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How much can you earn from breeding minks? Mink breeding as a business.

Almost every woman dreams of a mink coat or at least a collar. And today, the fur of these animals is most often used to create beautiful products that emphasize respectability, status, and wealth. It is valued above any other materials for tailoring, so this direction is very attractive.

Animal features

Minks belong to the mustelid family and by their nature are characterized by aggressive behavior, because they are predators. Their appearance is quite cute and attractive. But the main value for a person is fur. It is pleasant to the touch, smooth, soft, silky, shiny and has many natural beautiful shades.

Due to the adaptability of these animals, they are suitable for artificial rearing on a farm or even at home. But for this, it is imperative to provide them with everything they need - space, nutrition, vitamins, cleanliness of premises, etc. Only through careful care can high quality fur and livestock health be achieved.

Popular varieties

Today there are more than 300 shades and subspecies of mink. The most common for growing on fur are:

Dark brown - is considered the main one for obtaining any other individuals, its prevalence reaches 33.7%.
Black (jet) - originates from Canada, but appeared only through artificial breeding, does not occur in nature.
Silver-blue - a very beautiful shade of fur, the population of these animals reaches almost 40% of all species.
Sapphire - by crossing the previous representatives with the Aleutian breed, an even more attractive and expensive color is obtained, it looks like a smoky blue.
Pastel - similar to simple brown individuals, but differs in light and soft shades.

It should be remembered that as a result of the extermination of the European mink, their breeding and slaughter for skins is prohibited by law. This species of animals is listed in the Red Book. Therefore, today only American breeds are used for such a business. They have a fairly high fertility - 4-15 puppies per year and a relatively good survival rate - 87-90%, depending on the breed.

Business registration

First you need to register as a farm, individual entrepreneur or LLC. Each of the cases has its pros and cons. For example, breeding minks at home in the form of a personal subsidiary plot makes it possible not to pay high taxes, but at the same time significantly limits the number of animals for a one-time maintenance.

If you decide to earn a substantial amount by growing and reselling several thousand minks, then it makes sense to create a legal entity. And although this will require the collection of a whole package of documents, the payment of a high state duty and lengthy registration, nevertheless, as a result, you will be able to sell products in large volumes and even work with foreign clients.

Of the OKVED codes, 01.49.22 is applicable in this case, which refers to the breeding of various fur-bearing animals in artificial conditions. A mandatory item is to obtain a license and a number of permits from regulatory authorities to conduct activities. So, you will have to submit papers to the Ministry of Agriculture:

a statement of a certain form;
copies confirming the registration of the taxpayer;
constituent documents of the company;
pay the license fee;
qualification certificates from the owner and people working on the farm.

The application can be considered for up to two months and only then give the result. In addition, take care of compliance with other important requirements:

Veterinary confirmation of the health of all breeding individuals.
Carrying out an annual expert assessment of animals.
An entrepreneur or his employees must have a certificate of education in the profession of "livestock specialist" or "zooengineer".

Also, before opening the farm, representatives of the sanitary and epidemiological station, the fire inspectorate and a veterinarian should check. Only having received all the permits, you can engage in the cultivation of animals. But even after passing through registration, licensing and various types of control, all the requirements must be strictly observed, since certain services periodically re-check the farm.

Animal room

When looking for a site for breeding minks, pay attention to the remoteness of the territory from residential buildings and the water protection zone. The distance between them is at least 100 meters. The arrangement of the sheds must meet the needs of the animals, give them freedom of movement, and at the same time take into account the convenience for the work of the staff.

For young and toddlers, a separate room is set up where they will be taken care of. After all, these individuals are born blind and deaf, that is, completely helpless. But since their size is much smaller than adult minks, the fence for such cells is made with small cells.

The floor can be concrete, but it is desirable to cover it with sawdust, straw or hay. They must not be damaged by rodents! It is important to place the sheds in the shade, in a cool place, as the minks do not tolerate heat. In winter, do not heat the room much, it is better to leave the air temperature low.

In order to be able to take full care of the animals on the farm, make sure that all the necessary communications are available - ventilation, sewerage, plumbing, electricity, etc. When organizing a large complex for growing several thousand animals, you should also install automated feeding systems, drinkers, and even purchase a special apparatus for sanding.

