Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the length of the period of artificial lighting of mink on their reproductive performance. The experiment was carried out on a mink farm in West Pomerania, Poland. Reproduction data of 1068 one-year-old female mink of the silverblue strain were analyzed. All females were in selection classes 7 and 8 and were mated four times, first between the 1st and 10th of March. Females were illuminated during pregnancy with artificial light such that the light day was 17 hours per day. Females were divided into two groups – one group was illuminated from March 20 to April 17, and the other from March 20 to May 15. The following reproductive indices were analyzed in relation to the length of illumination: length of diapause and gestation, litter size, number of live-born and weaned young per litter, percentage of barren females, percentage of females dead during gestation and lactation, and average length of lactation in which females died. Artificially illuminated females were characterized by longer diapause, longer gestation, larger litters, but they had higher mortality of young during maternal nursing. It was also found that females with shorter lactation reared slightly more young, and were characterized by a lower percentage of barren females and females dying during pregnancy and lactation. The analysis conducted in this study confirmed the period of illumination of pregnant mink until April 17 is sufficient in terms of reproductive performance of the females.
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