Tropicultura (Jan 2015)
Rationalité économique et objectifs de gestion de la production de cobayes (Cavia porcellus L.) en zones tropicales
Abstract
Economic Rationality and Production Management Goals of Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus L.) in Tropical Zones. The economic productivity of guinea pig in tropical environment was assessed from one hundred and ninety-seven pairs of measures related to reproductive female and weaning weights per litter reared in-door at the Research and Experimental Farm of the University of Dschang between February 2012 and March 2013. An econometric model of linear regression was developed to take into account the main factors affecting the relative weight productivity index at the weaning age of each gestating female. The main results reveal that the economic productivity of guinea pigs in tropical zone, already of a substantial level, could be even more improved by taking into account the main factors of variability. The analysis thus put into evidence that the relative importance of female reproductive weight; the litter size, and the total weight of the kids at weaning are factors having significant effects on the relative weight productivity index of the guinea pig. However, in linking the female weight to economic productivity, the study led to an irrational management of the reproductive herd and put in evidence that the decrease in productivity observed in guinea pig is mostly attributable to the fattening of the female.