Do not forget to build a warehouse on the farm where tools, inventory, feed, hay, etc. are stored. Also, a special place for slaughtering and preparing skins is also arranged separately. In each of the premises, sanitary standards must be observed, as well as the protection of feed and bedding material from rodents.

Feeding

Minks are classified as predators, so the basis of their diet is:

small animals;
meat;
fish;
bird.

Also, the diet should be diversified with cereals, dairy products, grass and other plant foods. It is not recommended to feed them with waste, otherwise the fur will be of poor quality, the desired shade will not be preserved and there are risks of epidemics. Therefore, it is important to take care of proper nutrition and care of animals.

Even with a complete diet, you need to add vitamin and mineral complexes in the form of supplements. After all, minks are distinguished by poor health. And if something happens to one individual, the disease will quickly spread throughout the farm and most of the animals will die out.

Breeding and reproduction

Minks reach sexual maturity by 10 months. You can keep them in such a combination - up to five females are planted with 1 male. Usually mating occurs in March, and after 1.5-2 months helpless babies are born. At first they are kept together with their mother, who feeds them with her milk. And only upon reaching 40 days of age, the young are planted in separate cells.

The fertility of each breed may vary. The most common option is considered to be 4-6 puppies from one individual per year, but some varieties can produce up to 14 pieces. A pregnant female is very difficult to distinguish from a simple one. Her tummy appears only two weeks before the birth.

These animals grow quickly and gain weight. The active appearance of wool falls on September-November. But winter fur is considered the most valuable. For slaughter, they try to select young individuals of the first year of life, preferably females. It is this product that is valued above all. But individuals older than 6 years are considered unsuitable either for skins or for providing offspring.

Direction of activity

Before registering and purchasing breeding individuals, decide why you will be raising minks. This is done for the following purposes:

For the sale of adult males and females - both for home keeping and for the organization of new farms.
Realization of finished skins.
Creation of fur products.

The second option is considered the most common and profitable, for which they start such a business. But tailoring is preferred only by large farms that are able to hire additional staff for this activity. This is associated with high costs and organizational issues.

To prepare the skins, you need to hire a separate specialist who slaughters animals, skins and processes them. Please note that before you start selling, the material must be cooled, dried and sprinkled with salt, otherwise the wool will quickly begin to fall out, and the skin itself will rot and decompose.

Staff

A small farm does not need many employees. Usually such work is performed by the entrepreneur himself or members of his family. Larger and more voluminous complexes will require workers for the daily care of the animals.

Separately, it is worth noting that the farm should have its own veterinarian. If it is impossible to hire one, you will have to invite a specialist from the outside to regularly monitor the health of minks. A separate person is also hired for the sanding process.

Sales of products

The main clients will be:

other livestock farms;
salons and factories for tailoring fur clothes;
individuals who wish to keep minks as pets, although this is rare.

It is important to establish distribution channels even before the season for fur pelts begins. To do this, you need to actively seek out suitable customers and establish contacts with them. It is considered more profitable to conclude long-term contracts for the constant supply of fur to specialized salons and factories.

Here you can download a free summary as a sample.

Financial part

This direction is associated with high costs, so it is worthwhile to initially draw up a business plan, which will indicate all the steps for organizing and developing activities, as well as taking into account the expenses and income of the enterprise.

Initial costs vary significantly depending on the estimated farm volume, the number and breed of animals, the chosen methods of feeding them, and other nuances. We present the average figures in the table.

The maintenance of one mink takes about 1300 rubles per year. When selling finished skins at a price of 2000-2500, you can count on the full payback of the project in a year and a half. If you focus on rarer and more valuable species, then the profitability of the project increases significantly. In any case, this direction is very profitable and attractive.

Video: breeding and keeping minks - fur farm.

Keeping minks can be a really profitable activity. There are not so many farmers in our country who breed these fur-bearing animals. At present, there are only about 30 farms of this specialization in Russia. In principle, the maintenance of such fur-bearing animals is a relatively simple matter. However, successful breeding of minks in Russia, as in any other country in the world, is possible, of course, only if the farmer has certain knowledge and skills.

