How are mink coats made? Private fur farm: how the skins of killed animals are harvested How minks are killed for a fur coat.

MINK: Mink skins, eat and store

Molt mink

In young mink, already at the age of one month, the body is covered with guard hair 9-10 mm long. At the age of 35-40 days, the underfur begins to grow, and further development of the fur passes through the formation of a summer fur cover and an autumn molt to a mature winter hair.

Adult minks molt twice a year. Shortly after the rut, on closer inspection, you can see that around the nose and near the vibrissae in the old fur, new darker shiny hairs break through. Then a narrow ring of new hair appears around the eyes, which increases rapidly. It used to be considered a sure sign of pregnancy. In reality, this has nothing to do with reproduction, but is the result of a progressive molt. New hair then appears on the cheeks on the forehead and passes (in May) to the hind legs. In pregnant females, and especially after whelping, hair loss always occurs intensely.

At the beginning of June, new hair is already found behind the ears and up to the back of the head, and the loss of old hair is clearly visible on the body. Around the middle of June, the front legs and abdomen are still covered with summer fur. At this time, old, matte and dull hair stand out clearly in the new fur, and only on the sides it still prevails in some places. On the tail, the molting also ends, and only in some animals some guard hairs are retained longer, but in early July they, together with the remnants of old hair from other parts of the body, fall out in most cases, so that in the second half of the month the growth of summer fur can be considered complete. The color of summer hair in most cases is not as dark as winter hair. Summer fur differs from winter fur in a smaller mass of hair, but it is mature, the mezra is free from pigment, and although it is not as light as in winter, it nevertheless has a slightly yellowish color.

In mid-August, the summer fur loses its color, the hair no longer has shine, and the autumn molt begins. The skin at the tip of the tail takes on a bluish color, indicating a sign of winter fur formation. This process begins with the tail, then passes to the body, that is, the formation of the winter fur cover occurs in the reverse order compared to the formation of the summer one.

By the end of September, the tail fades in most cases completely, but the summer fur on the body at this time seems dusty and dull. This is due to falling summer hair, which is replaced by winter hair during October and until mid-November. During this period, the winter fur breaks through the summer fur, which becomes longer, and in early November, the guard hairs reach 15 mm in length. The fur already seems dark, but still dusty due to the last summer hair that has not fallen out. The color of the mezdra begins to lighten on the tail, sides and back, and on the shoulders, nape and head is still dark. From the middle to the end of November, the growth of winter hair in most cases ends, the mezra becomes white. This means that all the pigment has moved from the roots to the shafts of the hair that has finished growing. In skins, the core of which has a greenish color, the pigment is not yet completely from the roots to the hair shafts. Such skins are not yet ripe, hair growth is not complete, and their roots are still deeply immersed in the mezra, so that during processing in the process of removing meat, they can be easily trimmed.

In most cases, the mech matures a little earlier than the mezra, because the skin needs a few more days to transition to a dormant state. Then it becomes thinner, the flow of blood to it is reduced. The maturity of the skin in animals does not always occur at the same time, since the timing depends on the weather, the nature of feeding and the state of fatness of the animals.

Slaughter dates

To prevent contamination of mink fur, fur breeders should start cleaning paddocks, houses and manholes from September 1, change bedding, establish constant monitoring of the sanitary condition of cages and houses. To speed up the elimination of the defect, the twisting of the tops of the covering hairs of the nest in the houses from October 1 is filled with coarse bedding (hay or straw mixed with small chips).

The maturity of the fur is determined by the general condition of the pubescence of the minks. The lush tail of the mink indicates the full maturity of the skin. When examining the fur, it is necessary to pay attention to the color of the skin, the development of the underfur and its length.

In dark minks, the flesh color of the skin on the sides and back above the sacrum characterizes the full maturation and first-class skin. In light-furred minks, skin color is not a criterion for full maturity. The degree of maturity in them is determined by the state of general pubescence and the thickness of the skin tissue, which, when the fur is fully mature, is usually very small.

In the first days, animals are slaughtered selectively - in order to verify the correctness of determining the maturity of the fur.

Slaughter is recommended to be carried out in a short time, since after the completion of the formation of winter fur, its defectiveness increases sharply over time. In addition, with extended slaughtering periods, the cost of skins increases and the delivery of furs is delayed.

