14 
BULLETIN 301, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Fig. 10.— Den improvised from a box. 
yards. It is advisable to have them roomy, as indicated in figures 
13 and 14, in order to give the animals enough runway to make them 
vigorous during exile. When allowed to be together the pair may 
have the run of both yards. Although quarters for constant occu- 
pancy should be roomy, those for temporary use, such as are required 
by dealers and by ranchmen for isolating sick or newly arrived 
animals, may be comparatively small. Temporary pens are often 
not more than 6 by 
10 feet on the ground 
and 4 or 5 feet high. 
They are made with. 
netting on top, bot- 
tom, and sides, 
stretched over a 
frame of scantlings. 
The posts do not enter 
the ground, but rest 
upon sills, to which 
they are securely 
nailed. By means of braces the frame can be made rigid, and when 
covered with netting is strong enough to be moved without weaken- 
ing. The cheapness, security, and portability of these pens make 
them a very useful adjunct. Foxes have bred and reared young 
in temporary pens that were only 12 by 15 feet, but such narrow 
quarters are not recommended for permanent use. 
When alleys are used between pens, as shown in figure 14, it is well 
to have them closed at the outer ends to facilitate the return of es- 
caped animals and 
provided with over- 
hangs. Entrance to 
the yards should be 
by way of these alleys. 
Doors may be made 
entirely of wood, or 
of netting attached 
to a durable frame 
which can not be 
gnawed by a fox or warped (fig. 19). If they are divided into upper 
and lower sections of equal size, much of the labor of clearing paths 
when snow is deep can be eliminated by leaving the lower half of 
each door closed. 
GUARD FENCES. 
The guard fence surrounding a fox ranch is generally constructed 
like the yard fences already described. Where snow drifts badly, 
the fence should be built of boards rather than netting, in order to 
keep the snow from piling up in the yards. In addition to the usual 
— ~~*. " " *"" ''" ' ^^-: : ~" ^'-' W.» 
Fig. 11.— Den improvised from a barrel. 
B210) % 