The value of mink skins

At the moment, farms specializing in the cultivation of these animals are the main suppliers of material for the country's fur industry. It is the mink that most often goes in Russia for tailoring fur coats, hats, collars, scarves and even mittens. The demand for such fur is actually very high. This is explained primarily by its truly unique qualities.

In the wild, minks, which must be bred and maintained, of course, taking into account the biological characteristics of their organism, live mainly in the northern regions of Russia. Thick fur helps these animals to keep warm in winter. A thick air layer is created between the hairs of the animal's skin, which does not let the cold through. However, density is not the only advantage of mink fur. All hairs of the skin of these animals have exactly the same length. Therefore, mink fur looks velvety and noble.

The price for one such raw skin is about 120 rubles per 100 cm 2. But this figure is, of course, approximate. The real cost of mink skins depends on two main factors - the quality of the fur itself and its shade.

Breeds and varieties

Most often, in artificial nurseries, including in Russia, breeding it is a simple task, since this variety is very unpretentious. In the wild, there are only two groups of minks - European and American. Scandinavian, in fact, is a variation of the latter. As for the breeds, their breeders bred just a huge amount. On farms, for example, mink can be bred:

piano pastel (brown);

Finnish topaz (light brown);

American palomino (beige), etc.

Especially valuable breeds among farmers are silver-blue, sapphire, iris and the like. The skins of rare white hetlunds are also very expensive. Mink breeding at home will be most beneficial when choosing blue and white breeds. But the purchase of such manufacturers, of course, will cost more.

What a novice farmer needs to know

They keep minks, as well as rabbits, most often in cages installed in special open spaces - sheds. The latter are, in fact, a simple canopy without any fence. In winter, minks should be kept in conditions as close to natural as possible. That is, simply put, in the cold. Otherwise, their fur will not be so beautiful and thick. Since these animals live in burrows in the wild, small insulated houses are installed in each cage for them.

Unlike the same rabbit, the mink is a predatory animal. This, of course, should be taken into account when choosing feed. As the latter, farmers usually use fish, meat and chicken waste mixed with various kinds of premixes.

Minks breed fairly quickly. A good female can bring up to 16 cubs at a time. But most often there are 5-7 kids in the litter.

How to make calculations

Mink breeding will be successful, of course, only if the entrepreneur first draws up a detailed business plan for the farm. The initial capital of those wishing to organize such an enterprise should be large enough. The construction of the shed itself will not cost too much. But for the manufacturers, of course, you have to pay a tidy sum.

It is believed that domestic mink breeding as a business can only be profitable if the farm has at least 20 females. The cost of one such individual of the usual brown color is approximately 3000 rubles. For each male, you will have to pay about 2300 rubles. Of course, there should be several such producers on the farm. In one day during the rut, the male can cover no more than three future queens. Thus, a novice farmer will have to spend at least 60-70 thousand rubles just for the purchase of producers.

Mink food, of course, will also be quite expensive. In fact, the success of the enterprise will depend on whether the farmer manages to find their cheap supplier or not. Most often, entrepreneurs involved in breeding minks enter into agreements with poultry farms for the supply of offal. Calculations should be made based on the fact that one female should receive 40-60 g of meat with bones per day, and a male - 60-80 g.

Very often, farmers add mink and fish to feed. This allows you to somewhat reduce maintenance costs. However, when using such an additive, it should be borne in mind that its total share in the diet of animals should not exceed 40%.

Where should the mink farm be located?

When choosing a place to build a shed, an entrepreneur should, of course, comply with certain SES standards. Of course, a mink is not a pig. But the smell from a farm that specializes in breeding these animals can be quite unpleasant. According to the regulations, if the farm contains up to 50 females, the distance from it to the nearest residential building should be at least 30 m. With a larger number of animals, this figure increases to 60 m.

Of course, a shed should be built where it is possible to connect to power lines. Also, the farm will need a large amount of water. Therefore, choosing a shed is a place where it does not lie too deep. In this case, drilling a well will be cheaper.

