The aim of this study was to know the levels of phosphorus and its effects on feed intake and body weight in female alpacas during the breeding season (January-February) and weaning (August-September). In the first phase, serum phosphorus levels were determined in 200 11-13-month-old alpacas, located in four alpaca regions of Peru. P levels were 8.25 ± 1.63, 5.25 ± 1.46, 6.42 ± 1.84 and 4.8 ± 1.61 mg/dl for the regions of Pasco, Junín, Cuzco and Puno, respectively, with significant differences (p<0.05) between regions. P values in one region were below the reference limit (5-11.5 mg/dl) and the another near the lower limit, which could be considered as deficient in P. In the second phase, a controlled experiment was carried out with three concentrations of P in the diet: 0.16% (T1), 0.25% (T2) and 0.34% (T3), using 16 weaned female alpacas per group (7-8 months, 25.25 ± 1.62 kg)...

The aim of this study was to know the levels of phosphorus and its effects on feed intake and body weight in female alpacas during the breeding season (January-February) and weaning (August-September). In the first phase, serum phosphorus levels were determined in 200 11-13-month-old alpacas, located in four alpaca regions of Peru. P levels were 8.25 ± 1.63, 5.25 ± 1.46, 6.42 ± 1.84 and 4.8 ± 1.61 mg/dl for the regions of Pasco, Junín, Cuzco and Puno, respectively, with significant differences (p<0.05) between regions. P values in one region were below the reference limit (5-11.5 mg/dl) and the another near the lower limit, which could be considered as deficient in P. In the second phase, a controlled experiment was carried out with three concentrations of P in the diet: 0.16% (T1), 0.25% (T2) and 0.34% (T3), using 16 weaned female alpacas per group (7-8 months, 25.25 ± 1.62 kg)...

The aim of this study was to evaluated the impact of different fibre levels in alpaca diet on voluntary feed intake and apparent digestibility, and to estimate the digestibility of organic matter (OMD) from the content of crude protein (CP) in feces. The study was carried out with twelve alpacas (36.7 ± 6.4 kg body weight- BW), which were offered 4 treatments with different neutral detergent fiber content (NDF. T1: 40.3%; T2: 62%; T3: 68%; T4: 72%) under a switch back design. Absolute daily dry matter intake (DMI) was higher for T1 (678 g/d) than T4 (312 g/d) (p ≥ 005). NDF intake was similar between treatments when related to BW or MW (on average 1% BW and 22 g/kg MW. p ≥ 0.05). Water intake (L/kg DMI) was higher in T1 compared to the other treatments, with values ranging from 2.9 L/kg DMI(T1) to 2.8 L/kg DMI(T4), respectively (p ≤ 0.05). Digestibility of dry matt...