Rutting and agonistic signals in foxes. Species: Vulpes vulpes = Common fox Offspring - the process of education

Briefly about the fox.

The common or red fox is the most common and most close-up view kind of foxes. An individual plot occupied by a pair or family of foxes must provide them not only with a sufficient amount of food, but also with places suitable for making burrows. Meanwhile, foxes usually use permanent shelters only during the period of raising cubs.

Like the wolf, the fox is a monogamous animal that breeds once a year. The time of the rut and its effectiveness depend on the weather and the fatness of the animals. There are years when up to 60% of females are left without offspring. A female is often courted by two or three males, and bloody fights occur between them.

Let us also note that foxes - good parents. Males accept equally with females Active participation in raising offspring, and also take care of friends even before the cubs appear. They improve the burrows and even catch fleas from females.

The litter contains from 4 to 12 puppies, initially covered with dark brown hair. Outwardly, they resemble wolf cubs, but differ in the white tip of the tail. They begin to see and hear at two weeks of age. In general, from the time of the rut to the final exit of the fox cubs from the hole, about six months pass. At the same time, young animals that leave the parental den are usually located at a distance of 2 to 30 km from it.

Among the fox's senses, the most developed are smell and hearing; vision is much less developed - therefore, for example, a fox can come very close to someone sitting motionless or standing man from the windy side.

During the rut and simply in a state of excitement, the fox emits a sharp, loud bark. The male barks, almost like a dog, without howling, the female makes a triple “bark”, which ends with a short howl. IN wildlife Foxes rarely live more than seven years, often life expectancy does not exceed three. In captivity, animals live up to 20-25 years.

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Fox hunting.

Many people hunt foxes here. This is one of the most popular hunts. The methods of prey are literally inexhaustible in terms of imagination - from corralling on horseback and hunting with a golden eagle to luring by a mouse squeak and lying in wait at the bait. With flags, a fox is hunted in much the same way as a wolf, but it is much easier to hunt it this way, because it diurnal cycle much shorter than that of its gray brother. If hunters know fox dens, then the hunt can begin right from the salary.

The fox walks around the most likely places for its day in a circle, sticking to clearings, sight lines, paths and roads, i.e., the most open places, so as not to frighten off the animal prematurely. If it is known that there are badger or fox burrows in the hunting area, they must be “cut out” from the frame or surrounded with flags, otherwise during the rut the fox will be denuded and it will be impossible to get it without burrowing dogs.

When staking, you need to especially carefully inspect old tracks and hare trails, using which the fox can get out of the staking before being flagged. If, after the salary, the number of input tracks exceeds the number of output tracks, the animal is considered taxed. It is more difficult to solve the issue with an equal number of input and output traces. In this case, special attention is paid to the freshness of the traces. If the morning entrance trail is fresh, the salary must be flagged.

To attract foxes, bait is laid out - usually the carcass of a dead domestic animal. It is best to place it in a high and necessarily open place, but not far from forests, bushes and other areas favorable for foxes to spend their day. If the bait has tall, single trees, magpies and crows fly and land on them, helping the animals detect the bait. In addition, it has long been noticed that a fox is more willing to take bait that has been pecked by birds than one that has not been touched. Having had enough, the fox settles down for the day at a relatively short distance from the bait. For fox hunting, a two-kilometer set of flags is usually sufficient. In those places where they did not hunt with flags and the animals are not frightened, it is possible to make small frames, up to 1 km long. The flags are hung so that their ends touch the surface of the snow. It is advisable to conduct the hunt in a closed circle, and two people are enough to participate in it: the shooter and the beater.

You need to chase the fox calmly, without shouting. Started from her prone position, she walks along the line of flags looking for a way out and eventually stumbles upon the shooter.

Hunting can be simplified with some experience and in places where the animal is not frightened. When laying down the animal, the cord with flags is not hung on the bushes, but placed directly on the surface of the snow. You can hunt with flags until the end of the hunting season. For a hunter, fox hunting with hounds is of great interest. For this hunt you need a dog that is fast enough and, most importantly, sticky, capable of not leaving a trace, even if the animal has taken it far from its owner. They go out hunting before dawn to catch the fox feeding. A fox raised from a bed or intercepted on the move often goes in a straight line for a considerable distance, sometimes up to 5 km, leading the dogs with it. As a rule, after some time the fox returns back to the area of ​​​​its permanent habitat, which is more familiar to it, and here it continues to walk in small circles.

The size of the fox's circle depends on the terrain conditions and the quality of the dogs. Frisky or, as they say, “paired” dogs force the fox to make large, regular circles, and “foot” hounds allow the animal to walk for a long time in a small volume, in small irregular circles.

Hearing the approaching rut, the hunter must quickly stand on the supposed hole of the animal. Such a hole can be a road intersection, the intersection of a road and a clearing or two clearings, or narrow valleys. If the hunter “re-saw” the fox, but she is out of range, you should carefully move to the place where she just passed: the fox likes to follow its own trail. The fox avoids open, clean places during the rut. It crosses the clearings in the narrowest places, taking advantage of the cover of individual bushes and uneven terrain: ditches, depressions and even road ditches.

When choosing a hole, the hunter should leave as much less footprints in rutting areas. You must stand quietly on the manhole and not make sudden movements; you should even raise your gun when an animal approaches only when it is already within a sure shot.

Often during such a hunt, a fox takes refuge from the hounds in its hole, if the entrance to it has not been previously blocked by hunters. In order to catch a burrowing fox, some amateur hunters use burrowing dogs - dachshunds and terriers.

