Introduction to Common Domesticated Breeds in Fox Farming

Nowadays people keep all kinds of pets, and this has led to the development of specialty farming projects in rural areas. Today let's talk about the breeds of foxes that are farmed. At present, the foxes farmed worldwide belong to two genera, namely the fox genus (Vulpes) and the Arctic fox genus (Alopex), as well as the variant foxes of these two genera. The fox genus includes the red fox, the silver-black fox, and various colored foxes within the fox genus; the Arctic fox genus also includes a series of colored foxes.

1. Red Fox

The red fox has a long face, a pointed muzzle, erect ears, a slender body, and slightly longer limbs (compared with the Arctic fox). The length of the tail can account for more than half of the body length. The basic coat color is brownish-red, with the face of both ears and the limbs black. The muzzle is yellowish-brown. The fur on the throat, forechest, and abdomen is pale, appearing white or off-white; the upper part of the tail is reddish-brown tinged with black, and the tail tip is white; the coat color of fox cubs is light grayish-brown. In China, few farms keep red foxes. However, the red fox is the source for producing all kinds of colored foxes and is the gene pool for all colored foxes. In the long term, large farms with the right conditions can keep a suitable number to produce the various colored foxes needed by the market.

2. Silver-Black Fox

The silver-black fox is also known as the silver fox. It originated in northern North America and eastern Siberia, and it is a color mutant of the red fox under wild natural conditions. Therefore, its body shape and appearance are the same as the red fox, with only a relatively large difference in coat color. The muzzle, the back of both ears, the abdomen, and the limbs of the silver-black fox are all black; the back and sides are silver-black with alternating black and white. The silver coat is determined by the color of the guard hairs: the base of the guard hair is black-gray, the section near the hair tip is white, and the very tip remains black. Because the white hair section is set off between the black hair sections, it forms a splendid silver sheen. The position (depth) and proportion of the white section of the guard hair determine the silver intensity of the fur. The underfur is grayish-brown, and the tail tip is white. At present, some large farms in China keep some silver-black foxes. Because they produce fewer cubs than the Arctic fox, most farms keep relatively few, but prices are fairly stable; even when fox farming is at a low ebb, its price is still higher than that of the Arctic fox. After more than 100 years of breeding, the silver-black fox has become larger in size and stronger in adaptability, and the quality of its fur has improved substantially compared with wild individuals. Generally, under good feeding conditions, a male fox reaches 5.8 to 7.8 kg in body weight and 66 to 75 cm in body length; a female fox weighs 5.2 to 7.2 kg and measures 62 to 70 cm in body length. The silver-black fox is one of the main breeds farmed in the world. Besides being sold domestically, the silver-black fox skins produced in China are mainly exported to Russia.

3. Colored Foxes of the Fox Genus

During the breeding process of the red fox, new mutants continue to appear. In addition to the silver-black fox, there are also the platinum fox, pearl fox, sapphire fox, chocolate fox, Colleott, brown fox, crown fox, white-faced fox, sun fox, George white fox, Arctic marble fox, and golden glow fox, among others. These foxes have the same body shape as the red fox and the silver-black fox.

4. Arctic Fox (Blue Fox)

The Arctic fox is slightly smaller than the red and silver-black foxes, with a short muzzle, wide and rounded ears, short limbs, a round and plump build, and thick fur with short and sparse guard hairs. The underfur is dense, adapting it to cold climates. The Arctic fox originated in the high-latitude zones of northern Europe, Asia, and North America, such as the Aleutian Islands, the Commander Islands, Alaska, Greenland, and Siberia.

Under wild conditions, the Arctic fox has two coat color types: one is the light blue type, which keeps a relatively dark color all year round, hence the name blue fox; the other is white in winter (but with gray underfur) and darkens in other seasons, namely the white Arctic fox.

An adult male Arctic fox has a body length of 65 to 75 cm and a body weight of 5.5 to 7.5 kg; a female fox has a body length of 55 to 75 cm and a body weight of 4.5 to 6 kg.

5. Finnish Arctic Fox

The Finnish Arctic fox is a new super-large breed of Arctic fox developed in Finland in recent years through many years of selection and breeding under natural conditions. It has a body length of 70 to 90 cm and a body weight of 12 to 16 kg, with a maximum of 20 kg, which is 2 to 3 times that of China's small Arctic fox. Its constitution is of the loose type, with wrinkled skin, and the skin extension rate is 72% of the live body. Therefore, the fur utilization rate is relatively high. The Finnish Arctic fox has dense fur, even and uniform guard hairs, and a glossy blue color. The commercial skins produced generally reach sizes "00" to "0000", making it a good breed. However, the Finnish Arctic fox was, after all, bred in Finland, the land of a thousand lakes, and its geographical latitude, light, climate, and feed conditions differ considerably from those in China. Whether it can fully adapt to China's environmental conditions still requires a process of acclimatization. But for crossbreeding to improve China's small Arctic fox, it should be one of the preferred breeds. Since 1996, China has introduced Finnish foxes to improve its small Arctic foxes, and this has reached 3 to 4 generations of grading-up or more, mainly kept on some large farms.

6. Colored Arctic Foxes

During long-term domestication, the Arctic fox has also produced many new mutants, such as the shadow fox, shadow white fox, sapphire Arctic fox, Arctic pearl fox, white Arctic fox, blue star fox, and Houqen platinum fox, among others. These colored foxes have the same body shape as the Arctic fox, and their feeding requirements are basically the same as those of the Arctic fox.

Among these six fox breeds above, which one do you like best? Or have you seen any of them? If you want to farm foxes, learning good farming techniques is crucial, so never rush into trying it.

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