A man who has been in the fur farming industry for years, in response to the inquiry, "Will the business pay?" says: "Yes, it will pay the right man big dividends on the capital invested." The right man is one who has natural aptitude for this sort of work, and who is "cut out" for fur farming. If he has a liking for this sort of work, he will study the nature and requirements of the animals and attend carefully to their every want.
Fur farming as an industry is only in its infancy, in fact, not begun. The future looks bright to those who engage in the business in a business way. To those who expect to make a fortune at the business in a year or two, we predict failure, but to all who are willing to go at the industry intelligently, building a substantial enclosure, paying the same careful attention to the feed and care of their fur animals that they would to other "stock," to get the best results, far more than ordinary profits should result.
Under ordinary circumstances skunk can be raised to maturity at a cost of about 25c. The cheapest skin on the market will bring at least a dollar, from that to live skunk at $15. Average profit will be over 400%.
CHAPTER III.
Enclosures, Dens, Food and Care.
The enclosure for a fur farm is one of the most important things for a beginner to consider, for if it is not properly constructed, his labor is in vain. We have heard of parties going to a great expense to procure the animals and construct a fence to hold them, and because the fence was not built on right lines, the animals escaped. This was unnecessary had the netting or galvanized iron fencing extended about 18 inches below the surface. Skunk seldom dig over a foot into the ground.
The proper size of an enclosure depends on the number and kinds of animals you intend to start with. For 10 skunks or less and their offspring the first year we suggest an enclosure measuring 3 rods wide by 4 rods long or 12 square rods. This will even answer for a much larger number, but we do not believe in crowding. For 20 skunks and the first year's young the enclosure should measure about 4 rods in width by 5 in length.
You can successfully raise a hundred skunk on a single acre of ground.
After you have decided on this business the first thing is to find the proper location and make a suitable enclosure. There should be a spring on, or a small stream crossing the ground to be inclosed, but at the same time the ground must not be wet; in fact, it should be of rather dry nature, so that there will not be too much dampness in the dens. That is the picture of an ideal skunkery.
But running water is not absolutely necessary so long as the animals are furnished clear water for drinking purposes. There should be banks of earth for the animals to den in and the ground should have a gradual slope so that it will drain readily. If it is of a sandy nature it will be all the better. Some who have tried skunk farming have located the yards on a shore of a small lake or pond and have included a portion of the pond in the enclosure. This is a good idea and it will not be necessary to extend the fence very deep into the water, as the skunk is not a water animal and will not dive under; however, where the fence crosses a stream of running water the fence should reach to the bed of the stream as the water will fall considerably during dry weather. Where running water is not to be had a basin of water should be provided for bathing purposes. They bathe about once a week. This is a habit little known by the amateur fur farmer.