The duration of a fox hunt with a hound depends on the conditions of the year. It begins with the opening of the hunting season for fur-bearing animals, and ends when deep snow makes it difficult for the dog to work.

Stealth hunting is a difficult, but interesting and very sporting way. Before the snow falls, it is almost impossible to notice a mouse-like fox against the background of yellow-brown vegetation, so the hunt begins with the appearance of a white trail. The most convenient places for such hunting will be open lands with soft terrain: meadows and fields interspersed with small copses, islands of bushes, ravines and lowlands overgrown with weeds, wide floodplains big rivers and so on..

You should go hunting at dawn, when the fox is still feeding. Carefully examining the area, the hunter moves around the land, trying to stay against the wind. Field binoculars and a camouflage robe can be of great help here. When a feeding fox is spotted, the hunter must determine general direction its progress and, depending on the terrain conditions, either hide the animal using natural cover, or try to go forward and wait for its approach.

When hunting a fox from the approach, some hunters use a decoy, with which they imitate the squeak of a mouse, or imitate its squeak by sucking in air and pressing back side palms to lips. The fox can detect the squeak of a mouse at a distance of up to 300 m. You need to voice infrequently, at intervals, and freeze when the animal becomes alert. The success of this hunt depends entirely on the endurance and skill of the hunter. In some areas, they use a decoy to imitate the cry of a hare.

During years of abundance of mouse-like rodents, feeding at daylight Foxes are rare: they are quite content with hunting at night.

At the end of winter, in February, when the foxes begin the rut, approach hunting is the most productive. During this period, foxes often walk during the day, and are found not only in pairs, but also in groups of 3-5 individuals. Hunters call such groups a “fox wedding.” They usually consist of a female and several males pursuing her. Having noticed the foxes, the hunter tries to identify the female by their behavior and, having dispersed the animals, pursues her, driving her away for 1-1.5 km. Then, camouflaged near the female’s trail, the hunter waits for the males to return.

They also hunt mouse foxes together, combining the approach with a drive. At the same time, one of the hunters tries to quietly move forward along the path of the animal, and the other carefully points it at his comrade.

Experienced hunters successfully catch a fox by tracking through fresh snow. By the nature of the legacy, they determine the fox that has finished the hunt and is heading to bed. In the forest, a fox lies down near a tree trunk, on hummocks, stumps or under a root inversion, and in open places among the fields - in ravines, in bushes and weeds. Well-fed foxes sleep very soundly and often allow a close shot. It is easier to approach them on soft snow in warm weather and on windy days.

Foxes are also shot while lying in wait at a specially placed bait - carrion.

Due to its prevalence, fox hunting has never been prohibited, except in some countries and for certain species due to their limited availability. These animals are found almost everywhere: near human habitation, in plains and mountains, steppes and deserts, in forested areas, as well as in river valleys.

The fox's diet is so varied that this animal can remain hungry only in severe weather. winter time when fish are under water, birds are few in number, there are simply no insectivores, fish are under water, rodents are underground, and the “burial sites” are covered with snow.

The immediate habitat of the fox is an area whose diameter is from 6 to 10 kilometers. This size varies depending on the food and season of the year. Due to the limitations of the burrowing of parts, individual sections overlap each other.

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Mating season

The rut of foxes living in mid-latitudes begins in February. Its timing can vary widely and depends on several parameters. One female can be chased by 5 or even 6 males at once. Fights in this case are inevitable. The strongest male always stays with the female. This is nature's law.

The female attracts the necessary attention to herself with her voice. IN mating season for many species of animals and birds this is the most common and natural way. During the rutting period, the marking reflex of foxes is extremely activated - this is marking the habitat with their own urine. This is due to relationships within species.

Mating occurs in the first decade of March. Pregnancy in female foxes lasts about 49–58 days. One female can give birth to up to 13 cubs at a time, but the average, which is most often recorded, is from 4 to 6 cubs.

Almost all foxes whelp inside their prepared burrows. Outside their limits, this happens extremely rarely and is associated with some emergency circumstances, for example, flooding. All fox cubs are born blind. They gradually begin to see clearly over the course of two weeks.

Offspring - the process of education

For obvious reasons, during this period in middle lane Fox hunting is strictly prohibited. Dead offspring is a small achievement. If at the beginning of the rut you can still turn a blind eye to the insatiable desire to hunt foxes, then in the first ten days of March and until the warm days of July it is better to forget about it. The offspring must be given life and fed, because... Foxes are one of the orderlies of the forest and any other area where they live.

An amazing discovery for many will be the fact that foxes communicate with each other. Several animals use one path at once. Hare trails - all foxes use them, because... This makes it easier to find food and allows you to significantly save energy.

The fox cubs begin to make their first forays out of the hole only after 20-25 days. The lactation period for foxes lasts 1.5 months. The surprising thing is that both parents raise the babies (the male does not leave the female after mating). The fox cubs try to start their independent lives in August. Here, the collapse of the brood is noted, especially if the main source of food (mouse-like rodents) in the vicinity is very few in number. Otherwise, the brood may remain near its native norm until November, or even December.

Features of burrowing and the need for species control

In nature there are not many places for burrowing, because... They require both the proximity of a water source and a certain soil structure. If fox hunting is intensive, then their life expectancy is no more than 2 years, but there are places where individuals live up to 7-8 years and this is a very respectable age.

In order to trace aspects of the ecology of foxes, animals are captured and tagged. Best of luck Game wardens of the GDR have achieved this, but here it is always necessary to make small adjustments for the geographical area and some characteristics of the animals. The results of this process make it possible to determine the age of animals, their level of fertility and some other indicators necessary to predict the number of a given species.

