Raising 100 mink, earning 200 million VND per year

With a herd of nearly 100 mink, each year thanks to selling breeds and commercial products, a young man in Quang Ngai province earns a profit of 150 - 200 million VND.

As a mechanical engineer but with a passion for animal husbandry, Mr. Tran Thanh Binh (29 years old, residing in Van Tuong commune, Quang Ngai province) has long cherished the idea of ​​building an economic model suitable for local conditions. Initially, he planned to raise one of three types of animals: bamboo rats, civets and ferrets. However, after a period of research, he realized that many people in and outside the province had raised bamboo rats and civets but the results were not satisfactory to him.

Weasels have a herd mentality, so Mr. Binh lets many of them live in the same cage to save space and costs. Photo: LK

“The value of bamboo rats is low, while the main food source of bamboo in the locality is increasingly scarce. Civets are difficult to raise, the initial investment cost is high, and they have to compete a lot in the market. Civets weigh more than civets, and the selling price is only a little lower, but this species has good resistance, is adaptable, grows quickly and has few diseases, so I decided to choose civets to raise,” Mr. Binh shared.

In 2022, Mr. Binh invested about 100 million VND to buy 9 mink breeds from Dak Lak , and 40 million VND to build an 80m2 barn. In the early days, he had to learn and practice farming techniques online, through groups and ask for advice from those who went before him. However, during the breeding process, he also faced many difficulties, especially during the breeding period.

Weasels are easy to raise, grow quickly, and can reach a weight of 3.5-4kg within 6-7 months. Photo: LK

“It is quite easy to raise the mink, but in the breeding stage, at first due to lack of experience, many litters of mink died, not successful. I did it, gained experience, and gradually learned to stabilize. From the experience gained and overcome, the mink herd has reproduced well, the loss rate has decreased significantly,” he said.

In the breeding area, the cages were designed by Mr. Binh systematically and scientifically , suitable for each stage of the mink's development. The mother mink's breeding area is arranged to be spacious and airy to reduce stress and help the mink take better care of its young. The areas for raising baby mink and growing mink are arranged reasonably for easy management and space saving. "Each different growth stage requires a different cage. The babies need a large space, while the growing mink needs a cage that is just large enough. Making it too big will waste space and cost," Mr. Binh explained.

In addition to the daily food of porridge, Mr. Binh regularly supplements the ferret with fruits, especially bananas. Photo: LK

Food for ferrets is also very simple and low cost. Mr. Binh takes advantage of fresh fish from the sea or ponds, cooks it with rice and corn into porridge to feed once a day. In addition, he regularly adds fruit, especially bananas - ferrets' favorite food. For ferrets that are pregnant or nursing, he increases the portion to ensure adequate nutrition. Thanks to taking advantage of locally available raw materials, the cost of food for each animal is only 2,000 - 3,000 VND/day, very economical compared to many other pets.

In particular, an advantage of raising mink compared to civets, which are being raised in many regions across the country today, is that the mink breed has a herd habit, so it is possible to raise 20-30 mink in the same cage. Meanwhile, civets must have separate cages, and the breeding area conditions are more complicated, so it costs more in investment, area, and care.

Currently, Mr. Binh's herd of minks has grown from 9 at first to about 90, including 20 breeding parent minks. According to his calculations, each adult female mink gives birth to an average of 2 litters per year, each litter of 2-4 minks. If raised for meat, after about 6-7 months, the mink will reach a weight of 3.5-4kg, selling for about 1.3 million VND/kg. Breeding mink cost from 5-6 million VND/mink depending on weight and age.

Currently, Mr. Binh's farm has about 100 mink of all ages, including 20 breeding mink. Photo: LK

With a stable output, each year, in addition to keeping it for breeding, Mr. Binh sells 30-50 breeding and commercial animals to the market, bringing in an income of 150-200 million VND after deducting expenses. “The market for his civets is quite stable, mainly traders in the province and customers in the northern provinces. “I usually sell meat to traders, but when selling breeding animals, customers come to me. If anyone sets a weight or age requirement, I will meet it to maintain my reputation,” he said.

Sharing his experience in raising mink, Mr. Binh said that mink are easy to raise and rarely get sick, but to achieve high efficiency, one must pay attention to hygiene and disease prevention. To keep the cage clean, he cleans the cage twice a day.

“In fact, mink rarely get sick, the most common disease in this breed is digestive disease, especially in young mink that have just been weaned from their mother and are not used to food, so they have to be trained gradually, adding digestive enzymes to the food for the mink. The products used to make food for mink must be fresh, not spoiled or moldy. In addition, the mink must be dewormed every month,” said Mr. Binh, adding that from the reality, he plans to expand the scale of farming, renovate the barns in the direction of saving costs, and improving the efficiency of the model.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bot, Head of the Farmers' Association of Village 1, Van Tuong Commune, said that Mr. Binh's model of raising civets is a new direction, demonstrating initiative in learning, creativity, daring to think, daring to do. The economic efficiency of civets also helps local people have more ideas in economic development, especially for young people who plan to start a business.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/nuoi-100-con-chon-moc-thu-lai-200-trieu-dong-moi-nam-d784082.html