Chivohuitle

his video is about my project called CHIVOHUITLE

I carried out this project due to the context of my region which is agricultural, people are dedicated to planting vegetables and grazing small ruminants (chivos), in addition our Mixteca Poblana region is very arid, which in times of drought, represents a serious malnutrition in the goats, causing economic losses for ranchers due to the low weight and quality of the livestock. This research inspired me because of the situation experienced by cattle ranchers in my community (San Juan Ixcaquixtla), who face high costs in commercial feed and losses due to poor livestock nutrition. In view of the above, my research question was: How to improve the feeding of goats in an economical, organic and accessible way during drought? This project seeks to benefit goat farmers, local producers, consumers and of course the environment, thus promoting sustainable solutions, reducing chemicals, reusing agricultural waste and supporting the local economy.

To start the research, interviews and surveys were carried out with local farmers, where they were asked about feeding habits of their livestock, as well as the problems they had, bibliographic references from institutions such as INIFAP, FAO and were also consulted scientific literature about goat feeding. Recognized institutions, scientific research and official data were selected for consultation in internet sources, taking into consideration repositories such as Scielo and Google Scholar. Our methodology consisted of tests on 5 chivos, fed, three with the prototype, another with a commercial product and a fifth subject, only their normal diet was supplied; comparing the results of each of them. Our prototype is a kilogram in weight, it was made by mixing local natural ingredients like: tehuixtle, oats, corn, zucchini, water and salt, the above under recommendations from ranchers in the region; The first step for its elaboration was: collection of the raw material, then the crushing of each of the components was carried out, by means of an utensil called a grain mill, as a next step the mixing of each of them was carried out, adding an amount of water, until a solid and thick consistency was reached to give it greater consistency, the mixture is liquefied, and then the product is molded into little balls and taken away. Thus, the dehydration of the balls for 3 days and finally proceeds to package them in paper bags, in a presentation of a kilogram. During a month, the weight of the goats was recorded, 5 in total (3 with prototype and 2 for comparison). They were fed at the same times (8 am and 4 pm) and equal amounts were given (400 g).

Prototype 3 of the food supplement "CHIVOHUITLE" managed to improve the weight of the goat by 2.2 kilograms, in a period of time of one month, representing 11% with respect to its initial weight, this represents only 2 grams below the commercial product, that is, the efficiency of the chivohuitle was of excellent results, because the vitamin and mineral contribution of the tehuixtle, main raw material, was of great value for this achievement. On the other hand, it was possible to make a product with an excellent cost, since the production of a kilo of the supplement is only $ 9.25, thus making it competitive with commercial foods. Chivohuitle provides natural nutrients that improve digestion and weight gain without chemicals. The prototype was effective in weight gain, although slightly less than commercial food, but with economic and natural advantages. A completely randomized experimental method was used to assess the results, taking into consideration the variables of time and weight of the chivo. Direct observation was used to record the results, recording the information in the researcher's log, for 4 weeks, which are the 4 times that are observed in the data table and the results graph.

The food supplement does improve the weight of caprine livestock and reduce costs, thus fulfilling the hypothesis. Likewise, it was possible to meet each of the objectives, both general and specific, since a natural food supplement was developed, based on products from the region, achieving results in the weight gain of the goat, also improving the cost and above all avoiding malnutrition which is the general objective that was intended. It was possible to implement a methodology to produce natural supplements and make optimal use of local raw materials. From the results I learned that natural resources can be a viable, economical and sustainable alternative.

Increasing the number of samples could improve the reliability of the results, as well as the sampling time, it can have an impact on verifying the weight gain in goats. My future research is precisely to increase my testing time and do it in a greater number of experiential subjects, in addition to performing some laboratory tests on my prototypes, in order to improve the formula of the raw material under study and thus help small farmers in my region.

I want to thank my advisor Félix Bernabé Romero for his guidance throughout the development of the project, helping me to improve the idea and structure the research. I also thank the ranchers of San Juan Ixcaquixtla who allowed the tests to be carried out with their animals and provided valuable information on the problem. I also acknowledge the support of my family for helping me with the collection of materials and the development of the prototype. Thanks to all of them, it was possible to develop a more complete, realistic project with an impact on the community. Also, who help me with the English language thanks.

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López-De-Buen et al., Sobrevivencia de árboles nativos en módulos silvopastoriles, Agrociencia / Colpos, 2019. agrociencia-colpos.org

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Gobierno de México instituto nacional de investigaciones forestales, agrícolas y pecuarias https://www.gob.mx 12 de diciembre de 2022.