>From:    Mia and Patrick Emery <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: breeding animals for profit
>
> Mia
>
>Profit?  Wheres the profit?  Am I missing something?
>
>I breed ferrets for the joy of raising them, somewhere along the line I
>missed out on this profit thing.  After feeding, shots, vet visits,
>etc...etc... there is no profit, but they occasionally pay for their own
>food !
 
i've never tried the ferret breeding thing, but i bred some extremely high
quality purebred cats of a rare breed for quite a while.  even with kittens
selling for between $250 and $800 (and this was in the eighties!) i never
once turned a profit on a litter.  after the three maternity visits, 3 or 4
sets of shots per kitten, food and all the incidental vet bills, travel to
cat shows to keep my cats well known to the right people, etc etc, i was
lucky to break even.  and the kittens weren't even neutered when they were
sold.
 
that being said i don't honestly believe that anyone who took decent care
of their ferrets could make more than a marginal profit through breeding.
and honestly i don't mind much.  i figure that this way most of the
breeders out there are doing it for love, not money, and it's bloody easy
to indentify and avoid the others.
 
someday i would love to have a chance to breed ferrets, but i would *never*
do it and expect a profit.
 
siani
[Posted in FML issue 2721]