Fur animals: Hunger
Mink
Note that the mink normally eats through the grid from below.
Photo: SLU.
It is important to have regular feeding routines at the farm.
Also on the furring day it is important follow the normal feeding routine.
Should furring be prolonged, no animal should risk becoming hungry. By law animal can be without fodder no more than 12 hours.
Hunger is a physiological need that needs to be satisfied also on the day of furring.
Remember!
- Hunger may lead to discomfort, ache, stress, and in the long run starvation, diseases, and death.
- Always follow the normal feeding routine, also on the day of furring.
Chinchilla
It is always important to follow the normal feeding routine also on the day of furring. Chinchillas should have free access to roughage, and when the animals stay in their own cage until the killing they do not risk being subjected to hunger in connection to the killing.
Since chinchillas are nocturnal and eat mainly between 9PM and 7AM, their feeding routine is not significantly affected by the furring.
Thirst
Water is an essential component for the body’s structure, functions, and metabolism. Regulation of body temperature (heat emitting) and salt and mineral balance is done by water. Water is also need to rid the body of its waste products with faeces and urine, and for growth, and for milk and egg production.
The animals ingest water by drinking and eating. When the body’s water level sinks, signals are sent to the brain that the animal needs to fill up with water, the animal becomes thirsty. If the animal does not get access to water quickly, it is affected by dehydration. Dehydration then leads to nausea, loss of appetite, headache, dizziness, weakness, coma, and death. Animals that do not get water usually do not last longer than a week. The desire to drink is very strong for a thirsty animal. An animal that cannot quench its thirst experiences great anxiety and stress.
The animals’ need for liquid increase rapidly for physical activity and high outside temperatures. At high production, by milk above all, a lot of water is consumed and it needs to be replaced. Some dieases, i.e. diarrhea and fever, can also lead to dehydration. Fodder with a high content of salt, protein, or fibres also increase the need for liquid.
Our production animals should always have possibility to ingest sufficient amounts of drinking water of high quality. Broken drinking water facilities, unability to use water nipples, and filthy drinking water that is rejected, make it difficult to quench thirst. As for feeding, consideration has to be taken to the animals’ pecking order, age, and health condition, so that all animals have access to water.
Thirst