Collect Barn Owl Pellets

Collect barn owl pellets AG WORLD Ag World 17-2-20 If you have barn owls in an old building or barn on your farm, you - or your kids - can make money by hanging out below the birds when they eat their meals. Bill Etgen, Sacramento, Calif., made $3,200 last year in his spare time searching in old barns and walking through forests and parks collecting barn owl "pellets" - the undigestable' remains left behind by owls when they eat. They spit out bones and hair from the mice, birds, and other animals they eat, in tight pellets 1 to 2 in. in dia. Etgen collects the pellets, sterilizes them, and then sells them to local schools. Students dissect them to study bone anatomy and food chains. Thanks to word of mouth among teachers, Etgen says he now has more demand for owl pellets than he can supply. "I need pellets. I'll pay 25 cents apiece for good quality, dry, solid pellets. I'll be happy to send information to anyone on what to look for and where to look. It's an easy and profitable part-time business that's especially good for kids who live in the country. An old barn or other good spot can yield 100 pellets a month," he ex-plains, adding that there are many companies now trade in owl pellets. Pellets are popular because they don't require the live dissection of animals in class. For a free copy of an informational brochure, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill Etgen, 3600 Whitney Ave., Sacramento, Calif. 95821 (ph 916 972-1871).

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