Effects of blocking farm mink's feed access with open water

Authors

• C.P.B HANSEN
• L.L JEPPESEN

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.5657

Abstract

Thirty-eight farm mink were used to investigate whether open water in some instances could be a barrier to farm mink. Half of the animals grew up with free access to swimming water in a basin, the other half to an empty middle cage. Access between the cage containing the nest box and the cage containing the feed was either through the basin/middle cage or through a tunnel above it. Twenty-four hours before observations, the animals were confined without feed to the cage containing the nest box. Observations were carried out over two and a half hours after re-opening one of the access routes to the feed. When access was through the water filled basin, the animals were slower in reaching the feed and crossed between the feed and the nest box fewer times compared to both the same animals using the tunnel and the animals having a dry middle cage. In addition, animals scratched more at the blocked tunnel access when the available route was through the water than when it was through the dry middle cage. The results led to the conclusion that, under some circumstances, water can act as a barrier when farm minks are approaching feed. This indicates that water for swimming is not necessarily an environmental enrichment for, and that the lack of it would not impair the welfare of ranch mink.;