FUR FARMING SECTION
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
This section is open for discussion of anything pertaining
to fur farming.
Information concerning stock, site, house and pen con
struction, equipment, cost, breeding, mating, feeding, cooking
recipes, sanitation, prevention of contagious diseases, disinfec
tion, trapping, killing, pelting, marketing, packing, shipping
and other notes are welcomed for publication,—with due credit
to the author.
This section is intended to be the common meeting ground
for fur farmers. Interchange of ideas, helpful information, con
structive suggestions anent these particulars should readily
solve vexatious problems of fur farming. Readers are urged to
take advantage of this section and help The Gateway foster fur
farming throughout Alaska.
4
• MINK RAISING
By Frank G. Ashbrook, Biologist in Charge, Division of Fur Resources,
Bureau of Biological Survey.
Comparatively few persons are
raising minks in captivity even
plough the iur has sold for high
^prices during the past 10 years.
''Wild breeding stock is not only dif
ficult to obtain, but animals cap
tured wild do not respond readily
to good treatment. Beginners should
purchase breeding stock from a re
liable breeder and carefully follow
his instructions until the minkeries
are well established. Young minks
born in captivity are much superior
for breeding stock, and consequent
ly the prices asked for ranch-raised
minks often are higher than the
prospective mink farmer cares to
pay.
Description and Habits of Minks
The American mink is one cf the
most valuable members of the
weasel family and is widely known
for its fur. It is long-bodied and
attains a weight of from V,2 to 2
pounds. The legs are short, and
the animal travels with the back
arched, in a series of easy bounds,
which it appears able to. continue
tirelessly.
Minks are bold and courageous
and in the wild attack and kill for
food species heavier than them
selves, such as the varying hare and
the muskrat. They eat mice, rat :,
chipmunks, squirrels, and birds and
birds’ eggs of many kinds includ
ing waterfowl and other ground
frequenting species. Along water
fronts they capture fish of differ
ent species, which they pursue in
the water, and vary this diet with 1
one of snakes, frogs, salamanders,1
insects, crustaceans, and mussels.
Because of its fur value, the mink
has been persistently trapped from!
the coast cf Florida to the borders
of the Arctic tundras. With the!
growing demand for furs, the num- j
bers of this animal in the wild are
steadily decreasing, and this stim- j
ulates efforts to establish mink j
ranches. The mink appears to be !
well adapted to successful breeding j
in captivity, but the relation of the ;
cost of caring for the animals to
the value of their pelts in the raw
fur market is yet to be determined.
electing a Ranch Site
When raising minks was first at- ;
tempted it was believed that a place |
for the animals to swim was an es- \
sential feature of the ranch. This, j
however, is not now considered nec- j
essary. Highly successful mink
ranches are situated in open fields
adjoining suburban properties, on
general farms, or in back yards in
rural districts. Natural shade is
an asset as it provides comfort for j
both the animals and the attend- I
ants who work on the ranch.
Pens and Dens
On the first mink farms the ani
mals were given an extensive ranges
inside a large fenced inclosure, in '
which they were fed and provided I
with nest boxes. Under a later sys- j
tem, families of minks were placed!
in houses with a runway to the!
water supply. As mink farming 5
progressed experiments were made
with a third system, of confining
these animals, by which each was
kept in a separate pen. Today the |
individual-pen system is used al
most exclusively by those who are'
raising minks on a large scale.
Under this system it is found j
most satisfactory to confine the i
minks in small crate pens, with the j
den and nest box forming the back
side of the pen. Pens six feet long,1
three feet wide and two feet high, I
made of wood or steel, covered with
one-inch mesh-wire, will serve very ;
well for minks. The den may be
built three feet long, one and a half
feet wide, and two feet high, and
1
fastened to the pen to form the
i back wall. A hole three inches
! square or three inches in diameter
i will permit the minks to pass from
I the den to the pen. A small nest
box, one foot square and one foot
: high, of knock-down construction,
I will serve for minks.
! When the central house plan is
employed, the dens are within the
house on either side of an aisle
and the pens extend outside into
the open. Under this system a
building seven feet high and six
feet wide, may be made long enough
to accommodate the number of
pons required. The dens construct
ed inside the house should be about
three feet long, two feet wide and !
one and a half feet high, andj
should have a hinged cover made |
partly of wire to furnish ventila- j
tion. The opening through which
the minks will have to pass to go i
from the den to the outside pen :
should be about three inches in di- j
ameter or three inches square. The I
entrance should be provided with;
a sliding door to shut the minks in !
or out of the . pen.