Of course, the farm should be located in a place with convenient access roads. After all, breeding minks involves the delivery of a large amount of feed, hay, sawdust, etc. to the farm. Also, skins will need to be taken out of the farm.

Construction works

To build, in fact, the shed itself, of course, will not be difficult. To build this structure, you just need to put the pillars and cover them with a two- or one-slope canopy. However, a shed is not the whole farm. A novice fur breeder will also need to build facilities for slaughtering animals and storing equipment and feed. You will also have to build a small quarantine block.

If the farm contains 20 animals, the owner will, of course, be able to take care of them on his own. For more animals, you will most likely have to hire additional staff. In this case, the farm will need to provide, among other things, a change house with a changing room and a shower room.

Breeding minks at home: what should be the cells?

The size of the shed, of course, will depend primarily on the number of animals reared. Cells in such structures are installed close to each other, in one tier, in several rows. The sizes of such dwellings for minks can be different. But in any case, the length of the cage should not be less than 70 cm, and the width - 30 cm. The most comfortable frame height for the mink is 45 cm.

In most cases, farm owners purchase ready-made mink cages. However, if desired, such equipment can be made independently. They make cages for these animals from timber and metal mesh with a cell size of 25x25 mm. Mink houses are most often knocked down from boards or plywood. A feeder and a drinking bowl are hung on the door of each cage.

Minks are not afraid of cold weather. However, in order for the animals to feel comfortable, bedding must be placed at the bottom of each cage. It is usually made from an equal amount of wood shavings, hay and straw. In the future, the litter, of course, will have to be changed periodically. On average, one mink requires about 40 kg of a mixture of hay, straw and shavings per year.

Mink feeding features

Mink breeding as a business will bring tangible profits, of course, only if the animal's diet is properly developed. Meat and fish of any kind are given to these animals exclusively with bones and veins. Adult animals are usually fed twice a day. Young animals are given food 3-4 times a day. The simplicity of feeding minks lies primarily in the fact that these animals never overeat. You should not be afraid to overfeed them.

In addition to fish and poultry waste products, minks can be given specially prepared factory-made dry food, beef, lamb, game and mice. You can not feed sausages, sweets, salty foods, canned food, citrus fruits, dairy products and anything fried to these animals. Only sea fish can be given to minks.

Reproduction of animals

Mink breeding will not be successful if the owner of the farm does not take care of periodic renewal and increase in his livestock. The mink rut begins in March. It is possible to determine that an individual is ready for mating by its characteristic rumbling. The mating of these animals is allowed from the age of 11 months. The offspring of the queens, covered in March, appears by the beginning of May. During pregnancy, females eat much more than in the normal state. of course must be taken into account. If a pregnant mink does not receive enough nutrients and vitamins, her cubs will be born weak and sickly. It will be impossible to get good skins from them in the future. Pregnant minks should be fed ad libitum. Of course, you need to pay maximum attention to the development of the menu of male producers. It should be as varied as possible.

Owners of mink farms usually start preparing for childbirth from April 15th. At this time, the houses of the females are cleaned, treated with flea products and disinfected. Further, a larger mixture of hay, straw and sawdust is placed in the female's cage.

Mink cubs are born completely naked. They begin to acquire valuable fur only after some time. Therefore, the female house in the cage must be well insulated. Only in this case, breeding mink at home will be successful. In a cold nest, puppies can easily catch a cold and die.

Young Animal Care

At first, mink puppies feed exclusively on mother's milk. The eyes of the cubs open approximately on the 25-30th day. On the 20th day, the teeth erupt in puppies. It is by this time that well-chopped food on a small metal plate should begin to be placed in the cage. The uterus will independently carry it to the babies in the nest.

When the puppies are one month old, the female will begin to pull them outside to the feeder. After a while, the cubs get used to going to the tray themselves.

At 5-7 weeks of age, mink puppies become very voracious. If they do not have enough food at this time, they can gnaw each other or even kill and eat the female herself. This, of course, must be taken into account by the owner of the farm.

Lunge of young animals in minks is usually small. Some puppies die, mostly only in the first week after birth.

