Investigating the welfare implications of cage size for mink

本项目调查了加拿大毛皮养殖场水貂笼子尺寸的福利影响，主要调查了水貂在选择时选择使用的高度和地板面积，以评估欧洲笼子的更大高度和更大地板面积是否优于加拿大法规中规定的笼子。这个为期三年的项目包括以下四个实验。实验1A和B的笼高：水貂喜欢什么样的笼高，从（1A）进食和在（1 B）下进行其他活动？实验2A和B的地板面积：加拿大法规和丹麦法律的地板面积如何比较：水貂应激生理学，生长和其他指标对福利敏感，当动物与这些地板面积一起饲养时;偏好（即水貂自愿选择欧洲笼子提供的地板面积而不是加拿大提供的地板面积？）;以及群居动物如何休息，特别是当环境温度很高时（这意味着动物可能想平躺而不接触，以散热）。这些实验中的每一个都针对最有可能受到地板面积影响的生命阶段：大型成对居住的男性（2A），他们可能需要空间来进行体温调节，而不需要接触;单身成年女性（2B），因为对他们来说，丹麦和加拿大地板面积之间的差异大于任何其他生命阶段（加拿大地板面积小于欧洲地板面积的60%）。这将产生急需的数据，以告知水貂养殖社区笼子设计的各个方面如何影响动物的福利;为下一套国家农场动物护理理事会护理和处理养殖水貂的实践守则提供信息（将于2018年至2023年修订）和其他地球仪的水貂护理指南，例如美国使用的指南;并提供客观数据，以确定北美使用的较小笼子是否对水貂的健康有任何不利影响。这将有利于一个每年为加拿大带来约8亿加元价值的行业的可持续发展，并有助于改善超过1000万加拿大人的福利。每年400万加拿大貂皮

This project investigates the welfare implications of cage size for mink on Canadian fur farms, primarily investigating the heights & floor areas that mink elect to use when given a choice, in order to assess whether the greater heights & larger floor areas of European cages are preferred over those stipulated in Canadian Codes. This 3-year project involves four experiments, as follows. Experiments 1A & B on cage height: what internal cage heights do mink prefer, for feeding from (1A) & for performing other activities under (1B)? Experiments 2 A & B on floor space: How do Canadian Codes & Danish legal floor areas compare in terms of: mink stress physiology, growth & other indicators sensitive to welfare, when animals are raised with these floor areas; preference (i.e. do mink voluntarily choose the floor areas offered by European cages over those offered by Canadian?); and how socially-housed animals rest, especially when ambient temperatures are high (meaning animals may want to lie flat out without touching, to lose heat). Each of these experiments is targeted at a stage of life most likely to be affected by floor area: large pair-housed males (2A), who to thermoregulate may need space to lie spread out without touching; and single adult females (2B), since for them the difference between Danish & Canadian floor areas is greater than at any other life stage (Canadian floor areas are less than 60% of European floor areas). This will produce much needed data for informing the mink farming community how aspects of cage design can affect their animals' welfare; for informing the next set of National Farm Animal Care Council Codes of Practice for the Care & Handling of Farmed Mink (to be revised between 2018 and 2023) & other mink care guidelines around the globe, e.g. those used in the USA; and for providing objective data on whether the smaller cages used in North America relative to Europe have any adverse effects on mink well-being. This should benefit the sustainability of an industry annually worth some $800 million to Canada, and help improve the welfare of more than c. 4 million Canadian mink p.a.