Productive performance and economic balance in the fattening of guinea pigs treated with Zeranol as an anabolic promoter

Meza-Rojas E.; Cisneros-Gutierrez F.; Astuhuamán-Pardavé L.; Chamorro-Trujillo M.; Caballa-Leon R.; Rodríguez-Vargas A. · Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Peru (2026) · DOI: 10.15381/rivep.v37i3.33888

Resumen

The effect of zeranol as an anabolic promoter on the productive performance and economic efficiency of male guinea pigs in a 7-week intensive fattening programme was evaluated. Forty-eight guinea pigs (517-610 g initial weight) were housed in individual cages and administered subcutaneous doses of 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 mg/animal. Average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass yield (CY), production cost (PC), and unit profit margin (UM) were assessed using a completely randomized design and Tukey’s test, after verifying normality (Kolmogorov-Smirnov, p>0.05). The results showed that the 0.2 and 0.4 mg/animal doses significantly increased ADG and FCR (p<0.05) without affecting CY (p>0.05), while the highest dose (0.6 mg/animal) did not produce additional improvements. Intermediate doses also increased unit profit and profitability index without significantly increasing production costs. It is concluded that Zeranol, administered at 0.2-0.4 mg/animal, maximize growth rate and feed conversion in male guinea pigs, improving economic efficiency in intensive fattening systems. © (2026), (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos). All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión; Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga; Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú