Fur Farming / A book of Information about Fur Bearing Animals, Enclosures, Habits, Care, etc.

ur animals, dug a trench from 2 to 3 feet deep, putting in rocks or boards edgewise to keep them from digging out, on top of which they co

hat the dens will be dry, making a good place to burrow. The ground should not be level, or at any rate, should have good drainage. Skunk and pe

howing sheet tin at to

0 feet long and put in the ground 3 feet or more, depending upon how firm the earth is; they should be set about 8 feet or not more than ten apart, as your fence should be about 7 feet above

the animals dig downward from the bottom of the wire, striking the stone they would become discouraged and give up, as the stone would cause them to dig in the wrong direction to escape. On top of the wire

If this is done to make the fence 7 feet high, a 10-1/2 foot meshed wire is required as two f

with Wire Tu

that the fence will stand up better; the wide strip of tin or sheet-iron catching wind or snow which helps to sag the

osure will cost depends upon several things: The cost of 9 foot, 1 inch mesh No. 16 galvanized wire is about $1.50 per rod. This price, of course, will vary some, depending upon where you are located. In some of the smaller cities you perhaps ca

o much the better, as the older the tree the longer it will last. The cutting and setting of the posts, putting up of the fence, can be done by the "fur-farmer" in those sections where locust and cedar grow, so that all the cash outlay

et more firmly in the ground, five feet being about right. This will necessitate these

et Tin Four Fe

osts 40 cents each, the cost of material required to enclose an acre will be $95.00. We are figuring on two posts to the rod. Add to this staples, gates, etc., and the cost wi

additional cost to enclose an acre, say 20 rods long by 8 wide, would be material for 6 additional rods. To fully illustrate, an acre fenced in a square

llars more than if square, this should not stand in the way if the oblo

nters and others who from experience know much of the animals, will no doubt be the most successful from the start. One party writes to know if skunk, fox, opossum and mink can be successfully raised in the same enclosure. If he mean

half or 100 rods. A square 25 rods on each side would be almost 4 acres. Should the fur-farmer wish to subdivide this into four tracts, a fence thru the middle each way would take 25 rods additional or 50 rods for both ways. This fencing need not b

ll stream of running w

Combined

material in making enclosures, yet found. Some of the first experimenters used boards, but where there were cracks, or the sap or bark on edges rotted, affording the animals a place to gnaw, they soon found a way out. This had to be guarded against where the boards extended into the ground they often rotted so that there was alw

has been the case with some of those who tried "fur animal raising." They made a failure of it and no one who is at all familiar with fur-bearing animals is surprised. Those who will be

e with the fur-bearers? This is exactly what should be done. Skunk, especially, are very easily

enclosure is too small, fleas, seed ticks, and other parasites are a great enemy to the animals. In a large enclosure the animals are more "at home" although at first they are restless and will walk around see

ater to swim and play in, as well as to drink or they cannot be raised. The enclosure for mink and muskrat should include a stream of running water if possible, or a pond of pure water. The same conditions apply to otter and beaver, but of course the wire should be of l

; yet there are additional hundreds that by building a fence around, would soon have a muskrat lake or pond worth a great deal. Muskrat are fond of their homes and often remain at the same location for years. If a wire fence three feet h

ratively safe place to raise them, without any enclosure. The danger would be, mainly, that after the animals became quite plentiful, some would perhaps leave,

s to keep other hunters and trappers off. On navigable rivers or lakes having an inlet and outlet, we believe in most states any one can trap so long as he is upon the water. In other words, the water does not

rm. The location of the farm should be within sight of the home of the raiser, in case a dog should get within or a thief should visit the fa

ss are the various kinds of foxes, skunk and opossum; marten, it is true, are not included in the swimming class, but the successful marten raiser perhaps will be found, if at all, in the high

s would be best to put up a wire fence but it need not be so substantial as if it were not surrounded by water. Of course islands in rivers that overflow, would not be

precaution in fencing must be taken as elsewhere. Foxes travel during all kinds of weather and

e distance from the mainland, they would likely swim to shore. Mink would be at home on an island where there was fish, frogs, etc., with d

aken in fencing and enclosing, as upon the mainland. These two animals, while not the highest priced furred ones,