The Digestibility of Animal Products and Cereals by Minks

Abstract

The production of milks for furs has become an important industry as the result of the development of a number of successful rations by practical breeders. Few studies have been undertaken, however, to determine the specific nutritive requirements of minks. To obtain such information, the United States Bureau of Biological Survey and Cornell University cooperated in digestion studies involving some of the animal products and cereal grains commonly used in the feeding of minks. In these investigations 57 minks were used and 12 different rations were tested. Six of the rations (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 6, 15, and 16) were composed of animal products supplemented in various proportions with different cereals, as shown in Table 1. Dry ration No. 26 was a commercial dog food. Of the other five, consisting entirely of raw meat products, each given as the sole feed during the digestion period, No. 3 was horse meat; No. 14, canned fish; No. 18, beef tripe; No. 25, beef spleen; and No. 28, horse liver.