Use of local agricultural inputs in guinea pig feeding in inter-Andean valleys

Abstract

During the last decade, both nationally and internationally, there has been an increasing demand for guinea pig meat. Species that are native to the Peruvian Andes. It has high adaptability to environmental stress conditions and a wide versatility in food intake, according to the availability of agricultural resources. It is a small species, fast-growing and at the same time being prolific, with a relatively short generation interval, and with minimum requirements of land areas for its breeding. Generally, the feeding of guinea pigs in the inter-Andean valleys is based on the use of forages, either annual or perennial. In general terms, in the inter-Andean valleys, it is possible to have various types of inputs throughout the year. The supply of rations must be made according to the nutritional needs of each production stage. Energy is the most expensive nutrient for guinea pigs and therefore must be used according to the demand that the breeder experiences in its reproductive sequence, it must also include a large proportion of the forage-stubble combination supplied at its discretion, however, the supplement must be given in a restricted way and can represent 10 to 20% of the total ration, depending on the energy level of the forage. The total ration must offer a minimum of 2.8 Mcal ED / Kg MS for this entire stage. The inter-Andean valleys have sufficient resources to develop commercial breeding of guinea pigs on a large scale, but it requires the application of known technologies to redistribute these resources equitably over time. The aim is that the producer can use them rationally in his breeders, within a reproductive sequence that efficiently provides the required nutrients according to the production stage.