The study was aimed to determine the effect the arrangement of males in breeding sets on the level of selected reproductive parameters. The experiment consisted in alteration of the standard arrangement of animals in breeding sets prepared prior to mating. The modification consisted in an arrangement of males in cages so that each male was placed in the immediate vicinity of two females. The following parameters were analyzed: fertility, prolificacy, litter size, weaning success, and the average number of mating encounters per female. It was found that the average number of matings per one male from the treatment group, in which males were placed alternately with the females, was higher compared to the control group (males in a standard set). A higher percentage of mating males was observed in the treatment group compared with the control group of males. Significant differences in favor of the treatment group were observed within the parameters such as average number of born and live born kits, the mean number of mating encounters, and the length of pregnancy. The results distinctly show the beneficial effects of the modified arrangement of a reproductive mink set, in which males alternate with females, on the overall reproductive performance.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of animal handling, defined as the so-called human factor, on the level of reproductive parameters of female mink.We analyzed some reproductive parameters of 6 348 one- and two-year-old Scanbrown females, such as fertility, prolificacy and rate of rearing the young. Mink were divided into four groups; group I and II consisted of one-year-old females, group III and IV comprised females at age two years. Individual groups of females were operated by four different teams of workers. The results indicate a strong influence of the quality of care on the parameters of breeding.