NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF DRIED RUMEN DIGESTA CONCENTRATE FOR RUMINANT

Abstract

An evaluation of nutritional value of rumen digesta in ruminant diets was investigated in 5 Experiments. Experiment I, the effect of four different treatment methods (sun-dried, oven-dried, fermented, and urea-fermented) on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and microbial quality of Rumen digesta from the Bolgatanga abattoir collected in four climatic seasons (early wet season [EWS], main wet season [MWS], early dry season [EDS], and late dry season [LDS]. The experiment was conducted as a 4*4 factorial in a completely randomized design. The two-way interaction effect of season and processing methods had a significant effect on DM, CP, EE, Ash, NDF, and ADF. The crude protein values obtained were 17.58, 22.26, 15.25 and 8.42% for early wet, main wet, early dry and late dry seasons respectively. The crude protein values obtained for the methods were 14.72, 14.36, 13.96 and 20.45 for sun-dried, oven-dried, fermented and urea-fermented methods respectively. The main effect of processing method and season had a significant effect on digestible organic matter. The urea-fermented processing method consistently recorded a higher IVDOM. The processing methods all resulted in a significant reduction of microbial population in the dried rumen digesta. The decline in Salmonella spp. and E. coli concentration was in the range of 90-100% for all the processing methods with oven drying and urea fermented methods recording a 100% reduction in both microorganisms. In experiment II, two rumen digesta processing methods (Unpelleted and Pelleted) and different inclusion levels (0, 5, 10 and 15%) were used to assess the effects on the chemical composition and microbial load on dried rumen digesta. The experiment was conducted as a 2*4 factorial in a completely randomized design. Processing methods and DRD inclusion levels had a significant (P <0.05) interaction effect on CP, Ash, LAB, and E. coli. The mash method of the 15% inclusion level of dried rumen digesta (DRD) had the highest CP (14.22%). Method and inclusion levels had a significant interaction effect on E. coli. In experiment III, rice straw was supplemented with urea-ferment-dried rumen digesta using four dietary inclusion levels of (0, 5, 10 and 15%) in a completely randomized design. The highest (P<.001) digestible organic matter (DOM) was recorded in the 15% DRD pellet concentrate supplemented with 50% rice straw. Dried rumen digesta pellet significantly enhanced the in vitro organic matter digestibility of the processed rumen digesta. In Experiment IV, the effect of urea-fermented dried rumen digesta pellets (UFDRDP) concentrate on the apparent digestibility and growth performance of Djallonké sheep in the savanna agroecological zone of Ghana was examined. Sixteen Djallonké rams with an average initial weight of 9.90 kg were used for the study. The diets consisted of four levels of DRD (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) and were combined with rice straw as the basal diet. This was replicated four times in a completely randomized design (CRD) over 84 days. The concentrate diets had a crude protein (CP) content ranging from 101.0 to 131.4 g/kgDM. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content varied between 447.6 and 543.9, while the ADF ranged from 198.7 to 235.0. The DM intake was similar among the rams, crude protein intake was significantly higher in rams fed 15% DRD. The digestibility coefficient for DM did not differ significantly, but there was a significant difference in the crude protein digestibility coefficient, with the highest values observed in rams fed 10% and 15% DRD. Final live weight gain showed a significant variation with rams fed 15% DRD gaining twice as much weight compared to the control diet. The trend was similar for average daily weight gain, with rams on 15% DRD achieving significantly higher gains compared to the control group (48.93 vs 28.89 g/day/head). Experiment V, focused on the effects of urea-fermented dried rumen digesta pellets (UFDRDP) on the blood profile of Djallonké sheep, the haematological parameters of rams were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. However, the albumin and blood urea nitrogen concentrations were significantly influenced by the dietary treatment. Feeding young rams with UFDRDP showed improvements in final live weight gain and average daily weight gain in Djallonké sheep in the Savanna agro-ecological zones. Urea-fermented dried rumen digesta pellets can be used as a supplement for small ruminants to enhance their growth and performance.