Overview:

Changes to the current structure that we have in:

1- A room

   a) Minimum requirements

   b) Location of the room (main floor terrace, basement)


2- A garage
 

3- A shed

-Construction of: 

   A small shed 3.1-

   A shed medium 3.2-

   A complete hatchery


4- When you have only a wasteland.

- Different ventilation systems.

- Other extraction systems and air exchange.

- Construction costs of a type shed.

- Maintenance of air conditioners.

- Special-emergency situations.

General information

The chinchilla is a rodent, night owl, from the mountainous areas of ​​very low temperatures, with dry weather and living in caves.

Today farm chinchilla's has evolved: They have changed their habitat needs and according to what the man has been providing since 1923.

However, knowing the old needs will be useful to learn to manage with peace of mind.

The general principle is that "any place closed, isolated from high temperatures and airy, is suitable and valid for captive breeding." No matter the measures, no matter its location: it may be in Tierra del Fuego and Misiones, Montevideo and San Pablo. The important thing is that the conditions set are met. The chinchilla can withstand temperatures of -5 ° C to 30 ° C and in a room of 4m x 4m. They can comfortably accommodate three hundred chinchillas.

Now let's be more specific:

The chinchilla is not equally comfortable with 18 degrees of temperature, 28 ° C, nor with 90% humidity than 40%. Neither it will be equally profitable a breeder where, just outside temperature rise of 30 ° C, have to turn on the air conditioning, that one that is so well insulated that we allow an internal-external difference of 10 ° C.

Obviously, it is not equally profitable a natural ventilation that an artificial.

However, experience has shown us that all large farms in the world have started the same way. WITH PLACE AVAILABLE AT THE TIME AND minimal modifications.

Over the years, we have seen situations of all kinds and diverse. People who before knowing anything about chinchillas, built majestic buildings for the future, with marble floors, expensive ceramics and many useless elements for the smooth running of the farm. Original diverting resources toward building rather than direct them towards to buy good quality reproductors.

Throughout this chapter we will see what is essential and what is not. Essentially we see that the cabin (cabaña) must be adequate, comfortable, ingenious, cheap and useful for our activity. Moreover, the superfluous, the eccentric, the beautiful only cause an expense rather than an investment, it will take us longer in the recovery of our invested capital.

Let's understand the terminology that will be used here in after:

INSULATION: Control of the internal temperature of the room, so that we can control all its minimum and maximum time. The insulation may be external (offsite) or internal (within the premises).

VENTILATION: The continuous movement of air within the local, not to stand still at any moment: should cover all parts of cabin (breeding place) and in special cases it must have direct power over the animals.

When the air is still, all enviomental dirt drops,adheres to the cages and the skin of the reproductors.

Natural ventilation is one that is achieved through windows and doors
Artificial ventilation is obtained through ceiling fans, standing, air turbines. This artificial system generally runs continuously night and day from September to April (southern hemisphere).

CHANGE OR REMOVAL AIR: It's the air renewal in the breeding place when it is flawed, either by the smell of urine, or simply by the fact that there are many living beings in an enclosed space. When a room, local or shed is filled with animals, air renewal must be fifteen times per hour.


-The oven effect

The oven effect is a very common situation that occurs on the premises that are poorly oriented to the sun. After a hot day, the sun has stuck all morning on the east wall, at noon on the roof, and at sunset on the west wall. Usually at six or seven p.m. the temperature has gone down and it's cooler, but the sun is still pointing towards the west wall and kept warm as the soft rays do not allow to cool, it causes to remain the heat inside the enclosure when outside is already cooler.

To resume, we say that the oven effect occurs when there is hotter in the local than outside because the few remaining hot sunlight are keeping the wall warm in the West. Conclusion: Always protect that wall, either with an awning, a visor, or simply dousing some vines on the hottest days.

Following generalities say:

- All kinds of smoke gases should be avoided, etc., within the breeding place environment.

- Other species of animals have to be prevented from entering the premises, from dogs and cats to rodents and insects that can cause nervousness or transmit diseases (not directly to our chinchillas, but the food they eat). Normally, 90% of breeders have dogs and / or cats or other animals, but never on premises that there are chinchillas. There will be no kind of problems if the dog is around the farm but it will if it is within the premises and starts to bark in front of the cages.

