Mr. and Mri. Kline shew how seme ef their chlnchlilas ore kep» 

 In cages lining the basement ef their heme. 



RAISING CHINCHILLAS 



Breeding These Small, Furry South 

 American Rodents Can Be Done On 

 Farm With Time, Patience, 

 Lots Of Money 



By JIM THOMSON 



Ats't. Idhor, lAA Record 



AS A HOBBY or full-scale commer- 

 cial enterprise chinchilla breeding 

 fits easily into life on the average 

 Illinois farm. 



All it takes is time, patience, 

 and— last, but by no means least — 

 money. In chinchilla raising it isn't 

 the upkeep, it's the original cost. 



A mere $5 worth of feed will keep a 

 chinchilla healthy and happy for a year. 

 A pair of these precious little animals 

 cost an average $1000 a pair. You need 

 at least three breeding lines to start. 

 That means $3000 and as much as 

 $4000. 



And you must have patience. It 

 takes about five years before you can 

 start cashing in on your investment by 

 pelting. 



The chinchilla is a native South Am- 

 erican rodent with the world's most 

 costly fur on its back. Early in this 

 century it was hunted high in the 

 Andes mountains until almost none 

 were left. 



A number were brought to the 

 United States in 1923. Today there are 

 20,000 pairs in the United States and 

 Canada. Chinchillas are raised for 

 their exquisite blue-gray fur which is 

 soft, lustrous, and light as thistledown. 

 A pelt averages 8x12 inches and brings 

 an average $65 to $85. 



Pelt production is so small that 

 enough fur is available to make only 

 two or three coats a year. The demand 

 is greater than the supply. This de- 

 mand runs the price of a finished coat 

 up to $30,000 to $-40,000. 



Chinchilla fur is costly because it is 

 scarce and of high quality. It is scarce 

 mainly because the chinchilla is not a 

 prolific breeder like the rabbit, a distant 

 relative. Chinchillas keep the same 



mate for life, litter an average of twice 

 a year, and have an average 1.8 young 

 per litter. Their gestation period is 

 quite long — 1 1 1 days. They mate at 

 six months and breed at eight months. 



The full-grown animal weighs 20- 

 30 ounces. The female is a few ounces 

 heavier than the male. 



Mr. and Mrs. Alex Kline of near 

 Utica in La Salle county decided to get 

 into chinchilla raising three years ago 

 when they bought three pairs. Today 

 they have 250 animals. At present they 

 are concentrating on breeding stock but 

 expect to produce pelts commercially in 

 about two more years. 



The chinchilla is a timid animal. He 

 sleeps during the day and is active at 

 night. He is fed and watered once a 

 day in early evening. It requires one 

 man to care for 100 pairs. 



With the disposition of a rabbit, the 

 chinchilla doesn't bite and he is never 

 vicious. He is very clean, odorless, and 

 free of vermin. He _ 



is hardy and not 

 susceptible to many 

 diseases. He may , 

 catch pneumonia, 

 however, if exposed 

 to drafts. 



Everything he eats can be raised on 

 the farm. Fox and mink require a 95 

 per cent meat diet but the chinchilla is 

 a grain eater. He thrives on a diet of 

 wheat, oats, beet pulp, barley, sunflower 

 seeds, corn, raisins, and timothy hay. 



To assist those with pelts to sell to 

 get a fair price, the National Chinchilla 

 Breeders' Association is setting up a 

 cooperative to bargain with buyers, in 

 much the same manner as our farm co- 

 operatives. 



Persons interested in chinchilla 

 breeding are urged to investigate sellers 

 through the Illinois Chinchilla Breeders' 

 Association in Springfield before buy- 

 ing. 



Chinchilla raising is an interesting 

 occupation or hobby but it is subject to 

 all the difficulties inherent in animal 

 raising of any kind. The capital outlay 

 is high and the risk is great because of 

 the amount of money involved. But if 

 you have the money to spare you could 

 do worse. 



The Klines examine 

 four high-grade pelts 

 which have been ap- 

 praised at $500. The 

 average pelt, the 

 Klines say, is worth 

 $«5 to $80. 



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 k 



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30 



I. A. A. RECORD 



DECEM 



