2 



I.KAH.KT NO. S, T'. S. DEPARTMENT OF AOttlCtl.Tt I I 



birds mid birds' eggs of many kinds, including waterfowl and other 

 ground-frequenting species. Along water fronts they capture fish 

 of different BpecieB, which they pursue in the water, and vary this 

 diet with one of snakes, frogs, salamanders, insect-, crustaceans, and 

 mussels. ( Fig. 2.) 

 Because of its fur value, the mink has been persistently trapped 



from the coast of Florida to the holders of the Arctic tundras. 



With the growing demand for 

 furs, the numbers of this animal 

 in the wild are steadily decreas- 

 ing, and this stimulates efforts to 

 establish mink ranches. The 

 mink appears to he well adapted 

 to successful breeding in captiv- 

 ity, hut the relation of the cost 

 of caring for the animals to the 

 value of their pelts in the raw-fur 

 market is yet to he determined. 



When raising minks was first 

 attempted it was believed that a 

 place for the animals to swim 

 was an essential 

 Selecting a feature of the 

 Ranch Site ranch. This, 

 however, is not 

 now considered necessary. Highly 

 successful mink ranches arc situ- 

 ated in open fields adjoining subur- 

 ban properties, on general farms, 

 or in back yards in rural districts. 

 Natural shade is an asset as it 

 provides comfort for both the 

 animals and the attendants who 

 work on the ranch. 

 On the first mink farms the animals were given an extensive range 

 inside a large fenced inclosure, in which they were fed and provided 

 with nest boxes. Under a later system, families of 

 Pens and Dens minks were placed in honses with a runway to the 

 water supply. As mink farming progressed experi- 

 ments were made with a third system of confining these animals, by 

 which each was kept in a separate pen. To-day the individual-pen 

 system is used almost exclusively by those who are raising minks on 

 a large scale. The most sat is factory system consists of pens arranged 

 on either side of a central alley or in connection with a central house. 

 .Most beginners start with a few animals, and may adopt on a small 

 scale either the central-alley or the central-house plan of arranging 

 the pens, with provision for increase as the business enlarges. 



Pens 12 feet long, G feet wide, and 6 feet high will serve well for 

 minks. The pens must be entirely inclosed with 1-inch wire netting, 

 top. sides, and bottom. The dens and nest boxes should be placed 

 inside the pen- to lessen the chances of the minks escaping. (Fig. 4.) 

 Blue prints of a mink den, nest box, and pen will be sent on request 



