Raising P. V. Squabs for Profit — Edition Insights

Profit Through Direct Sales

Trecartin asserts that "the prices of squabs are for the most part regulated by the large cities," but he advises cutting out the commission merchant to command higher prices. He notes that Hebrews, who buy squabs alive for preparation according to Jewish Dietary Laws, are among his largest customers. Hotels in large cities use enormous quantities, and Trecartin reports freezing as many as 5,000 squabs for a single hotel in one year to ensure winter supply. He provides a table grading squabs by weight per dozen, from 6 pounds (8–9⅓ oz each) to 12 pounds (over 16 oz each), and instructs that squabs should be removed from the nest when fully feathered, just before feeding time, to avoid weight loss from full crops.

Feeding and Housing Precision

Trecartin recommends feeding twice daily—morning between 7:30 and 8:30, afternoon at 3 in winter and 4 in summer—and warns against scratch feed containing rye, barley, or oats. He emphasizes peas as "the finest fattening and strengthening food." A circular cardboard feed regulator, mounted outside the door, tracks the amount given to avoid waste and mold. Housing details are outlined in Chapter II, though the excerpt focuses on the importance of good foundation stock and regular care. Trecartin's approach is methodical: he judges feeding adequacy by how eagerly birds fly for grain.

Slaughter and Packing Procedures

The manual provides explicit steps for killing: hang the squab by the feet, twist wings twice, then insert a penknife blade down the throat at least one inch and pull up through the top of the head. If the bird does not die in thirty seconds, repeat. Plucking should be done while warm, starting with wings and ending with tail feathers, picking against the feathers to avoid tearing skin. After picking, soak in cold water for at least three hours. For shipping, pack squabs tightly side by side or feet up, use ice between layers in warm seasons, and mark every shipment "Perishable—Rush." Trecartin also advises sending an invoice with all shipments to commission merchants.

Market Timing and Grading

Squabs are ready for market at four to four-and-a-half weeks from hatching. Trecartin stresses removing them from the nest as soon as fully feathered to prevent weight loss from running on the floor. Grading by size—small, medium, large—is usually sufficient, but he provides a precise table for weight per dozen. He notes that weighing a half-dozen similar-sized squabs gives approximate weight per dozen. For live shipments, birds must be sent with full crops to avoid weight loss in transit. The emphasis on timing and grading reflects Trecartin's goal of maximizing profit through consistent quality.

Trecartin's manual is a practical, unsentimental guide rooted in his own experience. Readers should note that the text assumes a hands-on, small-scale commercial operation and includes details—such as the killing method—that may be confronting. The advice on feeding schedules, grading, and direct marketing remains relevant for historical study of early 20th-century poultry farming, though modern practices differ. Approach the book as a primary source on agricultural entrepreneurship rather than a contemporary how-to.

There’s a particular stillness in John S. Trecartin’s pages, a man trusting that careful morning routines will yield their quiet reward. That same trust hums through Wintering Bees in Cellars — Edition Insights, where patience shelters fragile lives through dark months. Both books share that old, unhurried faith in steady hands and seasonal attention, as if keeping something alive were the truest form of arithmetic.