Courtyard Fox Farming Opens a New Path to Increased Income
Zou Benman, a major grain grower in Nanshan Tun, Changxingdao Town, used 500 sq m of open land behind his house in 2003 to introduce 11 Northeast Silver Fox breeding foxes. In 2004, the group was expanded to 62, and now 80 fox cubs have been bred. Because Zou Benman placed great emphasis on technical management and understood feeding and management, he paid attention to learning and observation during the feeding and management of breeding foxes and fox cubs, and mastered a set of techniques for disinfection, immunization, disease prevention and control, and artificial insemination, raising the whelping rate of breeding foxes and the survival rate of fox cubs. At the end of 2004, after deducting feed costs, the net profit was nearly 20,000 yuan. The main successful experiences of Zou Benman in fox farming are as follows:
1. Attach importance to feeding and management, and meet the nutritional needs of breeding foxes and fox cubs. Zou Benman humbly sought advice from technicians and, referring to fox farming books, compiled his own feed formulas for each feeding stage of breeding foxes and fox cubs. In winter, the food was mainly cornmeal and mixed fish, supplemented with a small amount of green vegetables, boiled into a porridge, and fed twice a day, with an average daily feed requirement of 0.2 kg. In summer, less meat and more coarse grains were added. Because the nutritional needs of foxes at each stage were met, this not only improved the survival rate of breeding foxes and fox cubs but also saved feeding costs. At the same time, it also solved abnormal behaviors such as self-mutilation in foxes.
2. Attach importance to environmental hygiene and disease prevention and control. The Northeast Silver Fox has strong adaptability, and its main disease is acute enteritis, so prevention must be done first. First, strictly carry out epidemic prevention work according to the immunization program. Vaccines such as encephalitis and canine five-in-one vaccine were injected. The annual epidemic prevention cost was 10.8 yuan per animal. Second, keep the inside of the shed and the ground clean and hygienic. Feeding utensils and the ground were disinfected twice a week, cleaned once a day, and waste was removed in a timely manner to prevent the spread of pathogens. At the same time, food freshness was ensured, and spoiled or deteriorated food was not fed. Northeast Silver Foxes are prone to colds during seasonal transitions, so careful management was carried out during seasonal transitions, and the annual treatment cost was only 1 yuan per animal.
3. Improve the reproductive rate of breeding foxes. Northeast Silver Foxes reproduce once a year, and the estrus period is concentrated from March to May. The duration of estrus is short, generally 3 to 5 days. Zou Benman observed every morning and evening, kept estrus records, and successfully used artificial insemination technology on estrous female foxes, achieving a whelping rate of more than 50% and a survival rate of more than 90%. 4. Strengthen management during the lactation period. Female foxes during lactation have particularly strong maternal instincts. During this period, the area around the fox shed should be kept quiet, strangers should be prevented from entering the fox shed casually, and loud noises should not be made. Once a female fox is frightened, she will hold her cubs in her mouth all day and refuse to nurse, and in severe cases may even bite the cubs to death. Therefore, during the lactation period, lactating female foxes should be managed and watched individually, and problems should be dealt with in a timely manner. After the young foxes are one month old, they should be separated and fed in individual cages in a timely manner. Artificial farming of Northeast Silver Foxes is simple and easy, with low risk. As long as they are carefully managed and fed, success can be achieved. It is a small-investment, quick-return, and practical and feasible effective way to become wealthy in rural areas.