FUR FARMING SECTION I
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
lor fur farmers. Interchange of ideas, helpful information, con
structive suggestions anent these particulars should readily j
solve vexatious problems of fur farming. Readers are urged to t
take advantage of this section and help The Gateway foster fur ^
farming throughout Alaska. I
MINK RAISING
By Frank G. Ashbrook, Biologist in Charge, Division of Fur Resources,
Bureau of Biological Survey.
MATING
It is necessary to study as care
fully as possible the nature of the
minks to be mated by watching
' heir actions. Animals of approxi
mately the same age should be
paired. Males should be placed
near or next to the females with
which they are to be mated, so that
they can see each other through
the wire and become acquainted. I
When the mating season arrives j
and the pair is placed together, the i
animals should be observed to de
termine accurately and quickly
whether they will live together
peaceably. A decision one way or
the other, in some instances, may
be reached in a few hours, but it |
may take days or even a week in j
others. If minks are inclined to
get along well together, the breeder
may expect a successful outcome.
Failure to choose mates properly
by careful selection and observation |
may result in the loss of a valuable j
breeding animal.
The male mink can be turned
through a chute into the female's
pen, or he can be caught in the
nest box or in a special catching
box and caried to her pen. A mat- :
ing may take place in from 30 min
utes to an hour. An aggressive
male will pursue his mate and at
tempt to serve her if she is in heat.
He will generally make a clucking
noise and she will do likewise.
Leave them together for a day or
two if they live peaceably. If the
female is in heat, she will not
strongly resist service; but if a
fight ensues, the pair should be
separated and not placed together
again for about five days.
FEEDING
The food of minks in captivity ,
consists chiefly of meat and fish, j
and these elements should form 60 1
to 70 per cent of the ration. Beef, |
beef livers and hearts, horse meat,!
and pig livers and hearts are rel- i
ashed by minks, as also are fresh
.fish, such as perch, suckers, and
minnows. Grinding the meat and
fish will prevent the animals from
carrying quantities of food to the
nest box and contaminating it. The
meat and fish can be mixed to- \
gether before feeding. For young ;
minks some cooked cereals mixed ;
with milk make an excellent feed.
Hach animal will consume three to ,
five ounces at one meal, depending
upon its appetite and condition. It j
.Is best to feed a little twice daily i
and at regular intervals. As a rule, j
young minks will consume more!
than old ones. Minks in captivity i
are very active and do not take on ;
fat readily.
After the young are born the
female should be given a liberal
portion of well-cotked oatmeal and ,
milk for the morning feed and the |
meat ration in the evening. When
the young are about three weeks
old they will eat what the mother
takes to them in the nest. When
four weeks old they will begin to
seek food for themselves.
Minks are usually weaned when
10 weeks of age by removing the
mother from their pen. When there
is a large litter, and some of the
young have developed much faster
than their mates, it is advisable
to separate the larger animals when
seven or eight weeks old. The young
grow very fast, and as they consume
food readily they must be fed lib
erally. The female generally eats
very little a day or two before and
after the young are born. After
she is separated from the young
she should be given liberal rations
so that she can rebuild to normal
condition. Exceptionally thin fe
[ males should be s u p p 1 i e d with
i plenty of milk in addition to the
! regular diet.
MANAGEMENT
A litter of young minks will live
i peaceably together and may remain
in one pen until fall or early winter.
They should not be allowed to run
t ogether at all seasons of the year,
but instead each animal should be
confined in a separate pen. Pens!
can be placed so that the one con- j
taining the male will have one for i
a female on each side of it. The
females placed in these pens should
be the ones with which the adja
cent male is to mate.
The dens and nest boxes of minks
should be kept clean at all times
and should be given a thorough
overhauling about the middle of
April, before the young are born,
and disinfected with a coal-tar
spray. Plenty of clean, dry leaves
or straw should be placed in the!
nest boxes for bedding. The young j
minks announce their arrival by j
a crying noise similar to that of (
young kittens, and this is continued !
until they are fairly well grown, j
It is not advisable to disturb the
nest box until the young are two or
three weeks old. If, however, there
is need of examining the litter be
foer this time, the mother should
be penned out before the nest box
is opened. She will carry food to
the young when they are about
three weeks old, but this fouls the
nest and tends to bring about in
sanitary conditions. A clean nest
box with plenty of bedding should
therefore replace the dirty one.
