Soybean Meal versus Fish Meal as Protein Source in Mink Diets

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Effects of replacing the fish meal protein in mink diets with solvent extracted soybean meal were investigated. Soybean meal was applied as 1/2 and 1/1 replacement of digestible protein from fish meal, which accounted for 40-44% of total contents of digestible protein. Each combination of protein ingredients was fed at 3 protein levels: 33, 28 and 23% of metabolizable energy (ME). Compared with fish meal, soybean meal decreased ration digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, protein and carbohydrate. Coefficients of apparent protein digestibility for fish meal and soybean meal used in feeding experiments were 84.3 and 78.7, respectively. N retention values of animals fed soybean meal were significantly lower than those of control animals receiving fish meal. The high level of soybean meal promoted a substantially reduced body growth regardless sex and protein levels. Growth depression of animals receiving the lower soybean meal level (1/2 replacement of fish meal), was significant for males on the 2 lowest protein levels, only. Feed utilization data indicated that soybean meal either increased feed wastage or possibly adversely affected the utilization of consumed ME. The replacement of fish meal with soybean meal reduced the incidence and severity of wet belly disease in male mink. Mortality and hemoglobin concentrations were not affected by dietary inclusion of soybean meal. While most fur characteristics were apparently unaffected by treatments, length of the guard fur consistently increased with increasing amounts of soybean meal.