Young minks are weaned from the uterus most often at the age of 1.5 months. Cells for young animals are prepared in advance. Puppies are seated one by one or in pairs. Minks born in May are usually slaughtered in November.

Possible profit and reviews

You can get income from a farm of this specialization mainly in two ways - by selling animal skins, as well as thoroughbred producers. Some owners of mink breeding farms also sell some of the young as pets. With the proper organization of the farm, mink breeding can bring really big profits.

Example of Cost and Revenue Calculation

So how profitable can a mink farm be? Further, for clarity, we present to the reader's attention a few figures for a nursery for 240 females and 60 males. The organization of the farm in this case usually costs about 4,200,000 rubles. At the same time, annual expenses amount to about 2,891,000 rubles. Skins and producers for the year in such a nursery can be sold for about 4,000,000 rubles. Thus, the net profit of the farmer is 1,109,000 rubles / year.

Instead of a conclusion

Of course, 240 heads of females is a lot. In most cases, entrepreneurs initially purchase much fewer manufacturers. But even a farm of 20 heads can become quite profitable. It is believed that with just one pair of minks, you can get up to 120,000 rubles of income per year. Thus, this business is really quite profitable - breeding minks as a business. Reviews of such farms, of course, are mostly only good. But, according to farmers, efforts to maintain such a nursery will have to be made very, very much. Otherwise, of course, it will not work to make a profit from breeding minks.

Mink fur has long been valued by many manufacturers of luxury clothing and accessories. But the most important thing is that this animal grows well in captivity. Therefore, building a business on mink fur is quite realistic if you study all the features of the behavior and breeding of this animal.

Color features

Before opening a mink business, it is worth at least a little familiarization with the features of the species. The animal is small in size - up to half a meter without a tail. Its fur is smooth, shiny, short with a thick undercoat. The color has more than 300 shades, but sapphire, silver-blue, black, brown are popular. When breeding minks, you need to know that each color is determined by a set of dominant genes that suppress others, and recessive, suppressed ones. This will give an understanding of the possible shades when crossing.

The fur of females is valued more than males. Of all the species, the most popular is the American mink. Usually it is it that is used to grow fur for sale. But the European one is the most valuable, as it is listed in the Red Book.

Mink types

Standard dark brown, which formed the basis of many other subspecies.
Jet (black) - bred in Canada about 50 years ago, has a high fecundity.
Silver-blue - larger than medium sizes, one of the most popular.
Sapphire - the result of crossing the Aluet with a silver-blue mink, has a high fecundity and survival rate of puppies.
Pastel - has a brown coat and a bluish undercoat, the colors vary from light to blue-brown. It has the highest rates of survival and fertility.

The mink is a small animal, so a mink breeding farm can be organized even at home. But in this case, the business will not have high income. For the full-fledged construction of a highly profitable enterprise, it is necessary to rent a plot for the construction of a farm.

The animal is quite active and mobile, so it is necessary to build a large and spacious cage for it. It is necessary to place a house in it so that the animal can hide. Also remember that the animals love to swim and swim, so you need to provide appropriate containers with clean water. Everything that is in the cage must be securely fastened, otherwise the minks will tear everything off and turn it over.

Juveniles are kept separately from adults in cages, the cells of which are much smaller. For adult minks, the size of such cells should not exceed 2.7 cm in diameter. Such cells can be made independently and significantly reduce the cost of your business, or purchased for 10 thousand rubles. each. They may need a lot, since the animal is aggressive and sometimes individuals have to be resettled.

Cells must be kept under a canopy. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that mink tolerate frosts well, and in the heat they should be given the opportunity to cool.

Mink is a predator that in the wild feeds on small animals, fish and birds. Therefore, your business should provide for the purchase of fish, meat, cereals, dairy products and specialty dry food. Moreover, it is better not to use waste, because the quality of the fur suffers because of such nutrition. If you organize a good diet for minks, they will not get sick.

To do this, you can include the breeding of laboratory mice in your business so that minks always have fresh meat. During the day, the animal eats a maximum of one mouse. But mice can be fed cheap grain mixtures. By the way, a dead mink can also be fed to relatives.

