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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-02-17, Page 14PAGE 14--CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1977 Chinchilla farming lively hobby By Elaine Townshend "Everyone needs a diversion from work/' contends Bill Norman of Holmesville. "That's one reason I started raising chinchillas, three dears ago. I went into them as a hobby, but I do expect them to pay their way." Now that he is retired, he has More time to devote to the care of the .animals, and he has learned quite a bit about them. The chinchilla is a small furry rodent that originajed in the Andes in Chile. Although its average weight is only 20 ounces, it Iboks larger because of its tick fur. A tuft of fur grows from just one root. The chinchilla has a large head, pointed ears and a broad, furry tail, which is the strongest part of itsbody and is an aid to its balance. When handled by humans, the animal should be picked up by the tail. Bill thinks the chinchilla resembles the squirrel because of the way it hops around. Having no claws, it probably cannot climb. However, its paws are protected by a hard covering that resembles a human'•i,fingernail. The chinchilla has sharp teeth, but it will not bite unless irritated. The only sound it makes is a squawking noise to alert its'companions to danger. The average life -span for a chinchilla is ten years. A female can give birth as often as three times a year, and an average litter consists of three babies. No nest is prepared. The baby is.fully- the animals are showing a� higher furred at births, and in half an hour, quality. The colours range from will be running around the pen. black to white, and even blonde Unlike most animal's, the male shades, have been developed. chinchilla will -help in the care of the One rancher near London spent babies. ten years trying to cross -breed a A young chinchilla is weaned at an pure white pelt. When he finally age of 45 to 60 days, and its pelt achieved the shade he wanted, he becomes .prime in nine months to did not have enough pelts for a coat. one year. When a pelt is prime, the When this happens, the new pelts are underneath 'fur of a Standard gray used for fur -trimmed jewelry anti chinchilla is black to the skin, and knickknacks, • the skin shows a pinkish white Bill knows of at least six fellows colour. ,,. raising chinchillas in the Clinton anq After the first prime season, the Goderich area. The large ranchers. chinchilla passes through a moulting house as many as five • hundred stage similar to that of a hen. Its fur animals in barns or sheds, but most will become. mature again in ap- small breeders, like Bill, keep them proximately nine months. in their basements. 'He quickly After skinning the pelt is explains that the chinchillas have mounted on a drying board for two little or no odour. days. Then it' is shipped to the He - started with 12 Standard National Chinchilla Breeders chinchillas and now has seventy - Association in Toronto, which five; thus far, he has pelteq only a freezes it until a sale is held. The few. He bought twelve wire cages quality of the pelts is difficult to and built the rest. grade. The clearness of colour, the The bottom of each cage is bar contrast, the density, size and covered with wood shavings, which shape are all considered. However, are replaced once a week. At the a good pelt could sell for $30 to $35. front of each pen is a wire feedbox On the other hand, a live breeding and attached to the outside is a baby male of quality could cost as much bottle containing water. A tube runs as $200. Bill advises anyone con- from the bottle through the mesh templating a venture into the into the cage. chinchilla business to contact An enclosed alley runs along the someone, who is already involved, back of each row of cages. A male for reliable -information. has access to all the pens in a row He feels chinchilla ranching is still through a 4" by 5" hole. However, in its infancy. The markets are- growing along with the demand, and After retiring, Bill Norman of Holmesville needed a hobby to keep him busy, so he opened his basement to a couple of chinchillas, and now looks after about 75. The creatures are very gentle, clean, and have few diseases, Their fur makes beautiful fur coats, wraps, etc. (photo by Elaine Townshend) Obituary A. R. MILLER Arnold Ray • Miller, Goderich, died suddenly at his . home Wednesday, February 9. He was 79. He was born March 21, 1897 in Goderich Township to George and Emily (Steepe) Miller. He fanned all of his life in Goderich Township until moving to Goderich 11 years ago. He served overseas with the 161st Battalion during • World War 1 (1911-1919). -He was a member of St. George's Anglican Church. He was married September . 25, 1936 in St. Paul's Anglican Church, Clinton to the former Florence Elizabeth Lawson who predeceased him February 12, 1914. He is survived by two sons, Keith of Goderich Township and Murray of- -Glinton; four grandchildren and two grandchildren;,. and one sister, Mrs. Edna Dobie, Kitchener. Funeral service was Saturday, February 12 at McCallum Funeral Home with the Rev. Robert J. 'Crocker officiating. Interment was in Bayfield Cemetery. Pallbearers were Ross Miller, Reg Miller, Arlie Lockhart, Alvin Dutot, Howard McCullough and Clayton Cox. Fiowerbearers were Bruce Millet, Robert: Miller and David Riley', grandsons of the deceased. Perform a death -defying Give Heart Fund. Give Heart Fund ftylon OPENING SOON IN LONDON O'DONNELL-TAYLOR'S Sizes 48 to 60 Shorts, Regulars & Tails IF YOU ARE SIZE 48 OR.OVER MAIL YOUR COMPLETED SIZE CHART 4 (BELOW). TO .. O'OONNELL-TAYLOR'S MEN'S SHOP 211 DUNDAS ST. LONDON, ONTARIO N6A 1G4 and you will automatically become eligible to win' a SUIT OF CLOTHES in a lucky draw on the grand opening day. You will receive a formal invitation announcing the opening date. HEIGHT CHEST SHIRT — NECK YOUR NAME STREET & APT. CITY OR TOWN POSTAL CODE SIZE CHART APPROXIMATE WEIGHT WAIST SLEEVE ir 0,1 wy. w , ,,, y '. S ..Yn sll, `x-+.: c,3z:i :f3:fff The'se two furry chinchillas seem oblivious to the camera as they continue on with their cleaning. The rodents are easy to care for and their fur is valuable. Bill Norman keeps the females wear a wire collar that prevents them from leaving their own pens. Thus a particularly good male is allowed to run with two to 10 females.. Although the feed for the chin- chillas is expensive, they don't eat much. A mature. animal eats only one tablespoon of prepared pellets per day. Occasionally they receive a "treat", which is a mixture of seeds, hay and orange rinds. Cleanliness plays an important role -in the care of the chinchillas. Every day at feeding time, Bill puts a gallon glass jar half filled with fine white sand into each cage. The about 75 in his basement of his Holmesville home., (photo by Elaine To wnshend)- . chinchilla climbs into the jar and rolls in the sand, flipping so fast that the revolutions can *hardly be detected. Its skin is extremely oily, and if it didn't bath regularly, its fur would become matted. After being -handled by a human, a chinchilla will bathe even more vigorously. "At 'dusting' and feeding time, everybody's going!" Bill grins. "Otherwise they sleep during the day." _ "They're a lot more active at night," his wife, Charlotte, chips in, as she recalls being wakened on several nights by the sound of rat- tling cages. In January, Bill recorded the birth of his largest litter —four. One of the babies became weak, 'and although he fed itwith an eye -dropper in an attempt to save its life, the young chinchilla died. As a rule, however, chinchillas are easy to raise because they are not susceptible to disease. The chin- chilla hin- chilla business can be a profitable one, but it also makes a good hobby. "Some people think it's crazy," Bill admits, "and they can't un- derstand why I want to be bothered having them around. But everyone needs to have something else to think about." New Youth Centre director .to build carefully• The search for permanent facilities for the new Huron Center for Children and Youth is having a delaying effect on the timetable for fully implementing the Centre's program, but the recently named director, Donald Keillor, says he thinks those delays may prove to be an asset in the long run. While the Board of Directors is negotiating a long term lease arrangement for facilities at Clinton, the centre occupies two rooms at the Clinton office of the Huron Health Unit. So far only the director has been officially. travelling to other centers studying the organization and operations of similar ser- vices. A good example of that is the Sarnia Lambton Center for Children and Youth. The two centres have a similar mandate, are set up under an elected Board of 'Directors and are funded through the Ministry of Health. Mr. Keillor is also meeting with representatives of. related services in ` Huron County, and officials from agencies with which the new Centre will work. "I am pleased to see the Board of Education is looking named'•although c bh- 'Nita. us," he notes. "We share sideration is now being given to applicants ' for other positions with the Centre. In the meantime Mr. 1{eillor is making use of the time to study and .evaluate the detailed