BREEDING. 67 



but the larger average in number produced will 

 surely more than make up the additional keep- 

 ing expense. 



Ferret raising, to be successful, on either a 

 large or small scale, requires head work as well 

 as much manual labor, yet the business is one 

 that offers more than ordinary wages. The 

 information so far applies more especially to 

 those raising large numbers. By far the major- 

 ity will begin in a small way, keeping say from 

 one to a dozen females, so that the balance of 

 this chapter will mainly be of interest to begin- 

 ners or those who keep a few only. Much of this 

 information was gathered from observation as 

 well as correspondence so that there is consid- 

 erable repetition of methods already explained. 



The male and female must be kept separate 

 in the breeding season and only one ferret in the 

 pen with the young, or they will destroy them. 

 They will breed three times a year if handled 

 right, but it is not advisable to breed more than 

 twice, as the third litter would be too small for 

 market during the hunting season and would 

 have to be kept about a year before they could 

 be marketed, which would not pay. 



When a ferret has young ones, they must be 

 watched so the mother will not cover them too 

 deep in the straw, as this causes sweat, which is 