Fox- the first object of fur farming, which has been carried out since the end of the last century in Canada, and then in other countries. High prices for fur and breeding stock stimulated the development of the industry. With the development of mink farming, foxes began to be gradually replaced by them everywhere, and now fox farming has an insignificant share, although there is still a demand for fox skins on the international market.

Silver-black foxes are mainly bred. The average size of males ranges from 66 to 72 cm, females - 63 - 68 cm. The average live weight of males is 6 - 7 kg, females - 5 - 6 kg. Sexual maturity in foxes occurs at 9 - 11 months, they reproduce normally until 6 - 7 years, with maximum productivity at 3 - 5 years of age. The lifespan of foxes is 10 - 12 years. Average fertility is 5 - 6 puppies per litter. A litter of 14 puppies was registered. The fruiting period is 51 - 52 days.

Currently, the following color forms of foxes are known: silver-black, black-brown, white-faced-platinum, white-faced silver-black, snow and other forms with various shades.

The peculiarity of fox reproduction is that it is monoestric, that is, they go into heat and hunt once a year, and if during this period the female is not covered, offspring from her can only be obtained the next year. Foxes are prepared for the rut from August-September, when their follicles begin to grow weakly. Insufficient and inadequate feeding of foxes during this period can lead to underdevelopment of the genital organs, which will negatively affect the reproduction of foxes.

Like other predatory animals, from the end of July, foxes begin to decrease their basal metabolism, reserves of nutrients accumulate in their bodies, as a result of which live weight by December increases by 35 + 40% compared to in summer.

From approximately January 15 to 25 and later (February 1 to 15), individual females begin estrus and the state of sexual heat. Estrus usually lasts 5-10 days, and in young and old females up to 15-20 days. During the period of estrus, changes begin in the uterus, the walls of which thicken and prepare to receive embryos. The outer edges of the vagina swell, the loop “cleans” and becomes clearly visible even with a superficial examination. With the onset of heat, it becomes almost round and elastic, and during the period of heat it softens.

The state of hunting in foxes lasts 2 - 3 days, during which ovulation occurs. After the end of the hunt, a period of rest begins, the ovaries become smaller, the corpus luteum matures, and the loop again becomes almost invisible in the hairline. The state of heat can only be repeated the next year. Only very in rare cases the state of heat is repeated (even in coated females) after 5-7 days, and sometimes after 17 days. After secondary mating, the offspring in some cases appears from the first mating, in others - from the second. This is possible as a result of the non-simultaneous development of follicles in different ovaries.

Before the female comes into heat, the male usually does not pay attention to her. With the onset of estrus, the female and male become hostile to each other. Such animals should be connected 2-3 times. If hostility does not change, another male is selected for the female, otherwise she may remain uncovered.

When the female comes into heat, the male stays close to her and periodically sniffs her. In the following days, characteristic games begin between them, and even before the onset of sexual heat, some males make attempts to mate, but the female snaps and does not allow mating. The female, who is in a state of hunting, as the male approaches, takes a characteristic pose, turning her tail to the side.

During the rutting period, males are quite active and many of them can mate with females 2 times a day. Some males cover up to 25 females during the rutting period with normal polygamy 1:5 - 1:6. If a male is not placed with females in heat for a long time, the function of his testes fades.

If the female needs to be covered only by the male attached to her, and the latter does not pay attention to her, despite obvious signs sexual hunting, then they resort to “inducing jealousy.” The female is taken to another male for 10 - 20 minutes, not allowing mating with him. After the female returns, the male usually covers her immediately. Blowing off steam is carried out in the morning, when the animals are most active. During morning feeding, the connection of males with females begins half an hour after feeding. It is most effective to cover the female on the second day of the hunt.

Mating in foxes lasts from several minutes to two or more hours.

Pregnancy of foxes lasts from 49 to 56 days. Pregnancy is delayed due to insufficient diet, especially vitamin B deficiency. With appropriate skills, on the 18th - 20th day you can determine pregnancy by palpation; on the 25th - 30th day, pregnancy diagnosis becomes easier. When palpated, single females are identified, which, if they have good pubescence, are killed. In pregnant females, molting begins earlier than in unfertilized ones.

On the 51st - 52nd day of pregnancy, females experience maternal instincts, there is a slight release of colostrum. 10 - 15 days before the expected whelping, the female's house is prepared. The house must be protected from the cold, disinfected, and the nest must be lined with insulating material.

It shouldn't be hot in the house. Sometimes the entire house is filled with clean straw and the females make a nest in it themselves.

2 - 3 days before whelping, females begin to shed hair around their nipples. The females remove it and at this time you can see foxes with fluff stuck to their faces - one of the sure signs of imminent whelping. On the eve of whelping, females refuse food and do not leave the nest.

Childbirth usually begins in the morning and lasts 1.5 - 2 hours. The time between the appearance of the penultimate and last puppy can sometimes be up to a day. After the birth of each puppy, the female licks it, clearing it of the placenta, which she eats and places it on her nipples. Milk usually begins to come out during birth, and the puppies begin suckling immediately.

After whelping, the nests are inspected. Healthy puppies lie in a pile, dry. Weak pups are scattered throughout the nest. It is necessary to examine everyone and, if necessary, place the weaker ones with nurses and feed them with a 3 - 4% solution of ascorbic acid with glucose in a dose of 1 - 1.5 ml.

Newborn puppies weigh 80 - 100 g, are covered with short dark pubescence, their eyes are closed, there are no teeth, their ears are covered with skin.