Minks are scored in the next sequence. First, the animals of the white and blue groups (except silver-blue) are slaughtered, then the animals of the beige group, brown, silver-blue, dark brown and, finally, black. However, of the animals to be slaughtered, first of all minks with progressive defects (self-nibbling, matting, soiled fur, defects of the wetting group, etc.) are slaughtered. Mink with twisted tops of covering hairs is recommended to withstand until the defect is eliminated.

SHINING

Slaughterhouse, its equipment and inventory

Large farms should have a specially equipped room for slaughtering animals and primary processing of furs. In addition to various equipment (blanks for degreasing the skin, rules), it is necessary to have the inventory shown in fig. twenty.

It includes:

Metal hooks, clips to secure the carcass when shooting;

Knives for ripping leather tissue;

Knives, scrapers for degreasing skins;

Straight and Cooper scissors, wire cutters, pliers;

Nails for skins;

Mesh cassettes;

Staples and pneumatic pistols (TsS-213) used on the guide;

Wooden and metal hammer;

Nail pullers for removing skins from rules;

Cotton threads of white or cream color No. 60 with needles for sewing up tears and holes on the skins;

Twine, multi-colored thread-tags;

Combs, brushes, brushes, vacuum cleaners;

Rulers and centimeter tapes;

Utensils for carrying sawdust, collecting fat, etc.;

Ice creams and fillings;

Nippers and pliers;

Container for shipment of skins, container size - 100x60x70 cm.

For the primary processing of the skins, it is required: cross-cut hardwood sawdust, free of foreign matter. Sawdust is prepared in advance, dried and sieved to obtain particles of 3 mm in size. The best results are given by birch sawdust of a cubic shape. Do not use sawdust from a longitudinal cut of wood. The pulverized fraction obtained during sifting is used for shooting and degreasing the skins. For 100 arctic fox or fox skins, approximately 2 m 3 of sawdust is consumed for hauling along the core and hair.

For wrapping rules, straightening and packing skins and other production needs, clean sheets or rolls of paper are used.

Slaughter techniques

There are several ways to slaughter fur-bearing animals with electric current using chemicals, etc. On the day of slaughter, animals are not fed.

Slaughter with chemicals

Minks are killed with a chemical substance - dithylin. This is a very unstable substance, therefore, after intramuscular injection, it quickly decomposes and does not have any harmful effect on the hairline and skin tissue of the skin.

The slaughter is carried out in accordance with the Guidelines for the use of dithylin for the slaughter of fur-bearing animals. A 2% aqueous solution is injected intramuscularly at a dose of 0.2-0.4 mm, after which the animal is left in the cage until the carcass cools down. The agonal period is not accompanied by a motor reaction, defecation and urination, that is, the fur in this case is not contaminated.

The exhaust pipe of a car is used to kill minks with carbon monoxide. Animals are placed in a sealed box into which exhaust gas is released. Previously, the gas is passed through water to purify it from fatty impurities that are harmful to the fur of animals. The minks are removed from the box immediately after they are killed.

To kill the minks with chloroform, they are placed in special wooden boxes with a tube (together with the minks) and tightly closed with lids. Then chloroform is poured through the tube onto cotton wool, previously placed under the tube. Through the glass peephole in the box I observe the condition of the minks. Killed animals are immediately taken out. About 2 ml of chloroform is consumed per mink.

Minks can be killed with ether. In this case, 0.5-2 ml of ether is injected into the heart or chest cavity with a syringe.

It is strictly forbidden to use poisons and other drugs that are dangerous to humans for slaughtering animals. It is also forbidden to use ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, perhydrol, turpentine and other chemicals that destroy skin, hair or their pigmentation for slaughtering animals and primary processing of skins.

Mechanical methods of slaughter

I also kill the mink by displacing the cervical vertebrae or breaking them. In the first case, the mink is taken by the neck with one hand, and the head is sharply turned back and to the side with the other. In the second case, with one hand they clasp the mink's chest behind the front legs, and with the other - the front of the neck. Then the mink is turned belly up, its neck is leaned against the edge of a table, bench or other object and the cervical vertebrae are broken, followed by their displacement.

Skinning technique

Skinning should be done immediately after slaughter, otherwise, if the skin is left on the slaughtered animal for a long time, it will begin to rot and rot, especially in warehouses.

As a result of prejudice, the hair falls out, or, as they say, "flows out." Fur made from such a skin will be bald and, with strong fluidity, can go into marriage. In addition, skins not removed immediately lose color and luster of the hair.

Killed animals must be laid out one by one for cooling, in order to avoid sagging skins, hair flow and the formation of baldness from the contact of carcasses with each other. It is not recommended to lay the carcasses on boards or objects that retain heat, so as not to cause steaming of the hair or reddening of the leather tissue. For the transportation of carcasses to the primary processing shop, special containers with cassettes are used. It is possible to deliver carcasses in other containers, as long as it is dry, clean and suitable for transportation.

The temperature in the room where the carcasses are stored until the skins are removed from them should be 0 ... 10ᵒС.

Before removing the skin from the carcass of the animal, it is necessary to carefully examine the hairline, wash off the dirt and blood from it with cotton swabs or rags soaked in warm water, comb the tangled and matted areas.

When removing the skins, breaks, undercuts and incorrect cuts of the leather tissue should be avoided. To facilitate the work, various devices are used in the form of hooks, pins, clamps. Special machines are also used. In order to avoid contamination of the hairline, small sawdust is used, they wipe the skins of the tool and hands.

Skins are removed from the minks by cutting (Fig. 21). First, manually one of the hind legs is fixed in a loop or a special clamp, and the other is pulled so that the carcass is raised above the table or hangs in front of it. With a sharp knife, a main incision is made along the inside of the hind paws from the middle fingers through the pads to the anus along the junction of the hairline of the neck and rump. Such an incision can be made from one paw to the other without interruption, bypassing the anus from above.

On the front legs, an incision is made from the wrist to the elbow joint. The rectum is cut along the hairless part. The tail is all cut along the underside to a third of the length. When all the cuts are made, the skin is separated from the front and hind legs. In minks, the skin tissue on the hind legs with the claws remaining on it is cut off from the phalanges of the fingers along the last joint. In foxes and arctic foxes, claws are left on the hind and front legs. The caudal vertebrae, after being freed from the skin tissue, are pulled out with the help of pin hooks or the handle of scissors. The tail is cut to the end. The skin is removed from the body with the carcass in a vertical or horizontal position, fixing it in the first case with hooks for the Achilles tendons, in the second case with pins, tridents, hooks for the part of the carcass freed from the skin tissue above the pelvic girdle.

Pull the skin down or towards you - from the rump to the head. The skin from the front paws is removed after being pulled off the body and neck, and the skin is carefully trimmed at the level of the claws. Then, with a sharp knife, they cut the ligaments and cartilages near the eyes, nose, lips, ears, and remove the skin from the head.

STORAGE

The skins of fur-bearing animals must be stored in special closed premises under conditions that ensure the preservation of the quality of raw materials.

The arrangement of the warehouse and the placement of raw materials and semi-finished products in it should ensure the convenience of working on the movement of skins and monitoring their condition.

Skins that are not sufficiently dried or not defatted are not subject to storage and must be returned for additional processing.

In the warehouse where furs are stored, it is forbidden to store empty containers, production waste, etc. The warehouse must have concrete floors, solid walls and ceilings, strong and framed windows and doors.

Appropriate devices are installed in two or three places to control changes in temperature and humidity in the warehouse premises. To maintain a constant low air temperature, the premises are equipped with special refrigeration units.

Storage areas for skins are lit by natural or artificial light. Under natural light, the window area should be no more than 1/16 of the floor area. To protect the room from the penetration of sunlight, the windows are covered with paint or chalk.

Before laying raw materials for long-term storage in the room, thorough cleaning of dust, debris and disinfection is carried out.

Skins are carefully inspected before storage. In skins affected by moths and skin beetles, the hair is combed and beaten out, all combed out insects are destroyed. Skins affected by mold are wiped over the inside with turpentine or a solution of ZnCl 2 (10 g/l), and then dried. Skins that are not sufficiently dried or slightly damp are dried before laying. Fatted skins are not subject to storage, and they are returned for additional processing.

The skins of fur animals are stored in bundles in a suspended state; when hanging the bundles, the distance from the floor should be at least 0.5 m. The distance between the bundles should be 10 cm. Naphthalene, packed in cotton or paper bags, is placed between the skins (to protect against moths). .

The optimal conditions for storing furs are relative humidity of 55-65%, and temperature from 0 to +8 C. Temporary storage of raw materials is allowed at a higher temperature, but not higher than 30 °C. Storage of skins at temperatures above 23 ° C should be carried out for no more than six months.

The condition of raw materials stored in storage requires systematic monitoring. If a moth or skin beetle is found, infected skins must be immediately separated, carefully processed and handed over for dressing. Damp skins are dried and measures are taken to dry the storage facilities. Moldy skins are separated from the rest of the raw materials, dried and handed over for dressing.

The fur farm in the village of Litusovo, in the Orsha district of the Republic of Belarus, was built more than 20 years ago. All this time, her owners - the spouses Vladimir Borisenok and Ekaterina Klitsova - have been breeding fur-bearing animals. Compared to other fur farms, today it is not the largest enterprise.

By the time the journalists arrived there, most of the animals had already been slaughtered, 600 foxes and foxes, 1,000 minks were left in the cages to “ripen”. Previously, the livestock reached 17 thousand, but entrepreneurs refused such large volumes, preferring quality to quantity.

We breed Scandinavian black and pearl shorthair mink, silver-gray fox, black-brown fox and red moth,” says Ekaterina, showing us long rows of cages, most of which are already empty. - We will slaughter the remaining animals in 7-10 days - the fur should ripen. Only the males and females needed for further breeding will remain.

In the wild, minks live for about 10 years. At the fur farm, females that give offspring and fertilizing males are kept for up to 3 years, after which the animal is slaughtered, because due to intensive feeding, its liver “sits down”. The bulk of the minks live only 8 months - they are born in April, and go to slaughter in November. Arctic foxes and foxes have the same short lifespan. True, the fertilizing fox is used for 7-8 years, but for this he has to work a lot - some males breed up to 30 females per season.

To be honest, I don’t feel any pity for animals when the slaughter is underway, - Ekaterina admits. - Probably, this is a professional deformation. On the contrary, I feel deep satisfaction, I understand that a long and difficult work process is coming to an end. I am glad that I managed to grow good fur, I will sell it and earn money.

The owner of the farm says that foxes have the most difficult character - they are almost always aggressive, wayward. Minks are naturally curious and allow a person a lot. The most good-natured and accommodating are arctic foxes. Moreover, the lighter the color of the animal, the kinder it will be. This also applies to minks and foxes.

It seems to the layman - nothing complicated: he put the little animal in a cage, poured feed on it and wait until it grows up, - says Ekaterina. - In fact, a fur farm is a hell of a job. You need to find food, bring it, store it, prepare it properly, give it to animals on time... And each stage directly affects the quality of the fur. For example, in July, when the animals were still very small, it was hot, and at the exit, when slaughtering takes place in November, the quality of the fur is not the same because of this. In order to control the process, it is necessary to foresee the development of events at least six months ahead. For example, small puppies were born in the spring, at first they were 2.5 cm in size. Everything seems to be fine, they had the first vaccination, and then it was sharp - the heat was 28 degrees. Animals are simply not ready for this, 30-40 heads a day can die, the heart cannot stand it.

When the time comes, the animals are euthanized by lethal injection. They fall asleep, the heart stops. The removed skins are degreased, first by hand, then in a special drum with sawdust.

After that, they are stretched on wooden boards and dried. At the final stage of processing, ready-made skins are again thrown into a drum filled with sawdust slightly moistened with gasoline (so that the fur fluffs up, becomes soft and takes on a marketable appearance). From the moment when the animal was euthanized, until the time when the fur is ready for sale, two days pass.

A mink skin costs $50, a polar fox - $100-120, a fox - from $150 to $170. About 60 mink skins go for a mink coat, about 30-35 for a short fur coat. If a short fur coat is made from arctic fox or fox, about 12 skins are used for it.

People artificially grow flowers, kill them and sell them. I grow minks, foxes and arctic foxes, I sell fur, - Ekaterina declares without a shadow of embarrassment.

