Detailed Guide to Blue Fox Farming Technology: Scientific Feeding and Management Methods

This year, Song Qingjun, a specialized blue fox farmer in the Tenth Residents' Group of the Fifth Management District of Heshan Farm, purchased 14 blue foxes last year and expanded to more than 150 this year, with an average litter size of over 10 cubs, more than 40% higher than the local female fox litter rate. The survey revealed that his farming achieved maximum results in mating rate, pregnancy rate, litter rate, survival rate, and economic benefits. Because the blue foxes he raised are pure in breed and excellent in quality, his breeding foxes and fur sell well. Through practice he has worked out the following main experiences, which are now passed on to fox farmers for reference.———Editor

Introducing Fine Breeds. The male and female breeding foxes he raised were all American blue foxes purchased through friends from the Fur Animal Experimental Breeding Base of the Special Products Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Zuojia, Jilin, selected for their large body size, long fur, good adaptability, high litter rate, fast growth, and strong disease resistance; he is willing to invest in breeding fine stock. At the end of each year, he carefully selects male and female breeding foxes once, culling inferior stock and retaining fine stock, never keeping closely related stock, ensuring the purity and high quality of the fine breed.

Timely Mating. Foxes have only one mating season each year, which is highly time-sensitive and technically demanding; missing the timing means an empty pregnancy. In response to these characteristics, he seizes the main estrus and mating period of blue foxes each year from early March to late April, strictly grasps the estrus and ovulation period of female foxes, and mates them promptly and accurately. He uses a combination of natural mating and forced mating, employing single mating, double mating, and multiple mating measures to increase the number of repeat matings, mating 4 to 5 times until the female fox refuses. Mating times are controlled between 6:00-8:00 and 17:00-20:00. He pays attention to strengthening the feeding of male breeding foxes, adding nutrient-rich animal feed during the mating period, feeding 1 cooked egg and 3 to 4 cooked culled chickens per day, and ensuring the male breeding foxes exercise well and rest well. At the same time, he does all the preparatory work before mating, establishes mating records, and strictly prevents close inbreeding.

Good Conditioning and Management. According to the different growth stages of female foxes - estrus, mating, pregnancy, and littering - he feeds them respectively with fresh small miscellaneous fish and fresh pig and chicken offal, culled chickens, eggs, and other animal feed accounting for 50%-60%, and plant feed such as cornmeal, wheat bran, peanut cake or soybean cake accounting for 40%-60% (cornmeal 75%, wheat bran 10%, cake meal 15%). He adds 5%-10% vitamins and feeds 5%-10% fresh fruits and vegetables. To ensure the female fox has sufficient milk, during the littering and nursing period he feeds each female fox 1 egg, 2 culled chickens, 80 grams of fresh goat milk, and 100 grams of fresh chicken liver per day, processed together with the feed by grinding, cooking, and stirring evenly into a porridge for feeding. During the littering and nursing period, the female fox is fed 3 to 4 times per day. Cubs are weaned at 50 days and begin eating, mainly fed easily digestible, nutrient-rich, fresh meat and egg feed, with an appropriate amount of fresh chicken liver, fresh fish, and fresh vegetables, while ensuring they drink enough clean water.
Focusing on Disease Prevention. Following the principle of prevention being more important than treatment, combining prevention and treatment with prevention as the priority, for infectious diseases with rapid transmission and high mortality such as canine distemper, viral enteritis, and viral encephalitis, he vaccinates the male and female breeding foxes once each year in January and July according to epidemic prevention requirements. For common diseases of male and female breeding foxes and cubs such as bloating, enteritis, and pneumonia, he observes promptly, detects promptly, and treats promptly. After cubs are separated into pens, they receive one vaccination and one deworming, while attention is paid to keeping the fox sheds clean and hygienic, promptly clearing feces from the fox cages and sweeping the ground, and focusing on heatstroke prevention and cooling for breeding foxes and cubs.