- Water supply should be clean in all cases, enabled human consumption. It should be replaced by fresh water every other day at least, automatic waterers or troughs in bottles can be used. If the water is running out of a well, it is recommended making a periodic review of it.

- Chinchillas habituate to their own cages (very particular smell to them), the caregiver, the schedule, the breeding place, their noise, lights, height from the floor. etc, . Therefore all changes have influence, it must be taken into account to counter, or at least to lessen its intensity.

- On the issue of protection from the cold in winter and autumn, not much can be analyzed because if the shed is properly insulated, it will be sufficient to locate within the enclosure an electric oil radiator which are very economical for both purchase and consumption.

These devices have replaced all previous heating systems. Before quartz electric heaters were used, while they were not dangerous, its consumption was too high. kerosene stove was also used, but although it is the most economical, it is also the most dangerous. At night we had to turn it off for fear of fire and also because of the smell of fuel.

The same happened with the gas cylinder and the screen (at night, when it's colder, had to turn it off).

Finally something very useful and fully usable, it is the stove with balanced shot. Only suffers from two disadvantages: the need to have the gas system, and the cost of it's initial purchase.


1- A room

This is the most common, and certainly locally, typical of the beginning of all great cabins today, in Argentina and in the world event.

All the great breeders of today have started in a room of a house, big or small, even departments. Then they were able to grow and expand.

Detractors, who criticize promoting activity for their ads, they usually do it in terms that ads say "breed chinchillas at home, garage or shed" and that no one can live economically with two hundred chinchillas in the back of the house.

This is a double error. On the one hand, 200 chinchillas with super quality, yield much more than 600 poor quality. On the other hand no one can say how much capital a person needs to live, there are those who live happily with $ s2000 monthly and others who live unhappy with u $ s20000.

Finally and referring to this chapter: Someone who starts in a room of a house and reached an amount of four hundred animals of first quality; will be in a very clear dilemma. "Grow or slow down?" . The solution obviously obey purely personal matters, which come to consider variables such as; more staff, build, buy, rent, lease another activity, etc, etc ,.

the reader should not worry about this question. In 99% of cases of those serious and willing to make things right , the answer is ... keep growing ....

Reached this situation, the breeder already dominates the management and knows by heart the needs of their reproductors and their own. At this point in the circumstances you can make the best, most comfortable and affordable breeding place
a) Minimum requirements:

-A thermometer wall

-A Small radio on a medium volume. The noise of permanent music and other sounds of the radio will make the animals get used to permanent noise and to not panic or get stressed when we enter the breeding room. This conclusion has been reached after many experiences. Formerly it was believed that if the one who entered the enclosure was the owner-caretaker, his chinchillas would recognized him and not frightened. This fact is entirely true but incomplete. If the breeder (as careful as he can be) dropped the spoon on the floor at the time of feeding, the sharp sound of the fall would cause a shock to all animals. With the radio all this kind of problems are over, such as street noise, neighbors, festivities, fireworks at the end of the year.

-A Ceiling fan for every hundred animals at least. But remember that each case is unique in terms of other environmental conditions.

-Air Conditioning for premises that do not have proper insulation, or in places that are very hot climates.

It is important to make a brief study on the best arrangement of cages in each local, ventilation and aeration.

The important thing is to understand the concept, what the breeding place needs as it changes with growth.

If the activity is started with sixteen females and four males, the room will seem huge and only a ceiling fan will be needed to move the air, and in summer it will be very easy to lower the temperature on days of extreme heat.

If the activity started with one hundred females and forty males, we will need immediately two ceilings fans, good insulation and soon an extractor fan.

More animals per square meter will mean greater need isolation, ventilation and air exchange


 



b) Location of the room.

-In The basement

-In The main floor

-On the terrace.

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Mailto: eldorado@chinchilla.com.ar

Calle Venezuela 3956

(1211) Capital Federal
Buenos Aires - República Argentina
Tel/fax: (54-11) 4981-0034

 

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