Please consider whether the skin of someone else in your wardrobe is worth the pain and anguish experienced by animals in cages to be killed by the cruel hand of man.

If everyone, buying a thing with natural fur, heard the death cry of an animal, saw how the picture of the life of unfortunate creatures unfolds in front of him, perhaps people would cause less harm to our neighbors on the planet ... and would not pay for the murders.

Appreciate life, not things! Do not pay for violence and death!

Do you know exactly how your fur coat was made?
The fur industry freely climbs into all kinds of advertising and glamorous girls are happy to show off in luxurious furs. But how these furs were obtained, few people know.

Fur farms provide their income through low costs. The desire to spend less even affects the methods of killing animals: they use extremely cruel methods, the purpose of which is not to damage the skin, no matter how painful it is for the animals. They are electrocuted, drowned, poisoned or gassed.

A significant proportion of fur products sold in Russia both in the consumer goods markets and in elite fashion houses are made in China, including from the fur of cats and dogs torn from animals alive.

Over two million cats and dogs are slaughtered for fur every year in Asian countries. Russia and the USA are the main consumers of this product.

Chinese fur farms are a real hell for animals. There, foxes, minks, raccoons live in cramped cages, where instead of a floor there is a metal mesh that cuts their paws.

The air they breathe is poisoned by the fumes of their waste that collect under the cages. At the end of this hell, an agonizing death awaits the animals.

Before removing the skin, the animal is only slightly stunned, then its paws are cut off and the skin is started to be removed when the animal is still conscious and feels everything, after that, flayed, it suffers for another 5-10 minutes, and only then comes the end of his suffering.
This fox is prepared for the kill by passing an electric current through the anus. She was pulled out of the cage with an iron noose. Another person at this time pulls from behind, holding the fox by the tail, which in itself is very painful and causes the fox to growl and bite.

The killers insert a metal rod into the animal's mouth, then put an electrical wire into the fox's anus. An electric current is passed through the body of the fox until it dies.

On fur farms, this method is preferred, as it makes the fur more fluffy and attractive.

Approximately 4,000,000 astrakhan lambs are slaughtered each year within 1-2 days of their birth to make fur coats and other clothing.

The reason astrakhan babies are killed so soon after they are born is because the tight little curls of their fur begin to unwind three days after birth.

Despite all the efforts of animal rights activists, a new mink coat remains the cherished dream of most Russian women. Fur prices have fallen in recent times, largely due to cheap Chinese goods flooding the market. According to experts, fur from China looks beautiful, but does not withstand the harsh Russian winter.

Meanwhile, in Russia there are farms where they are engaged in fur-bearing animals. Until the end of the 90s, there were more than 500 of them. Now there are 22 left. The only Caucasian one is located near the village of Pelagiada in the Stavropol Territory.

american beast

Tens of thousands of minks live in the Lesnye Klyuchi fur farm. In November, fluffy predators will become the material for fur coats, but for now they stick their curious red noses into the bars of the cages. This year, Lesnye Klyuchi celebrates its 50th anniversary. The minks that were grown here during this time would be enough to sew fur coats for all the women of Stavropol.

No one will do business if it does not make a profit. There has been another crisis in the fur industry since 2014. Then the price of mink fell by almost 70 percent. We had reserves, subcutaneous fat, so the company survived,” says Mukhadin Khapsirokov, general director of the farm.

The farm has endured difficult times and has been able to maintain the mink gene pool. The uniqueness of the local flock is that their forefathers arrived in the Caucasus from America. In Russia - from the Caucasus to the Urals - the European mink lives. She has a small nimble body. But due to its modest size, it is not very suitable for fur coat business. Therefore, in the early 30s of the last century, minks of the American breed were brought into the country - they are much larger than European ones. The great-grandchildren of those animals became the base for the "Forest Keys". The fur of the American mink matures by November, when the animal prepares for winter. Animal breeders still say - "blooms".

“It is important to catch this period and slaughter the animals in a short time so that no defects appear on the skins. They are predators, they can bite each other. We remove the skins, put them in the refrigerator, then degrease, straighten and dry. Colors "ripen" at different times. Sapphire is the earliest, and black mink is the last, says Khapsirokov.

Worms and Love

We pass through a fenced yard with rows of cages - sheds. Fur does not think to bloom yet. Minks are lean in spring, focused on love pleasures. In each cage they sit in pairs. Males are planted by the females, they bite the partner at the withers and leave her no choice. The animals scream and seem to cry, although for the next eight months no one is going to kill them.

There is one male for five females. There are 25 thousand animals in the sheds, in the summer there will be five times more of them. Females puppies in May-June. In one litter, usually from seven to ten cubs, and sometimes fifteen. They weigh ten grams, naked and blind ("worms" - they call them on the farm).

“If a mink runs out of milk, she can eat or trample her worms,” says the director. - Therefore, in such cases, we take the offspring. We take care of the kids ourselves. In the pocket of their jersey - and with you, feed them with milk from a pipette ... There is nowhere to go. Inquisitive minks greet guests and take a little break from the process of conception to sniff the aliens. Their age is short, only two years of life in a cage, and each stranger is an event.

“Don’t try to put your finger in the cage,” warns a farm worker named Love. - The mink has very sharp, inward-curved teeth that will bite through to the bone. Stay fingerless. Love comes to the minks every day, manages them, hiding his hands in harsh gloves. The woman takes the beast by the tail, but even so it can easily arch and bite. The unstroked mink turns away and goes to wash its muzzle in a bowl of water.

Escape to the chicken coop

In Soviet times, in the surrounding villages, mink, arctic fox, and fox were kept in the yards. Animals were slaughtered and hats were sewn. - Naturally, food was stolen from the farm. As they called it then, “they took it,” says the director. “Now that story is over. Mink can also become a pet. But she must be tamed at a very young age and spend a lot of time with her every day. And also immediately say goodbye to curtains, wires, and even sleep - the predator is very active in the dark.

- It happens that they are taken from us to keep at home like a cat. But they fail and return. The mink has a very odorous gland. If the animal senses danger, it will react like a skunk. And the amber is extremely caustic, you can’t get it out with anything. They say that in the Soviet years, an extract from this gland was added to perfumes - so that the smell was persistent. On the farm, the minks live in a fenced area, but sometimes they escape from the cages. Then they head to the neighboring village - and the "disco" begins.

The trace of a predator is given out by strangled chickens. The mink is driven by hunting interest: it is capable of strangling a bird, but it is not able to drag it away. The locals catch the robbers and return them to the farm. Chicken is a gastronomic variety. Usually, minks are fed with fish, meat and poultry processing waste, plus cereals - a special system distributes the mixture on a conveyor between the cells.

During the day, the beast eats up to 350 grams of food. Previously, they also fed meat, but it turned out indecently expensive. Minks live crowded, so the livestock is constantly checked for infections. Aleutian disease is especially dangerous. “This is an immunodeficiency in minks,” the director explains. — We send blood samples to Novosibirsk, where there is a special laboratory. Suspicious animals are kept in quarantine.

Deadly Stab

Healthy young animals are settled in twos or threes, it is important that they are from the same litter. Otherwise they would have been bitten to death. By the way, for the same reasons, a small distance is left between the cells - so that the animals do not cripple each other and spoil the valuable fur. Light gray coat gleams in the sun, red nose pokes at the camera. The beast is confident in its irresistibility and willingly poses. And so - all 25 thousand. As if this is the only mink that changes color. It is believed that these animals have the same character - curious choleric, they are ready to rush all the time on the floor and ceiling of their dungeons.

In some countries, minks on farms are suffocated with gases. In Russia, a different method has long been used. - There is such a drug, it is used for anesthesia, and if the dosage is exceeded, it kills. It is injected subcutaneously, and within 30 seconds the animal simply falls asleep. Breathing stops,” Khapsirokov explains.

- Recently, videos of animal rights activists appeared on the network, allegedly filmed in fur farms. It shows that animals are skinned alive - so that the fur shines better ... - Animal rights activists will come up with whatever you want. I have been working in this industry for 40 years and have never seen such a picture anywhere. It's scary to imagine. The quality of the fur does not depend on the method of killing. If the fur is good, then at least kill a mink. The animal senses its impending doom—in any case. But this does not affect the skin ... When our minks are slaughtered, I try not to appear in the workshops.

