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Effects of Different Sources and Levels of Copper on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Elemental Balance in Young Female Mink (Mustela vison)

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Abstract

An experiment was conducted in a 3 × 3 + 1 factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design to evaluate the effects of different sources of copper on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and elemental balance in young female mink on a corn–fishmeal-based diet. Animals in the control group were fed a basal diet (containing 8.05 mg Cu/kg DM; control), which mainly consisted of corn, fish meal, meat bone meal, and soybean oil, with no copper supplementation. Minks in other nine treatments were fed basal diets supplemented with Cu from reagent-grade copper sulfate, tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) and copper methionate. Cu concentrations of experiment diets were 10, 25, and 40 mg/kg copper. A metabolism trial of 4 days was conducted during the last week of experimental feeding. Final body weight and average daily gain increased (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05) as Cu increased in the diet; maximal growth was seen in the Cu25 group. Cu supplementation slightly improved the feed conversion rate (P = 0.095). Apparent fat digestibility was increased by copper level (P = 0.020). Retention nitrogen was increased by copper level (linear, P = 0.003). Copper source had a significant effect on copper retention with Cu-Met and copper sulfate treatments retention more than TBCC treatments (P < 0.05). Our results indicate that mink can efficiently utilize added dietary fat and that Cu plays an important role in the digestion of dietary fat in mink, and mink can efficiently utilize Cu-Met and CuSO4.

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Abbreviations

BW:

Body weight

ADG:

Average daily gain

ADFI:

Average daily feed intake

F/G:

Feed/gain

DM:

Dry matter

CP:

Crude protein

TBCC:

Tribasic copper chloride

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Acknowledgments

The funding for this study was from Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (No. 200903014). The staff of State Key Laboratory for Molecular Biology of Special Economical Animals is gratefully acknowledged for their valuable help in carrying out these experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China

    Xuezhuang Wu, Zhi Liu, Jungang Guo & Xiuhua Gao

  2. Institute of Special Wild Economic Animals and Plants, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun City, Jilin, China

    Xuezhuang Wu, Tietao Zhang, Junjun Zheng & Fuhe Yang

  3. State Key lab for Molecular Biology of Special Economic Animals, Changchun City, Jilin, China

    Xuezhuang Wu, Tietao Zhang & Fuhe Yang

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  1. Xuezhuang Wu
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  2. Tietao Zhang
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Correspondence to Xiuhua Gao.

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X Wu and T Zhang contributed equally to this paper.

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Wu, X., Zhang, T., Liu, Z. et al. Effects of Different Sources and Levels of Copper on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Elemental Balance in Young Female Mink (Mustela vison). Biol Trace Elem Res 160, 212–221 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0054-0

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