The outside pen should be about I
five feet long, three feet wide andN
foot- vuo-vi The pens should be |
;wo feet high,
about one foot apart to prevent the j
minks from injuring one another!
through the wires, but should be j
connected by chutes so that the'
animals can be separated or chang-!
ed from one pen to another as de- j
sired. The floor of the outside pen j
may be of wood or of a matting of !
woven wire placed directly on the ;
ground. In either case the floor I
should be covered with soil two orj
three inches deep, and this should j
be changed frequently. The floor:
should slope gradually away from ! ’
;he main house to provide drain-j
ige. The sides and front of the j'
3en should be made of woven wire, ]
me-ineh mesh, 16 guage.
Breeding
The mating season of minks oc
curs principally during March, and
oeasionally in the latter part of
February. The oestrum, or heat
period, occurs once a year. Its i
length is not definitely known. The I
female will accept service only dur
ing this period, and as a rule not
more than one service is necessary.
As many as three females can be
mated to one male, but it is best
for a beginner to handle the ani
mals in pairs. After he has ac-;
luired sufficient experience it may j
be found advisable to adopt polyg
mous mating. The gestation period
is approximately 45 to 50 days, al
though cases have been known in
which the. younger were carried as
long as 60 days. The breeder should
make every effort to ascertain the
i date of breeding, but with minks
this is not always possible. The
number of young in a litter varies!
from two to 10, but the average
raised from adult parents is about
five.
Breeding for prepotency, prolifi
cacy, and disposition are of as much
importance as breeding for color
and quality of fur. The real basis,
! however, for selecting the minks to
be mated the quq,li£y of fur nro- j
duced by the offspring. The pelt!
should be perfectly and evenly
furred all over the body. It should
be dark brown, reasonably long,
and lustrous and silky.
SOME FOX HISTORY AND
FEEDING
(D. E. Stubbs, fox farmer, McKin
ley Park, Alaska.)
Contrary to the definition given
by Noah Webster under a bridge,
the fox is not a carnivorous ani
mal, but is omnivorous, and should
be fed both meat and vegetables.
The exact position of the fox in
the domain of natural history is a
little uncertain. Some claim the
fox belongs to the dog family, and i
i others again hold he belongs to the j
| cat family. It is much more likely :
j the fox sprang from neither, but!
! sprang from some prehistoric ani-1
mal that we do not now know.
1 While we are uncertain as to
the foxes’ ancestors, we are much
more certain as to his early mode
of life in the wild state which is
of more importance with regard to
the feeding and care of foxes.
Unlike dogs, the fox did not run i
in packs; they certainly lived in;
burrows, and hunted for their food, j
The Shunting was done both by
chasing the quarry and running
it down, like the dog, and by lay- j
ing in wait and springing on it as 1
the cat family do. Under such con- !
ditions the wild fox got a lot of,
hard running and ate meat more j
than vegetables.
Since foxes are being raised in
captivity, and are being bred to a j
higher state of development, it has ■
naturally left him more suscepti- .
ble to di ease by weakening his
constitution.
Keeping in mind the natural
mode of life of the wild fox, and
how it has been altered by civiliza- r
lion, we are in a much better posi- 1 ,
tion to understand how to care for j
him.
Feeding is always a question of j
prime importance. The natural1
food of the fox is meat, and some
plants, berries and roots and his
digestive organs are built for the
digestion of that diet.
The meat, however, is a very!
stimulating food, and foxes in pens j
do not get near enough exercise to ;
go with a diet of meat alone.
The proportion of meat to feed j
depends entirely on the chances i
the fox has for exercise. Feeding j
too much meat among other evils j
will cause the fur to loose its dark j
metallic colors and turn brown in
spots. However, foxes require meat, i
and it should be given to them in I
proper amount.
j
'# (Continued Next Wfeek)
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I Address 1
N. E. SHARP
Publisher
Plymouth, California.
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Sales
Every Month in the
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1931 SALES DATES
November 17
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Advances will be made
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