Llamas have provided, and continue to provide, fiber, meat, skins, fertilizer and transport for the Andean people. In addition, they are part of the traditional and religious culture of the Aymara and the Quechua. Both are currently unaware of the productive qualities of llamas, especially those related to meat production, which is the principle product responsible for generating greater income for farmers. For this reason, 554 llamas were evaluated from a total of 3,693 in 2005. The llamas came from T’olar and Pajonal grasslands in the Santiago de Machaca region of La Paz, Bolivia and represented males and females from four age categories (newborn, 1-2 years, juvenile, and adult). They were evaluated with the objective of determining the zoometric measurements of llamas fed on T’olar and Pajonal grasses. Evaluations were categorized according to gender and age group, while also applying descriptive statistics of zoometric measurements of llama anatomy including the head, neck, thorax, and abdomen regions, as well as height, weight, and fur thickness. The Pv measurement for T’olar fed llamas (64.4 kg) was higher than that of the Pajonal fed llamas (59.9 kg). With respect to gender, females (67.1 kg) were larger than males (53.0 kg). Adults were the largest age group (89.7 kg), followed by juveniles (85.9 kg), 1-2 years (58.7 kg) and newborns (34.1 kg). The T’olar llamas achieved better results than the Pajonal llamas. Furthermore, females were superior to males, most likely due to the large number of females as compared to males in the llamas. Zoometric measurements increased with age, generally reaching a statistically significant margin (P<0.01) between age groups. Growth was greatest between the newborn and juvenile groups but it ultimately slowed down afterwards.

This study was conducted in the Rural Academic Unit of Tiahuanaco, in the Ingavi province, in the department of La Paz. Three juvenile vicunas and three adult vicunas were used. Our objective was to observe the development of vicunas (Vicugna vicugna) fed with three types of hay (Bromus catharicus Phalaris tuberoisum and Medicago sativa) in stables. We obtained the following results: rectal temperature of 38.2ºC in juveniles and 38.6ºC in adults; heart rate of 68 beats/min in juveniles and 67 beats/min in adults; respiratory rate of 18 breaths/min in juveniles and 17 breaths/min in adults; femoral vein pulse of 70 pulses/min in juveniles and 64 pulses/min in adults; compartment movement of 7 movements/min 7 times in juveniles and 7 movements/min 7 times in adults. Measurements for apparent digestibility were: (MS) 78.8% in juveniles and 80.4% in adults; (MO) 74.2% in juveniles and 76.4% in adults; (PB) 85.2% in juveniles and 83.7% in adults; (EE) 83.2% in juveniles and 76.2% in adults; (FDN) 75.6% in juveniles and 73.8% in adults; (ELN) 81.2% in juveniles and 78.3% in adults; (NDT) 80.4% in juveniles and 77.7% in adults; (ED/Kcal) 353.8 grams in juveniles and 341.8 grams in adults. For metabolites en vicuna serum we obtained: total protein of 6.7 g/dl in juveniles and 7.7 g/dl in adults; albumin of 5.3 g/dl in juveniles and 5.7 g/dl in adults; creatinine of 1.3 mg/dl in juveniles and 1.5 mg/dl in adults; urea of 40.7 mg/dl in juveniles and 39.2 mg/dl in adults; glucose of 131.8 mg/dl in juveniles and 130.7 mg/dl in adults; cholesterol of 29 mg/dl in juveniles and 27.4 mg/dl in adults; triglycerides of 44.2 mg/dl in juveniles; GPT of 5.5 UI/I in juveniles and 5.1 UI/I in adults; GOT of 5.4 UI/I in juveniles and 5.1 UI/I in adults; calcium of 8.5 mg/dl in juveniles and 8.3 mg/dl in adults; phosphorus of 2.4 mg/dl in juveniles and 2.3 mg/dl in adults; magnesium of 19 mEq/L. Lastly, we observed a weight gain of 2.6 g/day in juveniles and 1.8 g/day in adults.

This study was carried out in the San Clemente community. The objective was to analyze the effect of using amaranth leaf flour in the creation of a diet for guinea pigs. The field work was done over a period of 12 months and was done in two phases: Development of the diet: this was done by growing the amaranth, cutting it, and dehydrating it until flour was obtained. Then, it was mixed into the diet in accordance with the pre-determined formula along with the other respective materials. Handling of guinea pigs: This was done in the shed of the San Clemente community after it had been re-conditioned and disinfected. The weaned guinea pigs were taken there for the study for a period of 2 months. A completely randomized design (CRD) with six treatments was used. Each treatment had four repetitions. There was one experimental unit, which consisted of five guinea pigs. The data were evaluated via an analysis of variance, a Tukey test, and orthogonal comparisons. The variable of interest was the % of amaranth flour in a basic diet. The treatments were as follows: T0= Control diet with 0% amaranth flour; T1= 20% amaranth flour; T2= 40% amaranth flour; T3= 60% amaranth flour; T4= 80% amaranth flour; T5= Fresh amaranth with herbs from the community. Analyzed Variables: biweekly weight gain; monthly mortality; daily dry feed intake; production costs per treatment; and tasting. From the results, we concluded that the T1 diet and grass-feeding in the community were the best options since they presented the best results in weight gain and nutrient conversion. With regard to dry feed intake, T5 was consumed in the greatest quantities and thus had the highest production cost.