They attain full size when three months old." "The pigeon is a clean bird and whenever he can find water will take a daily bath. They like nothing better than to douse themselves in a pail of water or to take a bath in a rainstorm. In the extremely cold weather they remain pretty close to the coops and when snow is on the ground and they can't get much to eat the wildest ones will pick grain out of your hands. Hunger will tame a pigeon as well as a lion." With this the old fancier stooped and lovingly watched a score or more of birds crawling into the holes leading to their nests. When the last one had taken a sedate look at the interviewer and disappeared the old fancier turned back toward the house with "The birds never change, but the business is not like it used to be." Cathy Joynt Labath Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/index.htm (Researching husband's maternal line for BUERGEL)