How many minks are in one hat?

We arrive at the shop. Recently, a Danish line for the primary processing of fur was installed here. After the animal falls asleep forever, its carcass is immersed in a special centrifuge. There it spins for 15 minutes, then goes to the machine, where the skin is cut and removed. On the next machine, the fur is degreased and again sent to the drum - this is how the remnants of fat are removed from the mezra. After half an hour of spinning, the skin is shaken out and transferred for editing - stretching. Then they stretch it on pegs and dry it. The skin of the male - 76 hours, the female - 48. The shop can process three thousand minks per day.

The fur farm also works according to Soviet technologies - in the old workshops the floor is stained with dried blood, and you don’t want to find out how the animals are butchered here.
"Sorry, what are you going to do?" - says the chief livestock specialist of the enterprise.

In nature, minks, as a rule, are brown, with fawn spots, and do not differ in a variety of colors. At the fur farm, they are breeding new colors. The trend is sapphire-colored mink, there are also white, silver-blue, black, cream. Fur can be dyed any color. There are also pink skins in the warehouse - even they will find their buyer.

Danish technology is more expensive, but foreign customers choose it. Russian buyers often take skins processed in the old fashioned way. In general, after dressing, both those and others get the same area. In a warehouse with dressed fur (it is put in order at one of the factories in the Krasnodar Territory, dyed and returned to the farm) it is gloomy and quiet. Soft skins hang down with their tails. Curious red noses became holes in the withered muzzles.

- Thirty-six tails - one women's hat - says the director. - This is if done cheaply and modestly, not from whole skins. In general, everything goes into production: both the tail and the paws. But it also happens that a fur coat is sewn only from the backs of a mink - they look richer.

Where do the skins go?

Skins are sold at international European auctions. Black mink costs from 37 euros. The most expensive fur is the color of sapphire (mid-tone between blue and gray). The price for one skin of a male with short hair, the so-called velvet, reaches 60 euros. The skin of the female is two times smaller than the skin of the male, respectively, is valued lower. According to Hapsirokov, 80 percent of auction buyers are Chinese entrepreneurs. And they also export mink of their own production to Russia and Ukraine.

— The Chinese mink is coming to the country. Its quality is much worse than ours. You must have heard these commercials, where they promise a short fur coat for 20 thousand rubles? So, the cost of one skin of a female mink is about 1.5 thousand rubles. About 30-40 females are needed for this product. You only material will cost 50-60 thousand. Plus tailoring. Sellers say that Chinese mink is good. And then the fur coats spread at the seams and do not withstand the snow.

Take, for example, the Pyatigorsk fur market - one of the largest in the country. It is inundated with Chinese fur. There was built a huge five-story warehouse filled with goods. And this is not domestic fur - Russian mink cannot be so cheap. Only a specialist will distinguish Chinese from Russian fur. It shines the same way, but after a rain with snow it will show itself. - In China, in dressing, the skin is pulled out as much as possible, squeezing out everything that can be squeezed out of it. - Mukhadin runs his hand over the skin. “They buy our fur for themselves, and sell theirs to Russia.

How to choose a fur coat from the right fur
The fur must be wrinkled and blown - in a normal mink, the mezdra (skin) will not be visible. If it is visible, then the fur is of poor quality.
Mezdra should not crunch or be too dry - this indicates poor-quality dressing. To check, squeeze the fur from the inside. Do you hear an unpleasant sound? Look for another product. An overdried mink will lose its pile over time.
If the fur smells bad, the skin has not been processed correctly.
If the mezdra is too gray or too yellow (for undyed fur), they are trying to sell you a product from an aged mink.

In the evening, Love comes to the minks again. After years on the farm, she has developed an immunity to animal protection issues.
“You know, you don’t feel sorry for the chicken, you don’t feel sorry for the cow, and you don’t feel sorry for the pig. But furry animals - it's a pity. Don't you think this is hypocrisy?

I look at nimble animals and remember dead skins with empty eye sockets. The idea of ​​sewing a fur coat and becoming a woman-woman remains forever in the fur farming workshops. Although it would take only thirty of them for a modest short fur coat. As if they recognize their minks and somehow stretch their faces in a special way.