>From:    tara taylor <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: behind the doors of Marshall Farms....
 
<sigh>
The source of your information is one that we consider to be biased and
complete unreliable.  There seems to be a strong bias in the way it was
reported.  Marshall Farms passed the USDA inspection so oviously it wasn't
all that bad.
 
For example:
>*numerous broken or rusted sharp wires protruding into pens.
 
Numerous could mean ten.  It could mean a thousand.  We don't know.  But if
Marshall is producing tens of thousands of ferrets every year they have many
thousands of cages.  They'd have to be replacing them on a regular basis.
At the time of the inspection it is very conceivable that they were
scheduled to replace cages and those were the ones that were worn out with
borken rusted wires.  The inspector would note "numerous ...".  Or they had
a bunch of cages they had no intention of replacing.  The inspector would
note "numerous ..." We aren't ready to judge which is closer to the truth.
 
Tha author is quite familiar to us and always has an exaggerating style.
Over emphasis to make his argument seem stronger.  We have read some of his
versions of events at which we were present.  His version really didn't
match anything we witnessed and remembered.  We remain unconvinced due to
the reporter.  We saw a rebutal to his original articles from someone which
experiences with Marshall Farms.  Both the original version and the version
butchered by him for publication.  A completely different picture came form
the original rebuttal from real experience that from the article you seen to
have been reading.
 
>averages out to be between 8 and 10 thousand ferrets a year sent to the
>cruel vivisection (live animal experiments) labs.
 
Vivisection is NOT live animal experiments.  Its the cutting open (section)
of live (vivi) animals.  Ferrets are used in reasearch on ulcers, allergies,
training of doctors in intubation of infants, endrocrine studies, effects
of environment on eproduction and many other things that do not involve
vivisection.  Animal research also includes the testing of medicines and
procedures FOR ferrets.  Whether you are pro or con on animal research is
your choice.  But it is NOT vivisection.  Bill Gruber has stated that the
pure topic of animal rights is not approriate for his list so "animal
research in general if off topic.
 
>Yes- MF will sometimes inbreed.
 
"In-breeding" is normal for every single domesticated species.  Especially
ruminants.  One herd sire will breed every female on the farm whether it is
his sister, mother, daughter or something else.  It hasn't weakened herd
animals.  Show dogs are notoriously line bred.  It has hurt some through
bad goals - not specifically because of in-breeding.
 
In-breeding (under the name line breeding) is so much the norm that the
special breedings are the out-crossings which are the breedings of non-close
relatives.  In dogs at least many of the best breeders recommend avoiding
out-crosses.
 
But for what its worth.  With as many ferrets as Marshall has - they are
less likely to be "in-bred" than any other ferrets.  Marshall makes efforts
to control how closely related bred ferrets are.  In-breeding is not a big
problem there.
 
>And MF will breed a ferret who has genetic problems, if it's an unusual
>color.
 
This is highly suspect.  And the only "new" thing in your post to a good
number of us.  Defective ferrets can not be sold.  If Marshall was breeding
defective kits that couldn't be sold then they would be wasting the time and
money spent on that breeding.  No one yet has claimed Marshall Farms makes
bad business desicions like that.
 
>And since MF ferrets are purposly taken away from their mothers a few
>weeks before weaning
 
Weaning is when the kits are taken from their mothers.  Pretty much the
definition.  We do think that they probably force weaning too early.  This
is our opinion.
 
We think the ferrets are altered too early.  Though this is a double edged
sword.  With out the early spays many jills would die from aplastic anemia.
It is not proven by any means that early spays and neuters cause medical
problems later.  It does stunt the growth and maturation though.
 
We strongly digaree with the term "mill" for Marshall Farms.  They do not
have many of the traits of puppy mills.  Marshall is in ferrets for the
long haul - some 60 years now if we remember.  If they were running their
operation like a "mill" they would have killed off their stock through
abuse long ago.
 
None of this means we "support" Marshall Farms.  We do not like some of
their practices at all.  We have no arrangements with or connections to
Marshall Farms.  We do not recommend getting ferrets at pet stores so we in
effect do not reccommend Marshall ferrets.  But we have seen many many of
their ferrets and do NOT see them as horrible ferrets.  Our first ferrets
were Marshall bred.  No ferret can replace Furball, the very first we had.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2327]