To warm frozen puppies, “incubators” are built, where the temperature is maintained at about 20 - 25 ° C. The warmed puppies are placed near the nipples of the mother, who is held on the table with her muzzle tied up by two people. You can feed puppies with goat's milk heated to 30 - 35°C.

If the female cannot give birth on her own, she is provided with obstetric care, pulling up the emerging puppies in time with the attempts.

Sometimes women in labor exhibit cannibalism when, after eating stillborn puppies, they also devour living ones. In such cases, the surviving puppies are placed in an incubator, and the female is discarded. The cause of death of all puppies is established and conclusions are drawn about further use females.

Puppies grow and develop quickly. Until two weeks of age, they are completely helpless and feed on their mother's milk. The eyes open on the 14th - 17th day, at the same time teeth begin to erupt, which all grow by the age of one month. With teething, the muzzle, which until now was dull, stretches out. From the age of 3 months, the replacement of baby teeth with permanent ones begins; by 5 months, molars are formed.

In the first 4 - 5 months there are significant changes in the physique of puppies. From being short-legged, they become long-legged, grow in length, and by 6-7 months the physique of the young animals approaches the physique of adult animals. By 7 months of age, the live weight of fox cubs reaches 5 - 7.5 kg. slight growth of foxes continues after the onset of puberty. Males are 5 - 10% heavier than females.

Summer pubescence of fox cubs after birth is black without silver coloring. With the growth of winter pubescence, the silvery coloration increases.

For the first 2.5 - 3 weeks, fox cubs feed only on mother's milk. When milk production is low, they are fed with heated goat's milk, and then cow's milk with the addition of egg yolk or good minced meat.

As soon as the puppies begin feeding, the female stops eating their feces and cleaning is necessary to maintain cleanliness in the cage.

At 45-50 days of age, the puppies are separated from the female. With a sharp decrease in female lactation, puppies can be separated at 35 - 40 days. A gradual placement of puppies is practiced, when the weakest puppies are left under the mother for 2 - 3 days.

When transplanting, if possible, fox cubs of the same age and temperament are placed in the same cage. Breeding young animals are best kept in lighter cages. This promotes the timely development of genital organs in animals. They are fed based on good preparation to reproduction.

Culled young animals and adult animals are slaughtered in mid-November. Breeding young animals are transferred to a common diet with the main herd.

Breeding young animals can be purchased at the Obodovtsy collective farm in the Vileika district, the Baranovichi fur farm and other farms.

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In nature, foxes can most often be heard during the rutting season, which in mid-latitudes occurs in February and March. Under favorable conditions, it is possible to regularly, every night, for two to three weeks, listen to the voice of one, and sometimes several foxes at once. Foxes are especially vocal on cold nights. The signal characteristic of this period of fox life is a series of sounds consisting of four to eight barks. To the ear it is perceived as a fast, melodic “ko-ko-ko-ko-ko”. Some naturalists believe that a series of three abrupt barks ending in a drawn-out monophonic howl belongs to the female. The bark of males is cleaner, abrupt, without howling. However, it should be noted that experts in the field of sound communication do not find a connection between the nature of vocalization and the gender of foxes. Judging by the sound behavior of other canines, in particular domestic dogs, then this opinion should apparently be considered fair.

The rutting signal of foxes, often called a barking strophe in specialized literature, serves to establish contact between males and females located at a great distance. If a male comes into close contact with a female, he emits a rhythmic stanza of grunts. In case of strong excitement during the rut, the barking stanza is taken strictly certain type and consists of a typical number of individual sounds for each individual.

During the mating season, foxes often gather in groups and run in a line, forming so-called fox weddings: usually there is a female in front and several males behind her. Fierce fights often break out between males, which are accompanied by threatening signals typical of the agonistic behavior of these animals - piercing screams, similar to the wail of a siren.

During agonistic behavior, foxes emit warning cries, which serve as a signal for restructuring the partner’s behavior. Most often this is a low-frequency, long-lasting growl, which in some cases can be mixed with barks, squeals, yelps and snorts. An increase in the animal's excitement in alarming situations that cause it to growl causes its breathing to increase and, at the same time, the sounds it makes to break up - an intermittent bark occurs. But barking, compared to yapping, is still a longer sound. Yelping is perceived as more ringing sound. The spectra of these signals also differ significantly. Barking is a sound signal accompanying the moment of an attack, but it can also serve as a warning to other animals about danger; in the latter case, its duration increases.

The agonistic behavior of foxes is also associated with various other signals: squeals, trills, trembling or trembling sounds, whining and screams. Often in this situation, yelping is combined with elements of squealing, which indicate the subordinate nature of the relationship: the signal of subordinate individuals sounds louder than the yelping of the dominant animal. Sound signals are combined with appropriate body movements: the subordinate animal wags its tail, presses its ears, stretches its lips.

The spectra of most sound reactions characteristic of the agonistic behavior of foxes are close, having a common feature - broadness. The differences relate mainly to the duration of the signals and the presence of certain high-frequency components in them. The appearance of the latter is apparently associated with an increase in the level of arousal of the animal in the event of a conflict. Such wide range have the squealing and whining of a subordinate individual at the climax of a fight. The spectra of trills and trembling sounds are characterized by the presence of the same two well-defined maxima. But these sounds differ sharply in their duration: the longer sound is the trill. The shortest sounds of foxes are yelps. It is known that a loud yelp is produced by a subordinate animal, and a dull yelp is produced by a dominant animal. Depending on the social status, the frequency characteristics and whines of foxes change: in the dominant individual, the frequency of this sound is lower than in the subordinate.

