Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Calcium, Phosphorus and Vitamin D(3) on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Growing Blue Foxes

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Nutrient requirements have previously been established for minks and foxes, but not specifically for blue foxes. Over the past thirty years, an increase in body size was observed in the farmed blue fox because of the development of modern breeding technology. Hence, it is necessary to study the interaction mechanisms and requirements of calcium (Ca) and vitamin D(3) (VD(3)) according to the body weights and conditions of farmed blue foxes to guide modern farms. The objective of the present study was to study the influence of dietary Ca and VD(3) supplemental levels on the nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and serum biochemical indices of growing blue foxes. The results indicated that the Ca and VD(3) doses showed promising effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in growing blue foxes and could reduce fecal nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) via improvement in protein and P utilization. ABSTRACT: Based on the randomized design, a 3 × 3 factorial experiment was designed to examine the effects of dietary calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and vitamin D(3) (VD(3)) supplemental levels with a fixed 1.5/1 ratio of Ca to P on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and serum biochemical indices blue foxes’ growth. In total, 135 male blue foxes with the age of 60 days were randomly divided into 9 groups each with 15 blue foxes. The blue foxes belonging to the nine treatment groups were fed Ca supplementation (0%, 0.4%, or 0.8%) and VD(3) supplementation (1000, 2000, or 4000 IU/kg DM). The base diet contained 0.8% Ca and 327 IU/kg VD(3). The dosage of VD(3) in blue foxes showed a significant impact on their growth performance (p < 0.05). The Ca dosage had a linear effect on the digestibility of the CP and carbohydrates (CHO) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the results indicated that the Ca and VD(3) doses showed promising effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in growing blue foxes and could reduce fecal N and P via improvement in protein and P utilization.