Synthetic fabrics that are warmer and lighter than fur have eliminated the need for fur apparel. Most caged fur-bearing animals are harvested during their first winter. Fur from cage-raised animals is also used as lining and trim. The terms fur farm and fur ranch are euphemisms invented by the fur industry for what really is the intensive confinement system of caged-fur facilities. The floors also are wire so that feces can fall to the ground.
Cages are adjacent to each other, and the animals are in plain view of one another.
This is stressful for minks, who are naturally solitary, and for foxes, who have complex social hierarchies. Except for a nest box, the cages are empty. Foxes are provided with a nest box for only two to three months. Breeding animals can live in this cramped environment for six to eight years. An estimated 250,000 chinchillas are killed each year by the international fur fashion industry.