Fights between foxes die down only at the end of the rutting period, and peace and silence reign in the forest. In the repertoire of sounds of these animals, the barking stanza is retained only for a while. But now it serves for communication within the couple. It often sounds like a weakly articulated "coo-coo-coo-coo-coo" and is different from the "co-co-co-co-co" tone. greater height. At the end of the rut, some pairs separate, and before whelping, individual males again compete over pregnant females. Only after this do the foxes finally break into pairs, and the male, together with the female, takes an active part in preparing the burrow, and then in raising the young. A month after mating, the male begins to bring prey to the hole. At the same time, he grumbles and whines. The stanza of barking is still combined with these sounds, but then it gradually disappears. Increasingly, the inviting grunt of the male is heard at the time of delivery of food to the hole: a low, frequently repeated “oof-oof-oof”. Hearing this sound, the female, busy with the newly born fox cubs, comes out of the hole.

In breeding work with foxes, the main attention is paid to increasing the reproductive capacity of animals and improving the quality of the skins. This is achieved by improving the herd of each farm and importing high-quality young stock from breeding farms. To improve reproductive ability, young animals are selected from medium and large litters from females with good maternal qualities and are properly prepared for reproduction. It is necessary to exclude indiscriminate overlap of females by different males, which does not allow us to evaluate animals based on the quality of their offspring.
Each farm determines the desired type of fox based on fur structure and coloration, as well as the leading trait, the improvement of which will most significantly increase economic effect breeding. The length of the hair (awn, down), the size of the silver zone and the pigmented tip of the awn are characteristics that are determined by multiple genes. These inheritance features must be taken into account in breeding work.
Selection for lengthening of the hairline often leads to the appearance of collapsed, drooping hair on the sides and excessive development of the mane - lengthening of the hair in the neck and shoulder blades.
Lightening the fur of foxes worsens the coloration of the skins and usually increases the severity of the defect - cross-section of the spine. This occurs due to an increase in the number of platinum hairs in the pubescence due to a decrease in silvery and fully pigmented ones, as well as an increase in the silvery zone due to a reduction in the length of the pigmented tip of the awn. Lightening of the pubescence is usually combined with the appearance of a light veil, the severity of which depends on the ratio of the length of the pigmented tip of the spine to the width of the silver zone. Studies have shown that platinum hair is more prone to split ends and breakage than silver hair.
It is necessary to take into account the structural features of the hair of animals when determining the feasibility of their import. Thus, the introduction and mating of foxes with different lengths of awns and down can significantly change the manifestation of silveriness and the severity of the veil in offspring due to a change in the ratio between the silvery zone and the pigmented tip of the awns.
To eliminate pubescence defects during grading, the degree of sectionality and matting of the hairline and the presence of a mane are noted. Parents who produce unwanted offspring are discarded. In order to prevent split ends, which is widespread in animals with bleached hair, it is recommended to select for a decrease in platinum and an increase in silver in the hair. To do this, foxes with 100% silver must be mated with foxes with 75% silver. If there are puppies with cotton wool in the litter, it is recommended to cull the entire litter.
The foxes that best meet modern requirements are those with a black shiny awn, dark gray underfur, a pure white silver ring 10-15 mm wide, a well-defined belt and a cross on the shoulder blades. A large number of platinum hair in pubescence is undesirable. It should be left to the tribe of animals with 90% silver with a normal veil and 100% silver with a heavy veil. Foxes with 100% silver and a light veil for uniform selection of pairs are not allowed.
Content. Foxes are bred in different regions of the country: in the northwest, north and center of the European part, in Ukraine and Belarus, in the Volga region, in the Urals, in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Far North.
Until 1945, foxes were kept primarily in 3x4 m cages with a wooden floor. They were replaced by smaller cages [(2-3)*1.2 m] with a mesh floor raised above the ground. Currently, sheds for foxes most often contain cages 290 cm long, 95 cm wide and 65 cm high, which can be divided into 2-3 compartments with insert partitions. For periods of pregnancy, whelping and lactation, a nest is inserted into one of the compartments. During these periods, females occupy the entire cage. After transplanting the young animals, the house is cleaned, and the paddock is divided into 2-3 compartments by partitions, and 2 heads of young animals are placed in each compartment. Each compartment has a door and a rotating feeder inserted into a wooden frame, embedded in a mesh wall. In practice, there is another type of feeder, which has the form of an outer shelf inclined to the wall at an acute angle.
Cages for foxes can have stationary houses of the same size, but this reduces the number of cages in the sheds. The house is installed between paddocks, each of which can be divided into two compartments.
Males are kept in shads, in paddocks of the same size as for females. The length of the paddock is 3 m, the height is 1.0 m. The paddocks can also be divided into 2-3 compartments and young animals can be kept in them.
The insert house for foxes (its size is 75x80x55 cm) consists of a nesting compartment and a “front”, has a round hole with a diameter of 25 cm. The bottom is mesh with a wooden removable floor, double walls are for warmth. The stationary house is larger (75x90x65 cm), a nest is inserted into it, the gap between the walls (10 cm) is filled with insulating material. The house has a common wooden roof and two separate ones - one is located above the nest, the other above the “front”; the floor of the house is double mesh (permanent) and wooden (inset). The “front” is connected to the walkway by a wooden pipe with a valve.
In the Far North, in the forest-tundra and tundra zones, there are heavy snow drifts, so ordinary shad and cages for keeping animals of the main herd are unsuitable here. The sheds are placed on stilts with a raised flooring in the passage. The height of the posts (from the ground to the flooring) is 50-60 cm. To protect from the wind, sheds are built with a closed corridor, a raised flooring in the passage and mesh paddocks extending beyond the edge of the roof.
In the northern regions, foxes enter the rut somewhat later, since the onset of the breeding season is delayed due to shorter daylight hours and reduced illumination. The animals are kept in cages with well-lit paddocks, and electricity is used during the preparation period for the rut.
Preparing for the rut. Caring for adult animals in the summer-autumn period includes feeding, watering, cleaning cages, monitoring the health of animals; in addition, they control the live weight of animals and the progress of molting.
Practically, preparation for the rutting of adult animals should begin after the young animals are transplanted. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of emaciated females - feed them plenty, periodically show them to a veterinarian, who can prescribe them vitamins or medications. Exhaustion in summer months entails an increase in animal waste, a deterioration in the quality of their hair coat and a decrease in reproductive capacity in the following production year.
In August, foxes begin to prepare their bodies for reproduction: follicles appear and grow in the ovaries, and in November the uterus enlarges. At this time, feeding should be improved accordingly.
In summer, the ovaries of females are approximately 2 times smaller in size than during the estrus period. At the end of August - September they increase, the growth of follicles is noted, and the walls of the uterus grow. At this time, the concentration of sex hormones in the blood increases in both adults and young females. At the end of December - January, pre-estrus changes are detected in the reproductive tract of females.
In males during this period (late August - early September) there is also an activation of the gonads, which is especially active in November - December: the testes increase 2-3 times compared to the summer period, and the level of androgens in the blood increases sharply.
Metabolism in foxes decreases from the end of July, resulting in an increase in live weight. In December, with normal preparation, it is 30-40% higher than in summer.
Changes in metabolism and development of the genital organs depend on the length of daylight hours. Violation of the light regime (keeping animals in dark cages, late transportation to another farm) negatively affects the development of their genital organs, while additional lighting promotes better early dates estrus in females. To speed up the onset of rutting, young females, whose estrus usually occurs later than adults, are placed in open cages.
To control the preparation of animals for the rut, their weight and fatness are taken into account. Medium-sized young and adult females should weigh 6 kg by December 1, males - 7 kg. In poorly prepared animals, the rut is delayed; many females may produce few puppies or be left without offspring at all.
Characterizes the condition of the animals and the course of molting. If the loss of summer hair is delayed or winter hair does not grow in a timely manner, this indicates disturbances in the animal’s body, which may affect reproduction. At the end of June - beginning of July, the summer awns of young animals begin to be replaced by winter ones; in the second half of August, the change takes place intensively. In adult foxes, hair growth begins to change in April and actively occurs in May - July, in some it lingers until September.
After grading, the main herd is finally completed. The remaining animals are placed in cages, which are previously repaired, cleaned and disinfected. A stencil is hung on each cell. All animals are checked for gender, whether there are tattoos on their ears, and they make sure that the number on the ear matches the number indicated in the stencil. At this time, the fur farmer serves not only breeding animals, which he prepares for future reproduction, but also animals destined for slaughter.
During the slaughter period, fur breeders, as a rule, participate in fur processing processes, so less attention is paid to breeding animals. This circumstance may negatively affect the yield of puppies in the next production year. First of all, this applies to first-year females and males, whose growth and formation of the body ends during this period, and therefore they require increased nutrition compared to adult animals.
Gon. The rutting period for foxes begins in the second half of January and ends in mid-March. Usually, in young females, the rut begins somewhat later than in adults (especially if they are poorly prepared for the rut).
Before the start of the rut, the condition of the males' testes is checked - they should be elastic and well developed. Males with poor testes are not allowed to mate females.
Estrus in foxes lasts 7-11 days, hunting in females occurs once during the entire breeding period and lasts 2-3 days. Missing a hunt entails the loss of the litter for the current year. The onset of estrus and sexual heat can be determined by the behavior of the animals and the condition of the external genitalia (loop). From January 15-20, the condition of the females’ loops is checked every 3 days. After the first changes are noticed, which usually precede the hunt for several days, the test is carried out after 1-2 days.
Changes in the external genitalia of females go through several stages. The first stage - the loop swells slightly, turns white and becomes noticeable upon examination. The female's urine takes on a characteristic color. If pairs are placed together, the female begins to play with the male. This is the first, pre-estrus stage, which lasts 2-3 days. Second stage (1-2 days) - the loop swells even more. The third stage - the transition to hunting - the loop swells greatly, becomes convex, the females take a defensive pose in relation to the male. The duration of the stage is 1-2 days. The fourth stage - hunting - the loop is almost round, dark, and the secretion of a small amount of mucus is visible. During this period, when the male is replanted, covering occurs. This stage lasts 2-3 days. The fifth stage is the beginning of rest. The swelling of the loop subsides and it turns white. At the beginning of this stage, coating is still possible. Then the female no longer allows the male to approach.
Some females, especially young ones, may experience a “silent” estrus, in which all of the above changes in the genital organs are very weak. In order not to miss the hunt, such females must be regularly placed with males, even if their loop does not change.
Each fur breeding department should have a notebook with the numbers of females. It regularly records the progress of estrus and the condition of the loop.
