Resumen
The study evaluated the effect of the energy supplementation on the optimal culling age of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) in the Peruvian highlands. Two hundred guinea pigs of 4 weeks old were distributed in fours treatments during 13 weeks: forage ad libitum (T0), forage ad libitum plus 10 g barley grain/animal (T1), forage ad libitum plus 7 g sunflower seed/animal (T2), and forage ad libitum plus 5 g barley grain and 3.5 g sunflower seed/animal (T3). A randomized complete block design, with initial live weight defining the block, and 5 experimental units of 10 animals each, was applied. The energy supplementation improved body weight gain and feed conversion index (p<0.05), whereas the combination of sunflower seed and barley grain had an additional effect on body weight gain (T3) and the inclusion of sunflower (T2) on feed conversion index (p<0.05). The energy supplementation had no effect on production cost, benefit/cost ratio or optimal culling age.
Título traducido de la contribución | Effect of the inclusion of barley grain and sunflower seed in a forage diet on the optimum culling age of Guinea pigs |
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Idioma original | Español |
Páginas (desde-hasta) | 25-31 |
Número de páginas | 7 |
Publicación | Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Peru |
Volumen | 24 |
N.º | 1 |
Estado | Publicada - 2013 |
Publicado de forma externa | Sí |
Palabras clave
- Barley grain
- Culling age
- Diet
- Energy
- Forage
- Guinea pig
- Sunflower seed