needs the new service will be designed to provide. "I don't want to hurry this too much," he observes. "We really want to get this right at first shot." the same concerns." . Mr. Keillor observes that while the Board of Education "is certainly responsible for the education process it is "maybe not entirely ap- propriate for the Board to have to. become too involved in social services". "I have had one meeting with- . Superintendent of Education Don Kenwell and I think we see eye to eye. The The director has been, onus is certainly on' us (the Centre for Children and Youth) to work closely with the other agencies like the Board of Education." The Huron Centre for Children and Youth operates under an 11 member Board of Directors with Mrs'. Helen Bartliff of Clinton as chair- man. They recently named Mr. Keillor as Director. Coming from Toronto, the new Director worked for 10 years as the director of a learning clinic operated by the Etobicoke Board of Education. He holds a B.A. and a Masters degree in Special Education from the University of Toronto.. He explains his decision to come to Huron was governed much by the fact he enjoys "starting things". • "Very seldom in our lives do we get a chance to shape something, to really_set it on its path," he observes. "I think it's easier to shape things from the start than to reassemble the pieces of a group or organization already in operation." Mr. Keillor is married and • the father of two daughters aged 11 and 14. Before long, Mr. Keillor will be joined by a number of other staff members. Can- didates for secretary are now under review. The future is also likely to see the hiring of two social workers, three persons trained in the field of child care, a psychologist, a psychiatrist on at least a part time consultative basis and possibly a nurse. "I am coficerned that we find the best manner in which to deliver our services," Mr. Keillor explains. "Perhaps it would be best to open part time offices in various cen- ters throughout the county, probably it would, and such decisions will affect the final make up of our staff." It is decisions, like those which the new director feels must be made with proper care and consideration. So the final program of services and the staff which will be responsible for d.eliverying them, will be tailored toward the needs- of adolescents in Huron. McKinley seeks name c hange Huron -Middlesex M.P. Bob McKinley introduced a bill in the Commons recently to change the name of his riding to Huron -Bruce. Mr. McKinley said the name change is necessary because the riding will be changed under redistribution and will now comprise all of Huron County plus four southern townships of Bruce County. Previously Mr. McKinley's riding took in Huron County and two northern Middlesex townships, McGillivray and Biddulph. The new riding will encompass four Bruce County townships, Huron, Kinloss, Culross and Car -rick. The change will increase the number of eligible voters in Mr. McKinley's riding from 59,000 to 63,000. Handicapped people can be productive and seff «supporting. This is what Ontario is doing to help. Your Ontario Government operates a program called Vocational Rehabilitation Services, which is designed to assist physically, mentally and emotionally handicapped people to become employable and where possible self-supporting. These services are available without charge. They include: • medical and vocational assessments • vocational guidance and counselling • • work adjustment training • job placement • • artificial limbs, wheelchairs and braces • training in community colleges, universities, • trade and business institutes, and industry Last year, 11,800 handicapped persons received one or more of these services. The program also helps employers, by pre-interviewing.job applicants, providing information about their abilities, sharing wage payments during initial on-the-job training, and offering many other supportive services. Through the Ontario'Ministry of Community and Social Services, a staff of trained counsellors and supervisors helps the handicapped person develop his or her work potential. For more information, write for your copy of the free booklet "Help for the Vocationally Handicapped", which describes the Vocational Rehabilitation Services program in detail. Contact your local Ministry of Community and Social Services office, or write to: - Rehabilitation aranch ° Ministry of Community and Social Services Hepburn Block, 4th Floor Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1 E9 Keith Norton, Minister of -Community and Social Services William Davis, Premier Province of Ontario • A '* 0 1 Y..