Despite good health, the animals must be fed with vitamins and various additives. Diseases usually spread quickly, threatening to wipe out the entire herd.

Breeding issues

By 10 months of age, minks reach sexual maturity. Their rut begins in March, and puppies appear by May. Externally, a pregnant female is difficult to determine. Her belly enlarges only about two weeks before delivery.

You need to prepare for this by organizing a nest covered with hay or soft shavings. Each female brings an average of 5 puppies, which are completely helpless immediately after birth. Therefore, they are kept near their mother for two weeks, feeding on her milk, and only from about 17 weeks does she begin to feed them with food. From the 40th day of life, babies are separated from their mother.

In the autumn months, the animals begin to grow wool, which is valued by breeders. This is the period of selection of individuals for further selection. From the end of November to December, suitable specimens are slaughtered. After five years of keeping, the animals lose their ability to reproduce and, accordingly, the quality of the fur decreases.

Breeding Requirements

If you formalize a fur farm officially, in addition to registration documents, you will need an appropriate license. To do this, you need to bring the farm in line with its standards:

Animals must meet breed standards, which must be confirmed by relevant documents.
Animals should be evaluated every year for a number of indicators (bonitation).
The owner of the farm must have the education of a zootechnician or zooengineer. Otherwise, you need to hire an employee with the appropriate education.

How to calculate business

To imagine how much money it will take to open a business and how much this business can bring, you need to make all the necessary calculations. So, the maintenance of one animal will cost 70 rubles a month, and from one carcass you can sell the skin from 20 to 200 dollars. If you properly equip a farm for a thousand heads, it can easily be served by one person. For a year, 20 females and 3 males can bring 120 puppies. Based on these figures, you can calculate the profitability and growth of your business.

Where and how to sell products

No business will function if you do not think about ways to market products. You can earn income in three ways:

Sale of live minks. Both novice farmers and people who want to have an exotic pet can become clients.
Sale of skins. The most profitable and time-consuming business, as it is necessary to carefully monitor the quality of the fur.
Tailoring and sale of products from fur. Implementing this plan is easier if you have the right skills. Otherwise, you need to involve specialists.

According to the most conservative estimates, excluding land lease, investments will amount to about 6 million rubles. With good luck, they will return in a couple of years.

Mink is one of the most valuable fur-bearing animals that can be raised in captivity. These animals are almost the most important "suppliers" of fur for sewing various accessories and clothes. Almost every woman dreams of a mink coat, as it has long been an indicator of the status of its owner. Hats, scarves, collars, mittens are made from mink fur. Therefore, the demand for the fur of these animals is very high. The peculiarity of these animals is that they take root very well in captivity. And if you are planning to organize your own business, then mink breeding is a very profitable and promising option for a business plan. Breeding and raising mink is a very profitable business. Properly building a plan for this business, you will have a stable income.

How to start a mink breeding business? First, it is necessary to strictly follow the business plan drawn up in advance. For help in compiling such a business plan, you can turn to specialists, or you can outline ways to build a business yourself and implement your own business plan. Secondly, it is necessary to study the features of these animals, their types.

Mink is a predatory animal from the weasel family, small in size, 40-50 cm (without a tail). The fur is smooth, short, smooth, rather shiny, has a thick undercoat. There are over 300 different shades of flowers in the world. The most popular are products from brown, black, silver-blue and sapphire mink.

It is known that each trait of an animal or plant is determined by the corresponding gene. The color of a dark brown ordinary mink is determined by 20 genes, of which 14 are dominant (suppressive over others) and 6 recessive (suppressed by dominant genes). As a rule, this is taken into account in fur farms and fur farms.

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Basic mink colors

An interesting fact: fur coats, hats, collars made from the fur of females are valued much more than from the fur of males, so the skins of the females are used to make models of world brands.

The European mink is considered a rare animal. This species is listed in the Red Book. But its relatives - the American mink - are more common and are great for breeding in order to generate income from the sale of its fur.

