Feeding and Management Methods for Pregnant Female Foxes

Fox farming is relatively difficult and is an emerging breeding industry, and they are very intelligent, and their value on the market is also very high. In addition to the usual daily management work, the feeding and management of female foxes during pregnancy is especially important. Below we will take a look at the relevant key points.

The gestation period refers to the entire period from mating to before giving birth, during which the embryo grows and develops, and it is the most important stage of feeding and management throughout the year. The gestation period is like the soil moisture preservation period for crops. Once feeding and management mistakes occur, the losses caused are losses to the entire group of female fox embryos rather than losses to individuals, so it is the most critical production period determining the breeding performance of breeding foxes.

2. Tasks during the gestation period

Meet the nutritional needs of the female fox and the fetus, adjust the female fox's body condition well, in order to produce robust fox cubs and create good nutritional conditions for the female fox's lactation after giving birth.

3. Daily ration during the gestation period

The daily ration during the gestation period is required to be fresh in feed quality, complete in nutritional value, highly palatable, and appropriate in quantity.

4. Increase the daily ration amount in a timely manner.

Only after the female fox has been pregnant for 1 month can the daily ration amount and nutritional level be appropriately increased according to the pregnancy and body condition of the breeding female fox, and it should not be done too early. The increase in daily ration amount is mainly the supplementation of concentrated feed.

5. Appropriately control body condition

Body condition control during the gestation period of the female fox still cannot be ignored. In the early stage of gestation, the medium or slightly below medium body condition of the mating period should still be maintained. From the late stage of gestation to before giving birth, it should rise to medium or slightly above medium body condition. Absolutely do not let it rise to superior body condition before giving birth.

6. Strictly prevent the occurrence of disease

Pregnant female foxes have reduced resistance and are prone to various diseases. Prevention should be the main focus to strictly prevent the occurrence of disease. Once a disease occurs, symptomatic treatment should be given promptly, and progesterone drugs should also be used to prevent miscarriage. When intestinal diseases occur, the cause should be identified promptly and the feed adjusted.

7. Organizing work for the insulated box

Do a good job of lining the prenatal birthing box with grass. Lining the birthing box with insulating grass before the female fox gives birth is important work for keeping the cubs alive during birth, and it must be carried out conscientiously and must not be neglected.

1) Drying and disinfecting the insulating bedding grass: For the insulating bedding grass, choose relatively flexible dry grass that is not easily broken according to local conditions, and place it in direct sunlight to dry and disinfect. Coarse and hard rice straw should also be softened by beating with a rice thresher or crushing with wheels.

2) Disinfection of cages and boxes: The cages and boxes of female foxes giving birth should be disinfected once before giving birth (mid-April). The birthing box and cage netting are best disinfected with a blowtorch flame, or an environmentally friendly disinfectant can also be used.

3) Lining the birthing box with grass: For lining the birthing box with grass, it is best to adopt the method of pressing grass with an iron net, that is, the bedding grass is cut into grass sections and spread on the bottom of the birthing box to a thickness of about 5-10 cm, and a piece of wire mesh is pressed on top, allowing the female fox to give birth on the wire mesh. When directly lining the birthing box with grass, first shake the grass loose into thin interlocking sheets, press them into the box in sheets, and the grass at the bottom of the box and the four corners should be pressed firmly, with the grass on the four sides bent and pressed inside the birthing box, so that it is convenient for the female fox to arrange a nest in the gap in the middle.

4) Do not abuse hormone treatment

The fox reproduction process is autonomously regulated by its own neurohormones, and there is no need for artificial interference. Exogenous hormone treatment will inhibit the secretion of endogenous hormones, and instead cause disorder and affect normal gestation.