Mean body weight gains in standard mink depending on the number of kits in a litter. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of litter size from which animals came on their weight at weaning and pre - slaughter, and as a consequence also on their mean daily gains. The study was conducted on a population of 330 mink, divided into groups depending on the size of litter from which they came: I (2–4 kits) – 74 animals (44 ♂, 30♀), II (5–7 kits) – 170 animals (92 ♂, 78♀), III (8–10 kits) – 86 animals (44 ♂, 42♀). We established a significant effect of litter size on body weight at weaning and mean daily gains. Animals from smaller litters were found to have a higher body weight at weaning; whereas higher gains were observed in animals coming from bigger litters. Pre-slaughter body weight was similar in all assessed groups.
Females of the American mink Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 were fed on various fractions of comercial PCB. Developmental stability of their progeny was studied. Developmental stability was measured by the value of fluctuating asymmetry, and the frequency of phenodeviants of osteological and dermatoglyphic characters. All these measures proved to be significantly higher in the experimental intoxicated groups than in the control group, thus indicating deterioration of developmental stability from PCB.