Why is it not advisable to transfer raccoon dogs for breeding during the pelt-harvesting season?

Recently, a farmer, after observing the rare fur market for nearly a year, believed the prospects for farming were promising, wanted to go into raccoon dog breeding, and planned to travel elsewhere before the pelt-harvesting season to buy pelt raccoon dogs as breeding raccoon dogs. In my view, whether from the perspective of farming or from a technical standpoint, this season is not a good time to transfer breeding stock of raccoon dogs and other rare fur-bearing animals. The reasons are as follows:

1. Pelt raccoon dogs are not breeding raccoon dogs

Throughout the entire rearing stage, there is a fundamental difference between raising pelt raccoon dogs and raising breeding raccoon dogs. From the time the cubs are weaned and live independently, their feeding standards and feed contents differ. Pelt raccoon dogs, fundamentally speaking, are raised for a short time and must be harvested for their pelts around the Minor Snow solar term within the year, so the main feeding purpose of farmers is to promote rapid maturation of their fur; therefore, the feed given is richer in nutrients and contains more hormone components, and the damage or impact on the body's various organs, especially the reproductive system, can be imagined. Breeding raccoon dogs, however, once selected after weaning, are fed with the requirement of ensuring good physical development and gradually bringing them to normal estrus, mating, pregnancy, delivery, and lactation in March of the following year. During this period, both feed selection and feeding methods differ from those for pelt raccoon dogs.

2. Breeding raccoon dogs should be determined early

According to the rearing schedule, after entering November, breeding raccoon dogs have entered a period of self-regulation of natural physiological functions, commonly known as body condition regulation, in order to reach the weight requirements and other physiological indicators needed for spring estrus. Based on this, farmers with many years of practical experience mostly retain and select breeding raccoon dogs from late June to early July each year. This is the cub stage, when they are about to be weaned and live independently, and their physical state has initially taken shape, which is very favorable for observing and determining basic conditions such as body shape trends, genital status, and feeding situation. In particular, once selected, breeding raccoon dogs are thereafter placed in a separate feeding group, and from feed provision to medication prevention, everything is centered on cultivating the physique and development of key breeding raccoon dogs, clearly different from pelt raccoon dogs.

3. Pelt raccoon dogs cannot be converted into breeding raccoon dogs

In actual rearing, there are indeed cases where pelt raccoon dogs are assigned to the breeding raccoon dog rearing line, but that is only an individual phenomenon resorted to when pelt raccoon dogs have reached the pelt-harvesting season yet their fur has not matured due to disease or other reasons, or has failed to meet the requirements for pelt stripping, leaving no other choice; moreover, whether such "late substitute" breeding raccoon dogs can successfully come into estrus and mate is unknown, and after the following spring they will certainly be reclassified among the raccoon dogs slated for spring pelt stripping. For normally raised pelt raccoon dogs, from mid-October to the Minor Snow solar term when pelts are stripped, farmers mainly increase the feeding amount to promote rapid body growth and attainment of standards. By this time, breeding raccoon dogs have long entered a semi-dormant state of sharply reduced food intake and absolute control, and their physical conditions are vastly different.

In summary, the rearing of pelt raccoon dogs and breeding raccoon dogs differs greatly. Therefore, prospective farmers who want to develop raccoon dog breeding while taking advantage of improving market conditions should go in June or July each year, when the cubs are about to be weaned, to high-quality breed breeding bases or major rearing areas to select and transfer superior breeding stock, so as to ensure breed purity. At the same time, this is also recognized in the industry as the best period for seed selection. In addition, farmers should determine and feed breeding raccoon dogs starting from the cub rearing stage, so they can grasp its physical condition in real time and feed it in a targeted way, which is crucial for the rearing of the entire breeding raccoon dog population.

Zhang Jiusheng, Village 7, Jianggezhuang Town, Laoting County