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For the successful development of your own mink breeding business, an important issue is the issue of building or acquiring cages and premises for minks. Cages and premises for keeping and breeding minks can be very diverse. You can start a home business by placing cages in one of the rooms of your house or apartment. But you, of course, must understand that you will not succeed in a full-fledged one and you are unlikely to be able to receive a large income. It will become more like caring for a pet: a cat, dog or guinea pig. Just for fun. Growing and breeding these animals in small volumes is completely unprofitable. Therefore, based on the foregoing, we will talk about a more or less large-scale organization of animal production.

The first thing you will need is a plot of land in order to build at least a small farm. You are very lucky if you live outside the city or own your own house with a plot of land. Under such conditions, it is possible to organize the entire process of growing minks right in your yard by building special cages for this. The dimensions of the cell must be sufficient for this. so that the animals can move freely, because minks are quite active and mobile animals. They are often compared to cats. It is imperative to place a house in the cage where the minks can hide (since in natural conditions they live in deep holes). Therefore, it is imperative to place drinking bowls, a feeder and a small container of water, since minks love to swim and bathe very much. Pay special attention to the fact that all the elements that you placed in the cages are well fixed, otherwise the animals will all be turned upside down.

The cells in the cages designed to accommodate the mink should be 2-2.7 cm in diameter. But there is one caveat. Adult animals cannot slip into such small cells, but newborn animals can quite easily fall into the hole and fall out of the cage. Therefore, young individuals are planted in separate cages with small cells or boxes.

If you find it difficult to make cages yourself, then you can purchase ready-made cages at quite reasonable prices. So, a nine-seater cage can cost about 10,000 rubles. But remember that minks are rather aggressive animals, so it is better to house them in separate cages.

Cells are best placed under awnings. Thus, the dwelling of animals will be protected from inclement weather, rain, wind, it will be less polluted. Minks do not tolerate the hot season. In winter, the premises do not need heating.

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The mink is a carnivore. In the wild, they are unsurpassed hunters. Their diet includes rodents, various small animals that they catch, as well as birds and fish. If you plan to breed minks at home, then you need to know that these animals need to be fed with fresh meat, fish, cereals, use special dry food and dairy products.

With proper feeding, minks practically do not get sick. It is better not to feed minks with waste, as this has a bad effect on the fur, its color and quality. It is better to give them live food, for example, laboratory mice, which can also be bred on their own. Mice can be fed the cheapest grain mixes. This is a very good economic effect, which will only bring profit for your business. A mink eats an average of one or half a mouse per day. You can feed minks with inexpensive fish. If any mink died, it can also be fed to its other relatives.

In addition to all of the above, minks must be fed with vitamin supplements, as they are very susceptible to infection with all sorts of diseases. The worst thing about this is that the disease spreads like an epidemic. In a matter of days, the entire livestock can become infected and die. Then your business may fail. But if you have studied everything perfectly and made a clear plan of activity, then this can be avoided.

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Mink breeding needs to be carefully organized and planned. In the spring, as a rule, in March, the mink begins the rut. By 10 months, minks reach sexual maturity. Mating of animals occurs in March, and they usually cub in the second half of April or early May. Pregnancy in appearance in minks is quite difficult to determine. Approximately 10-15 days before giving birth, the belly of females increases in size. As bedding in the nest where the offspring will be placed, you can use hay or soft shavings. A litter usually has an average of 5-6 puppies. Animals are born helpless, deaf and blind. For the first one or two weeks, the puppies are in the nest and feed on their mother's milk. When the puppies reach the age of 17-20 days, the mother begins to bring food to the nest, by this time the puppies are already trying to eat on their own. When accustoming newborn cubs to feeding, food must be put in the house. When the babies are 40 days old, they are separated from their mother.

From September to November, winter fur grows in animals, it is it that has the greatest value, therefore, from November to December, animals are selected, they are slaughtered to obtain valuable fur, which will be the main source of income in your business. In autumn, to maintain the mink population, individuals are selected that are most suitable for breeding. At this time, competent selection work is important, which will be aimed at improving and maintaining the quality of fur, animal breeds, for their further breeding. The duration of maintenance and cultivation of minks does not exceed 5.5-6 years, because in the future the quality of the fur and the ability of animals to reproduce significantly deteriorate in animals.