<p> Animals with multi-compartmented stomachs, also known as ruminants, are adapted to digest cellulosic materials, which constitute the primary expense on ranches and dairies. Industrial byproducts can be repurposed for livestock diets to decrease these costs. Therefore, finding alternative feedstuffs may benefit the economics of livestock production. The goal of this project was to evaluate alternative uses of ruminal waste from commercial abattoirs. This project addressed two primary objectives. First, ruminal fiber as a potential dietary fiber source was evaluated. Second, the potential for preservation of ruminal fluid for later use was assessed. Results for the first objective indicated harvesting rumen waste from slaughterhouses could be beneficial for sustainable livestock production, while reducing the environmental threat posed by disposal of ruminal waste. Nutritional values of rumen waste in relation to other common livestock roughages sources commonly found in ruminant diets are numberical , such as coastal Bermuda grass hay (<i>Cynodon dactylon </i>) and alfalfa hay (<i>Medicago sativa</i>). Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and crude protein (CP) values were 68.1%, 39.9%, 10.9% and 15%, respectively. Contribution to variance for NDF, ADF, ADL and CP were 97.2%, 97.9%, 95.4% and 19.1%, respectively. <i> In vitro</i> true digestibility (IVTD) and <i>in vitro</i> neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) were 46.2% and 21.6%, respectively. Results from the second objective showed lower degradation of feeds when frozen or lyophilized rumen fluid was used rather than fresh inoculum; however, differences in IVTD and IVNDFD suggest that, in the absence of fresh inocula, preserved rumen fluid may be a viable option. Implications from this study show rumen content could provide nutrients if fed to livestock and rumen microbes preserved (frozen or lyophilized) are still viable and able to degrade feedstuffs. Therefore, further research is needed to assess the consistency of using inoculum from slaughtered cattle and improve the preservation process.</p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10977321 |
| Date | 28 March 2019 |
| Creators | Garcia, Taylor Jacob |
| Publisher | Tarleton State University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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