KILLING
The best method of killing minks
for removing the pelt is by asphyx
iation. The animals may be driven
into a tight box with a slide door
singly or several at a time. After
the door is closed, a small quantity
of carbon disulphide or chloroform
should be poured on a bunch of j
cotton and this introduced through j
a hole in the top, which should j
then be immediately corked or
otherwise tightly closed. Two ta
blespoons of either liquid is suf
ficient for one mink in a small box,
and not much more is required for j
several animals unless the box is |
large. The animals die quickly i
and without struggle. If illuminat-1
ing gas is available it may be used j
instead of a volatile liquid. A rub- j
ber hose carrying the gas may be
inserted through the hole in the
TRAPPERS! Two Foxes In a day,
with only two sets out, is my
record. Methods guaranteed, $1.00.
Floyd Blackman, RD 3, New Ber
lin, N. Y.
A Masters Work
Jonas Bros, offer you a com
plete Fur, Taxidermy and
Tanning Service — unexcelled
anywhere.
Game heads, fur rugs, birds,
etc., mounted true to nature.
Your raw fur skins dressed
and made into coats and
chokers.
Write for free catalogue.
JONAS BROS.
1030 Broadway, Denver, Colo.
box and the space about the tube
plugged with cotton.
.. .Caution.—Both carbon disulphide
and illuminating gas are inflam
mable and should not be allowed
to come in contact with fire.
PELTING
After the animal heat goes out
of the body the flesh shrinks from
the skin, permitting the pelt to
j be removed more easily and keep
| ing the skin side free from blood,
j This will be in about half an hur,
but care should be taken in cold
| weather to prevent the carcass
| from freeizng during this time. The
j only tool needed in skinning a
mink is a pocket knife,. and this
should be kept sharp. *
A slit is made up tfie back of
each hind leg, starting at the in
side of the paw and running to
the hock, then from the hock to a
point just below the root of the
tail. The back of each front leg
is slit in the same manner from!
the paw to the first joint. The skin
is then worked free from the flesh
from the first joint to the claws.
The bones of the foot are cut free
from the pelt, but the claws are
left on the skin. A slit is made
from the root of the tail about half
its length so that the bone can be
pulled out. The carcass is then
hung on a hook or nail by the ten
don of the hock joint and the pelt
is pulled down, the knife being
used whenever necessary to free it,
until it is removed as far as the
neck. Careful work is then neces
sary to cut around the base of the
ears, including them in the pelt,
around the eyes, and around the
mouth and lips.
The pelt is placed on a wooden
frame for drying as soon as it is;
taken from the carcass, and all car- j
casses should be disposed of imme- j
diately by burning. Any fat or i
flesh adhering to a skin should be ;
removed immediately, as fat causes |
skins to become brittle and worth- j
less and flesh starts decay when j j
conditions are unfavorable for rapid ;
drying.
SOME FOX HISTORY AND
FEEDING
<D. E. Stubbs, fox farmer, McKinley
Park, Alaska)
i
Lack of meat in the diet predis- f
poses the fcx to distemper. Cooked :
cereals and biscuits made of whole j ■
wheat flour, rolled oats, soy bean
meal, corn meal, pinch of salt, j
carriyng the amounts at different:
seasons of the year, together with!
milk (preferably goat) and raw eggs j
ocasionally will supply with both i
raw and cooked meats, a w^ell bal- :
anced ration.
Some ranches feed their fox only j
once a day. However, a light feed j
in the morning, and a substantial j
evening meal omitting all meals on
Suday, is probably a better plan.
