Lessons learned from not fattening juvenile mink kept as future breeders

S.H. Møller

Lessons learned from not fattening juvenile mink kept as future breeders

In: Proceedings of the Xth International Scientific Congress in Fur Animal Production

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S.H. Møller

S.H. Møller Aarhus University, Animal Sciences, Blichers Allé 20, P.O. Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark; steenh.moller@agrsci.dk

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 477–479

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086867608_071

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Dar Hadith al Hassania

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New breeder mink are usually selected from juveniles fed for pelting and thus in very good body condition. As the body size of mink increases this also increases the risk of impaired welfare due to too drastic or too fast weight loss during the winter in order to achieve a suitable body condition for mating. Alternatively the risk of impaired reproduction due to obesity during mating or gestation increases. One solution could be not to feed potential breeders ad libitum in the autumn. In order to test this solution, two groups of approximately 400 male+female pairs of juvenile mink were fed individually until mid-September. Thereafter one group was restricted 20% in feed allowance and maintained at a prolonged period of 6 hours without feed before next feeding, while the control group remained on ad libitum feeding. The plan was 6 hours without feed, but as the restricted mink ate faster and faster the time without feed had to be increased to 12 hours before a significant difference in feed allowance was achieved. The result of this was that the planned difference in feed intake, weight development and body condition was much smaller than planned, especially in the dams. This means that different feeding management tools than hours without feed has to be applied in order to control the body condition of future breeders by the feeding strategy. As expected the restricted feeding had larger effect on males than females. As only 1 male for every 5 to 6 females are needed as future breeders for next year’s production, this is a challenge for the selection of breeders in a male-female pair-wise production.

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Proceedings of the Xth International Scientific Congress in Fur Animal Production

Scientifur Volume 36 (3/4)

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086867608

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 30 Oct 2012

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- Life Sciences
  - General
  - Animal & Veterinary

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Lessons learned from not fattening juvenile mink kept as future breeders

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Proceedings of the Xth International Scientific Congress in Fur Animal Production

Scientifur Volume 36 (3/4)

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