There are two methods of conducting the rut: 1) the condition of the females’ loops is examined every other day, and those who have begun to heat are placed with the male assigned to them; 2) in turn, after 1-2 days, all the females assigned to each of them are added to the males (regardless of the state of the loop). Having adopted the second method, you should nevertheless check the condition of the loop in females, since due to insufficient activity of the male, the female may miss the hunt. If changes in the female's loop characterize the period of hunting, she should be mated with a backup male.
Females are placed with males 30-40 minutes after feeding, when the animals are most active. It is not advisable to seat pairs immediately after feeding, since animals that have just eaten are passive and do not pay attention to each other. The animals can also be placed in the afternoon, after the male has rested for 2-3 hours. The female is left in the male's cage for 40-50 minutes. Coitus lasts from several minutes to 1.5 hours, on average 20-30 minutes. Mating cannot be interrupted. After the first mating, the female is placed with the same male for recoating over the next two days.
Ovulation of eggs in females occurs within 2-3 days, so mating that occurs on the second day of hunting is most desirable. The male's sperm is stored in the female's genital tract for about a day, and approximately the same time the ovulated egg is able to be fertilized. When mating on the second day of the hunt, sperm is able to fertilize the eggs that ovulated on the first, second and third days of the hunt. In the case of mating on the first day, the sperm may die before the eggs ovulate; if mating on the third day, the eggs released on the first day may die. With repeated mating, the number of missing females decreases.
Sometimes the following technique is used to activate females. At the beginning of the rut, 3-4 females are placed in open cages, and different males are placed in them for several hours every day or every other day. If the female comes into heat and begins to allow the male to mate, she is immediately removed and the next day she is placed to cover with the male assigned to her. In case of unexpected coverage, it is necessary to mark the females, for example by painting their tails. This makes it possible to determine which of the females is covered and which is not.
If two females are placed with a male on the same day, he is given two matings - in the morning and in the afternoon. Coating females with two different males is not recommended, since it does not increase the yield of puppies and, moreover, does not make it possible to determine their origin. This is possible only at the end of the rut, when the sexual activity of males and the usefulness of their sperm decreases. All puppies from such matings go to slaughter.
To determine the condition of the female, you should especially carefully observe the behavior of the boarded animals for the first 20-30 minutes.
Among the males, coverts of females are sometimes found, but do not fertilize many or any of them. Therefore, evaluation of sperm quality under a microscope is necessary. Covered females after the end of estrus and the “recession” of the loop are considered pregnant. They are placed in already prepared cages in which they will whelp.
Pregnancy and whelping. Pregnancy in foxes lasts 51-52 days, sometimes 49-54 days. In most cases, its presence can be determined by appearance females. In a pregnant female, by the 40-45th day of pregnancy, the belly increases and slightly sags. She becomes calmer, slower, and lies down a lot. Pregnancy cannot always be determined by appearance; some females do not change in appearance until whelping. To determine pregnancy, females are probed 24-26 days after the last mating, and in the morning before feeding. The animals are carefully picked up so that they cannot move, and the abdominal cavity is carefully probed (rough handling is unacceptable, as this can lead to abortion). In a pregnant female, embryos can be felt as small formations arranged in a chain. Sometimes, when there are few embryos, they can easily be confused with lumps of feces, so if you are not sure, the check should be repeated after 2-3 days.
With early detection of pregnancy by palpation, it becomes possible to slaughter empty females with good pubescence. in early spring, without overexposure until autumn. Currently, an average of 13% of females remain without offspring. The reasons for emptiness can be different: fetal resorption, abortion, premature birth. It is sometimes possible to determine whether an abortion has occurred by the presence of traces of blood, fetal remains, or the greenish-black color of the feces, which is observed after the female eats the fetus.
Caring for pregnant females involves feeding them in a timely manner and handling them carefully. It is necessary to avoid noises that are unusual for animals so that they are not frightened, to provide an uninterrupted supply of water, and to maintain cleanliness in the houses and cages.
Each female's stencil is marked with the expected whelping date. It is determined by adding 51 days to the coverage date. 10-15 days before whelping, houses and cages are prepared: they are thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and a dry, clean nest is inserted into the house. In cold weather, in addition, the house is insulated: insulating material is placed between the bottom, walls, and ceiling of the nest and house: hay, straw, shavings, etc. In sheds, the house is inserted inside the cage. In warm weather (above 8-10°C), the house should not be insulated, since the female will be hot in it, and she may whelp in a cage where the puppies may freeze.
In the northern regions, before whelping, a partition with a hole is inserted into the nest. In severe frosts, the hole in the partition is covered with a tarpaulin canopy. The nest is placed on a layer of insulating material, the side walls and ceiling around the nest are insulated, as well as the front part of the houses. The nest and front are filled with bedding. At very low temperatures The houses are also insulated from the outside.
During the whelping period, fur breeders are on duty at the farm. The duty officer monitors the behavior of whelping and recently whelped females. In case of unsuccessful birth, he provides assistance to the females or, if the case is difficult, calls a veterinarian.
Pupping for foxes begins on March 10-15 and ends in early May. Normal labor lasts 1.5-2 hours, 1-15 puppies are born.
Before whelping, many females change their behavior. They either run restlessly from the cage to the house and vice versa, or scratch the walls of the house, or do not leave it at all. The day before or on the day of whelping, they refuse to feed.
When a puppy is born, the female tears the placenta with her teeth and gnaws the umbilical cord. Holding the placenta in her teeth, she shakes her head and frees the puppy from it. She quickly licks the wet puppy, moves it to her stomach and covers it with her tail. After 30 minutes the puppy begins to suck milk. The whelping of females is judged by the puppies' squeaks, which are periodically heard from the house. Puppies squeak if the female disturbs them with her movement. Well-fed, healthy puppies, when the female calms down, quickly stop squeaking. An abnormal stringy squeak indicates trouble in the nest.
