Where do i get information to start a mink farm ?

Question

Any practical advice on husbandry or the field in general is welcome.

No i wasnt trying to generate feeling, I am looking for a real answer, You can farm livestock without being cruel, no you dont feed them live crushed baby chicks in fact they consume animal byproducts from butcher operations but i guess none of you eat meat so that is bad too right? Not everyone hates furs and the market is not bottoming out. any no peta answers out there? PETA doesnt rule the earth people and wouldnt scare me away from anything. not everyone is into peta or their tactics but im sure a real answer is out there somewhere.

Nor would i assume a few answers to a question on yahoo answers would dictate the market.

Answer 1

You could get the information you need from the Agriculture Extension Service. I wold advise you to consider the move very carefully before starting such a business today. The price is rock bottom in furs due to all the attention from PETA and like activist organizations. You definitely would not be out to win any popularity contest raising mink today.

Answer 2

I would check out your local library. I found about 8 books on fur trade covering things like trade and craftsmanship in our state library catalogue though I must point out they all date before 1970. Even the fur farming book dates back to 1953.

For those of you claiming their is no market the following statistics were found in the Sydney morning herald (though I am aware they don't always get it right), while there is no market in Australia there is overseas.
"Despite attention-grabbing anti-fur campaigns, global fur sales have increased steadily in recent years, from $US8.2 billion in 1998-99 to $US11.3 billion in 2002-03, according to the British Fur Trade Association."
You would seriously need to consider import and export of animals/furs and with this the risk of disease - not sure how the government would feel about this. These animals also pose a risk to the environment if they were to escape (foxes are a prime example) therefore fencing and caging needs to be considered how you would do this humanely is questionable?

Answer 3

I don't know much about mink, but I do know that good conditions make a good animal. I would select a place that can be isolated from visitors to prevent disease and find out specifics on protein requirements and labor as these will probably be your major expenses. Other expenses will be preventative care, marketing, and end product production (If you are going for end product usage) Below are a few links I got from my universities library system.

Business and Marketing:

http://www.nafa.ca/page.asp?rancher/market/2001-09-marketnews.asp

http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/industry_trade_summaries/pub3666.pdf

http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/Korea/commodity-HidesSkins.asp

fermented products for feed:

http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/71/9/2427.pdf

care:

http://www.montanatrappers.org/management/fur-farming.htm

Answer 4

Back in the '80s, our milkman raised mink. They were rows and rows of cages, but what I thought was disgusting was what he fed them. He would take live baby chicks and a grain scoop shovel and scoop the baby chicks into a grinder and they were ground live! CHEEP cheep cheeeeep...
He said the mink liked fresh blood.
I shot a wild mink once, he was killing and sucking blood out of my kittens. They are mean animals.
My boyfriend traps and coon-hunts in the winter, and I don't have a problem with fur, but don't plan on being too well-liked with your neighbors if you do decide to do this. It is a very unpopular occupation.

Answer 5

I think you can see by the response that there is no market for mink, but I think you knew this as the question was probably asked to generate feeling and not a real response.

Answer 6

As the old FFA joke goes, "don't plant them too deeply."

After reading the answers, it might not be so profitable a business. ...I have heard chinchillas are quite popular- might be good business, even though they sound like lawnmowers.

Best of luck in whatever you decide.
...You don't have to try to vindicate yourself to the peta folks- if no one answers you objectively or truthfully, you can pick "no good answer" and try again elsewhere/when.

Answer 7

I'd raise chinchillas instead. They are way cuter !!

But I would maybe take a class at your local community college on animal husbandry and starting a business. Unless you want the farm b/c you think they're the ultimate pet ...

Answer 8

Try your local county extension or do a yahoo search on fur farming.

Answer 9

Write to PETA. They would be glad to assist you in raising minks.

Answer 10

noooooo don't do it. if only you knew the cruelty behind the fur industry. find some other industry that is not based on cruelty and vanity.