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Experimental performances of guinea-pigs raised for meat production in Cameroon |
Cahiers Agricultures. Volume 4, Number 1, 65-9, Janvier-Février 1995, Institut de recherches zootechniques et vétérinaires (IRZV), BP 1457, Yaoundé, Cameroun.
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 Résumé
Article gratuit
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Author(s) : Jean-Marie Fotso, Jean Daniel Ngou Ngoupayou, Jean Kouonmenioc |
Summary : Among low-income families in Cameroun, the guinea-pig is an animal commonly reared as source of meat. The families, however, are rarely good stock managers and productivity, due to poor husbandry, is low. In order to increase the efficiency of guinea-pig rearing, a study was carried put to assess productivity under improved management conditions. A hundred and ten breeding animals were bought from local farmers and reared on the station. The age at first farrowing was 134.4 ± 11.1 days. Parturition intervals ranged from 63 to 68 days, with an average of 65, and age of first breeding was 53. The fecundity rate increased with the number of litters, with an annual average of 190%. Litter size increased with number of parturitions (from 1.57 at first parturition to 2.0 at third). Average weights at birth and weaning were 85.2 ± 15.5 g and 161.1 ± 30.1 g respectively. Mortality at birth was high for females farrowing twins or triplets (7.9% as against 5.2% for single-offspring females). The average rate of mortality prior to weaning was 17.6% giving a survival rate of 82.4%. Average daily weight gains were 3.6 ± 0.1 g during lactation and 1.8 ± 0.4 g after weaning. The weight of both sexes at 15 weeks was 2.5 times that at weaning. Food conversion increased with age (5.9 ± 1.3 between weeks 3 and 6 compared to 13.7 ± 2.5 between weeks 15 and 18). Carcass yields were 68.4 ± 2.9% and 72.7 ± 3.6% at 15 and 23 weeks respectively. Liveweight produced per female per year was 3.1 ± 0.5 kg, producing 2.1 ± 0.4 kg edible carcass. Our results were not as good as those obtained under improved breeding management systems in South America. However, compared with those of the traditional rural sector in Cameroon, they indicate that improving the standards of management could optimise guinea-pig production performances. |
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