INCLOSURES.

A model fox ranch has three kinds of inclosures-dens in which the animals are sheltered and the young are born; yards or runs,

when foxes are unusually nervous and when the cubs can not withstand exposure, these features are particularly important. Pro

merely a clean barrel, having a smooth interior, surrounded by dry sawdust, within a wooden box. In one head of the barrel is an entrance hole 8 inches wide and 10 inches high. A similar 74743°-Bull. 795-17-2

opening is made in the upper side for inspection, cleaning, and ventilating. Above the barrel a screen door is hinged to preclude

FIG. 5.-Vertical longitudinal section of barrel den.

escape when the cover is raised. A sheet of burlap tacked to one side of the screen-door frame and spread over the netting when

the covers are raised for ventilation will keep out air currents and light. At the entrance hole is an elbow spout, 2 feet in the shorter arm and 6 feet in the longer.

The large den shown in figures 7 to 9 has advantages not found in barrel dens. It has double walls, the interspaces being lined with building paper and filled with saw

FIG. 6.-Exterior view of a barrel den (see figs. 3-5).

dust. The exterior may be battened, shingled, or covered with tarred paper. It is large enough to give the foxes loung

be easily cleaned and disinfected. By leaving the door open on fine days the interior can be exposed to the drying and purifying effects of sunshine. The door and the opening to the exit chute should face southward, and the rear end should be raised enough to give the floor a slant downward toward the door. The entrance to the nest compartment and the inner end of the chute should be about 4 inches above the floor to prevent the cubs from getting out before they are able to return.

The corners along the floor and sides of the nest compartment are filled with a chamfered strip of board (figs. 7 and 8) to keep very young cubs in contact with the vixen and thus prevent their becoming chilled. To accom

modate a large family of cubs running about

FIG. 7.-Ground plan of a double-walled den.

the yard, it is advisable to have extra dens improvised from barrels or boxes, as shown in figures 10 and 11. Such shelters increase the diversity of the yard and afford the animals more protection from the weather.

As to the proper location of a den, opinions differ. Some place it near the middle of the yard (fig. 12), where the foxes are sup

double-walled den.

posed to feel more secure. Others

locate it outside the yard, in order that the vixen may not jump to and from the roof and thus cause abortion. All dens placed outside of yards should have an inner door of wire netting if they open to an alley.

YARDS.

Although fox yards vary in size, shape, and construction, depending on conditions on different ranches, there is a definite type now generally recog

FIG. 8.-Vertical cross section of nized as best adapted to fox farming. Such a yard has an area of from 2,000 to 2,500 square feet. The majority in the recently built ranches are 50 feet square. Some breeders prefer long, narrow yards, which give the foxes more space for a hard run when they are frolicsome, though the cost of fence materials is considerably greater than for square yards of the same area. The arrangement of a series of yards depends upon the space they are to occupy. When arranged as nearly as possible in the form of a square the expense of

The

inclosing by a guard fence is less than when side by side in a row. Two plans of four-yard ranches are shown in figures 13 and 14, the smaller compartments being for males. expense for posts and scantlings in building a ranch on the plan of figure 13 is less than for the plan of fig. ure 14, inasmuch as adjacent yards have a

common frame between them.

FIG. 9.-Double-walled den; exterior broken to show inner den (see figs. 7 and 8).

But the extra cost of building detached pens as shown in figure 14 is more than compensated for

by the greater convenience in caring for the animals and in controlling them in case they escape from their yards. If a fox gets out of its yard, it is sure to be discovered in one of the alleys, whence its return to its proper

quarters is a simple matter.

The supports of a fence are ordinarily wooden posts, set in the ground at intervals of from 12 to 16 feet. The heaving effect of frost, however, has caused

FIG. 10.-Den improvised from a box.

many fox owners to abandon them for a framework of scantlings entirely above ground. The foundation may be of stone, concrete,

or cresoted planks. The posts of framed fences are tied together by the netting and braced from the ground as shown in figure 15. A durable and attractive fence support recently adopted by several fox owners is shown in figure 16. It has a concrete foundation 4 feet deep, 9 inches

thick at the bottom, and 6 inches thick at the top, and projects slightly above ground. In this are embedded posts of 1-inch galvanizediron pipe. Tie-rails of 3-inch pipe con

FIG. 11.-Den improvised from a barrel.

nect these posts at the top and also just above the foundation. Wire netting for fox-yard fences has been in use from the beginning. It allows free circulation of air and permits the animals to take an active interest in their surroundings and in one another. The netting ordinarily used is like that for poultry runs, except that

Table in foreground is for the food of parent foxes; by means of it young cubs are prevented from obtaining too much meat.

the wire is heavier. It may be of 2-inch mesh in 14, 15, and 16 gauge. The lower part of a fence should be made of the heaviest wire obtainable, the lighter grades being used for the middle and upper parts. As very young foxes are likely to become entangled in 2-inch netting or even to go through it, many fox breeders use only 11-inch mesh. Those having 2-inch mesh usually reinforce it from 6 inches above the surface of the ground to 6 inches below it with boards or a strip of 1-inch netting.