A little raw meat occasionally is
relished by the fox and acts as a
tonic.| Liver occasionally is bene
ficial, it acts on the bowels. Bones,
other than chicken bones (which
splinter, so are dangerous) are
good for them to chew on, and play
with; they get lime from bones.
Milk is good in conjunction with
cereals, vegetables, etc., but, milk
alone or milk with meat only is
likely to upset their digestion, j
Boughten discuits and other pre- i
pared foods for foxes and mink, j
may be all right for a time but;
they rapidly tire of them. Thgy
like variety in their food.
Pen-raised fur bearers rarely get
enough exercise. The use of long
exercise pens on fox ranches, where
the foxes can run and play, is one
of the best forms of exercise. Here
a number of large bones will fur- j
nish an interest and a lot of exer
cise.
(Continued Next Week)
Full line of Holloween novelties
now at ALASKA SHOP.
TRAPPERS!
American Trapper Maga
zine is devoted entirely to
trapping. It gives you the
best trapping methods; and
eacli issue contains over a
full page of scent and bait
formulas, including directions
on how to use. Each and
every issue of American
Trapper is packed full of
useful trapping information.
It is just the magazine you
have been looking for. Am
erican Trapper tells you how
to make successful sets for
the wise furbearing animals,
also scents that will lure
them to your traps. No Trap
per can afford to miss a
single issue. It is published
six times a year, October to
March. Subscription price is
only S1.00 a year (Six issues)
or three years for $2.00.
Sample copy, 10c. Regular
price is 25c. Rack issues, 10c
each, or 8 different copies
for 50c, prepaid. We are sure
once you see a copy of Am
erican Trapper you will be
come a regular subscriber.
Subscribe NOW or at least
order a sample copy.
Address
N. E. SHARP
Publisher
Plymouth, California.
PROFESSIONAL CARDS
Dr. A, D. Haverstock
PHYSICIAN and SURGEON
Seward General Hospital
E. P. Harwood
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Johansen Building Seward, Alaska ;
FOR FIRE INSURANCE
Curtis R. Morford
Dr. A. R. Roberts
DENTIST
Phone Madison 108—Tecklenberg iildg.
Denohue & Diiaond
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
OFFICES
VALDEZ AND CORDOVA
F. W. Williamson
U. S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor—U. S Land
Surveyor—General Surveyor
Seward, Alaska—Inquire Seward Gateway
Hunters — Trappers
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WILSON MANUFACTURING CO. j
Dept. A. Rox 81 Quincy, 111.
I
Sales
Every Month in the
Year
1931 SALES DATES
November 17
December 15
1933 SALES DATES
January 26
February 16
March 15
April 19
May 17
June 21
July 19
August 23
September 20
October 18
November 22
December 20
Advances will be made
as usual when request
ed. Transferred by tel
egraph if desired.
Special sales held on
request of shippers.
Wants Your
FURS
The purchasing power
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Let us put you on our
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[NEW YORK AUCTION CO]
3 ucorporuted
226 West 26th Street
NEW YO*K
Take advantage of the Seward
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Send for our
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<4
—We buy teeth for mounting—
W. W. WEAVER, Rending Michigan
T
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H. A. Darker, Notasulca,
Ala., whi'Pe Mink skin
was judged to he the be«t
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YOU CAN WIN
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2nd Award. 500.00
3rd Award .250.00
4th Award .100.00
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555508
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ffailThis SSS3S.
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Please mall mis without cost
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63G79
Name
Postoffloe
State
V
Rural Box
..Route.No...
['lease aive both your Route and Box Number
if on « Rural Route
<
Street Address.
Berlin Tanning and Manufacturing Company
BERLIN, WISCONSIN.
TANNERS OF
Shearlings-wool finished Bark, Beaverized or Wombat
MANUFACTURERS OF
Sheepskin Socks, Slippers, Mittens, Gloves, Helmets,
Vests and Coats.
FOR THE MOTORCYCLE RIDER
Leather Belts, Sheepskin Saddle Covers, Cloth and Leather
Helmets and Handle Bar Muffs.
WRITE FOR CATALOG