Effects of dietary fat levels on nutrient digestibility and production performance of growing-furring blue foxes (Alopex lagopus)

The objective of this study was to determine whether nutrient digestibility and production performance of growing-furring blue foxes (Alopex lagopus) are affected by different dietary fat levels. Sixty-four young animals were randomly assigned to four groups (A, B, C, D) provided with diets containing approximately 12%, 26%, 40%, 54% fat in the dry matter respectively. When dietary fat level was increased, the apparent digestibility of main nutrients except for crude carbohydrates, and gross energy were improved (p < 0.0001). The amount of nitrogen excreted was reduced and the biological value of protein was enhanced (p < 0.0001). Over the experimental phase, the efficiency of metabolizable energy (ME) used for gain in group B (26% fat content) was higher than that in other groups. When diets with 1226% fat content were fed, there was an increasing tendency in skin size. But it had negative effects on skin size and fur quality when the amount of fat content was over 40%. In conclusion, the experiment showed that dietary fat could significantly improve some nutrient utilization and significantly reduce feed/gain ratio as a main energy source. The most preferable fur quality and efficiency of ME used for gain were obtained when diet contained 26% fat level in growing-furring period.