During the examination, attention is paid to the condition of the puppies, their position and the behavior of the female. Normal puppies weigh 80-100 g, are covered with dense short hairs and lie in a heap, they are dry, warm, with round bellies filled with milk. The puppies scattered around the nest actively crawl into a heap. The female raises 6-7 puppies well.
When examining each puppy, they take it in their hands, since among them there may be weakened or frozen ones, which are difficult to identify in total mass. In addition, the litter may contain premature and dead puppies.
Trouble in a litter is often the result of the female being unable to give birth, or having a poor maternal reflex and not caring for the puppies well, or the puppies being born very weak.
If the litter is large, weak puppies should be placed with a female who has just whelped with a small litter (2-3 puppies).
Trouble in the litter bad condition Puppies are caused by the fact that the puppies cannot suckle well due to the presence of fluff around the female's nipples. In these cases, the fluff must be removed. Often puppies cannot suckle because the female’s mammary glands are very elastic and overflowing with milk. Excess milk is milked and the glands are massaged. If the female has little milk, she is additionally fed, and part of the litter is removed.
Raising young animals. Young animals are registered on the tenth day after whelping, taking into account the total number of puppies born and their condition. For the first 20-25 days, puppies eat only mother's milk. After two weeks, the puppies' eyes and ears open and teeth erupt.
It is not uncommon for one or two puppies in a litter to be developmentally delayed. This may be the result of poor maternal qualities of the female or the development of diseases in the puppies, including vitamin deficiency C (red feet).
If the puppies cannot suckle and the mother does not pay attention to them, they are kept in heated wooden boxes. electric lamps. It is necessary that the temperature in the box does not exceed 20-25° C. Higher temperatures are detrimental to puppies.
The puppies are fed every 4-5 hours. First you need to wipe the abdomen with it in the direction from chest to the lower abdomen and remove excreted feces and urine. When the weakened puppies are strong enough, they are placed next to the female.
Weak puppies and puppies with signs of red feet must be given 1 ml (a whole eye dropper) of a 2-3% solution of ascorbic acid with glucose at one time. Depending on the condition of the puppies ascorbic acid give once or 3-4 times a day until complete cure. The presence of red-footed puppies is noted in the female's stencil for her subsequent culling.
When the female has little milk, wet nurses are used to raise the young.
Some females carry their puppies. This can be caused by the female's agitation due to some unusual noise, the presence of a dead or weak puppy in the nest that bothers the female with its squeaks, as well as mastitis (hardening of the mammary glands) if the puppies do not suckle well. Sometimes females carry puppies without visible reasons. In this case, the area of ​​the cage is limited or the female is locked in the house. If the mother does not have enough milk, the puppies are raised by a wet nurse.
On the 20-25th day of life (and even earlier if the mother lacks milk), the puppies begin to be fed. The feeder is placed in the house.
The introduction of fertilizing is associated with rapid contamination of the houses, so they should be cleaned regularly. With the onset of warm weather, the nest is removed from the houses, and when high temperatures The plank floor is also taken out.
Raising young animals. Puppies are deposited at 45-50 days of age; if the mother has little or no milk, then a few days earlier. Usually, all puppies are removed at once and kept together for several days, and then placed two in a cage (in same-sex and opposite-sex pairs).
When breeding foxes, individual branding and animal tattooing are used. Young animals are tattooed in June - August (at the age of 2-3 months) - a number is applied to the inner, hair-free surface of the ear.
The ear is pierced with special forceps with numbers inserted into them. Black mascara is rubbed into the punctures. The serial number of the animal is usually placed on the right ear, and the last digits of the year of birth on the left ear. Every year the serial numbers start from the first. The tattoo number must correspond to that indicated in the young stock magazine.
In breeding farms, all young animals are tattooed; in commercial farms, the young animals of the breeding core are tattooed. The rest of the young animals are assigned a conditional number, which is written down on the puppy’s stencil hanging in his cage.
From 3 to 5 months, puppies' baby teeth are replaced with permanent ones. In the first months of life, puppies grow especially actively in their limbs, then their torso. By 6-7 months, the body structure of the young animals is close to adult animals. The most intensive growth is observed in foxes up to 2 months (weight increases 20-27 times), then it slows down, by 5-6 months the young animals have the size of adult animals.
When raising young animals, they carefully monitor their development and the progress of hair molting. Control groups of animals are weighed every month, which makes it possible to monitor their growth. At the age of about 2 months, guard hairs appear in foxes, starting from the muzzle and paws; by 4-5 months it develops throughout the body. These signs serve as the main indicators for the preliminary selection of breeding young animals in August. Poorly developed animals and those with deviations from the normal course of molting, as well as those with poor silveriness, are rejected.
Breeding animals and animals intended for slaughter are provided with appropriate conditions. Breeders are fed abundantly and kept in well-lit cages. Rejected animals are kept in shaded cages so that their skins do not deteriorate under the influence of sunlight and the maturation of the pubescence is accelerated.
To obtain high-quality skins, foxes destined for slaughter are combed 1-3 times in September - October to remove matted, shedding hair. In September, their diet is reduced, otherwise the awns will become overripe and split.
Daily work on the farm during the period of raising young animals comes down primarily to good feeding and regular watering of the animals, as well as maintaining cleanliness on the farm and especially in the houses. When animals are kept in clean cages, cases of illness are almost eliminated, and the skin has fewer defects.
Slaughter begins in the second half of November. At first, it is carried out selectively, since not all foxes have pubescence maturing at the same time.