Nutritive Value of Some Concentrate Feedstuffs for Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Alagón G.; Tupayachi G.; Villacorta W.; Taco C.; Jancco M.; Zuniga E.; López-Luján M.D.C.; Ródenas L.; Moya V.J.; Martínez-Paredes E.; Blas E.; Pascual J.J. · Animals (2024) · DOI: 10.3390/ani14213142

Resumen

Traditionally, guinea pig breeding has been performed in small-scale production units, with forage and domestic kitchen or crop waste, to alleviate food insecurity and enhance family nutrition. Nevertheless, the development of more effective guinea pig production systems is becoming increasingly pertinent as a means of augmenting farmers’ income and fostering rural advancement. To achieve this, it is essential to use improved genetic lines with greater productive potential than the unselected native guinea pig (creole), such as those generated by several Peruvian institutions, in conjunction with balanced feeds that meet their nutrient requirements. To formulate balanced feeds at the lowest possible cost, it is necessary to have the most precise knowledge possible of the nutritive value of the available feedstuffs. However, specific information in this regard is very scarce in the guinea pig case. The current work contributes to the knowledge of the nutritive value of six widely used concentrate feedstuffs for this species (corn, barley, wheat bran, soybean meal, pigeon pea, and Leucaena leaf meal), determining two of the most interesting parameters, their digestible energy content, and the digestibility of their protein.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco