Effects of dietary protein level on nutrients digestibility and reproductive performance of female mink (Neovison vison) during gestation

The objective of this study was to determine whether nutrient digestibility and reproductive performance of pregnant mink (Neovison vison) were affected by different dietary protein levels. One hundred and twenty female mink were randomly assigned to four groups, receiving diets of fresh material with different protein levels. The dietary protein levels, expressed as percentage of dry matter (DM), were 32, 36, 40 and 44% respectively. These values corresponded to average 320, 360, 400 and 440 g protein/kg DM, respectively. Results were as follows. All of crude protein digestibility, nitrogen (N) intake, N retention increased along with dietary protein level increasing. Low protein level (32%) significantly reduced the above indicators (P