Composition and Digestibility of Cattle Fecal Waste
Composition and Digestibility of Cattle Fecal Waste
Composition and Digestibility of Cattle Fecal Waste
basal ration providing protein and TDN levels in In trials 2 and 3, a switch-back design was
excess of those recommended by N.R.C. used to study the effect of substituting dried
(1970). Trial 1 consisted of an 8-day prelimi- cattle feces for 20% of the basal ration. Prior to
nary period followed by a 20-day collection trial 2, the six steers were paired by weight.
period. The lengthy collection period was re- Steers within each pair were randomly allotted
quired to collect sufficient feces for refeeding to either a basal or experimental ration. The
in subsequent trials. ingredient composition of the basal ration
Procedures for sampling of feed, and collec- differed slightly from that fed in trial 1 due to a
tion, handling and sampling of feces and urine higher crude protein content of the hay. The
were similar to those described by Stone and experimental ration was composed of 80% basal
Fontenot (1965). After fecal samples were ration and 20% dried feces. The ingredient and
taken, the remainder of the feces was spread at chemical composition of the rations is shown in
a depth of approximately 3.0 cm in drying table 1. Ration components were ground in a
trays constructed of metal screen wire, and hammermill through a 1.3 cm screen and mixed
dried for 24 hr in a forced draft oven at 120 C. in a vertical mixer prior to each trial.
Dried feces from all steers were composited Trials 2 and 3 consisted of a 2-day transi-
and ground through a small high speed hammer- tion, 8-day preliminary and 16-day collection
mill with no screen, and stored for use in sub- period. The steers were removed from the
sequent trials. metabolism stalls for 8 days between trials and
Ingredient composition, %
Corn, ears, grnd. (4), IRN 4-02-849 34.50 37.00 29.60
Orchardgrass, hay, S-C,
mature (1), IRN 1-03-431 43.00
cut 1 (1), IRN 1-03433 43.00 34.40
Soybean, seeds, solv.-extd, grnd.,
mx 7 fiber, (5), IRN 5-04-604 17.00 14.50 11.60
Dried steer feces . . . . . . 20.00
Sugarcane, molasses, mn 48 invert
sugar, mn 79.5 degrees brix, (4),
IRN 4-04-696 5.00 5.00 4.00
Trace mineral salt (6) .50 .50 .40
Vitamin A palmitate,
commercial (7), IRN 7-05-143 a + + +
Chemical composition
Dry matter, % 88.5 87.0 87.2
Composition of dry matter, %
Crude protein 14.3 15.8 14.7
Ether extract 2.3 2.2 2.2
Crude fiber 22.8 21.8 24.1
Ash 5.0 5.3 5.3
NFE 55.6 54.9 53.7
Cell solubles 49.7 48.5 43.8
Cell walls 50.3 51.5 56.2
Acid-detergent fiber 29.2 28.0 31.3
Lignin 7.3 6.8 7.5
Cellulose 20.5 20.5 22.5
Insoluble ash 1.4 .6 1.0
Hemicellulose 21.1 23.5 24.9
fed the basal ration. Amounts of rations fed, determined using the two-stage procedure of
and procedures for sampling of feed and collec- Tilley and Terry (1963), with modifications
tion, handling and sampling of excreta for trials oudined by Pearson (1970). Ruminal fluid
2 and 3 were the same as in trial 1. inoculum was prepared by straining ingesta
At the end of each trial, dry matter content from a rumen fistulated steer through eight
of feces was determined by drying a 300-g layers of cheesecloth. The donor steer was fed
sample of feces from each animal in a forced the basal ration used in trials 2 and 3 at least 10
draft oven at 60 C to a constant weight (48 hr). days prior to collection, at a level comparable,
Triplicate 10 g wet fecal samples were analyzed expressed as a percentage of b o d y weight, to
for total nitrogen. Crude fiber in feeds and that fed to steers in the in vivo trials. In vitro
feces was determined by the m e t h o d of White- digestibility was determined on respective com-
house et al. (1945) and other proximate com- posite samples of basal and experimental ra-
ponents were determined by A.O.A.C. (1970) tions fed in in vivo trials 2 and 3, and dried
procedures. Total nitrogen content of urine was feces collected from the steers in trial 1 and
determined by the method of A.O.A.C. (1970). from the steers fed the experimental ration in
Total cell walls (Van Soest and Wine, 1967), trials 2 and 3. A minimum of 18 tubes were
acid-detergent fiber (Van Soest, 1963), lignin, used for in vitro digestibility of each ration and
cellulose and insoluble ash (Van Soest and kind of feces. Prior to the in vitro trials, all
Wine, 1968) were determined in dried ration samples were ground in a micro Wiley Mill
and fecal samples. Gross energy content of through a 40-mesh screen.
rations, feces and urine was determined in a Data were analyzed by analysis of variance
Parr adiabatic oxygen bomb calorimeter. Urine (Ostle, 1963). The multiple range test of
was prepared for energy determination by Duncan (1955) was used to test for significant
freeze-drying approximately 250 g urine sam- differences among mean in vitro dry matter
pies in a vat type freeze dryer for 72 hours. digestibilities.
At the end of each trial, rumen ingesta was
sampled v/a stomach tube 2 hr after the feeding RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
at which the last collection was made. Rumen In Vivo Metabolism Study. Chemical compo-
ingesta was strained through four layers of sition of the dried steer feces collected in trial 1
cheesecloth, and pH was immediately measured is presented in table 2. Crude protein content
electrometrically. Analyses for ammonia nitro- was 13.2%, on a dry basis. Similar crude protein
gen (Conway, 1958) and volatile fatty acids
values were reported for dried cattle manure
(Erwin et al., 1961) were performed on the (Smith et al., 1971; Lipstein and Bornstein,
strained rumen fluid. Jugular blood samples
1973) and for feedlot manure (Mathers et al.,
were taken 6 hr post-feeding, at the end of each
1973). Crude fiber was 31.4% and ash was
trial. Plasma was frozen and subsequently ana-
lyzed for urea by the method o f Coulombe and TABLE 2. COMPOSITION OF
Favreau (1963). DRIED STEER FECES
Apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic
matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude Dried
fiber, NFE, energy, cell solubles, cell walls, Item feces
acid-detergent fiber, cellulose and hemicellulose
in dried steer feces was calculated by difference Dry matter, % 91.6
(Crampton and Harris, 1969). Methane produc- Composition of dry matter, %
Crude protein 13.2
tion was calculated using the formula of Bratz- Ether extract 2.8
Ier and Forbes (1940), and used to calculate Crude fiber 31.4
metabolizable energy content .of the basal and Ash 5.4
experimental rations. Digestible and metaboliz- NFE 47.2
Cell solubles 29.1
able energy contents of the dried steer feces Cell walls 70.9
were calculated by difference (Crampton and Acid-detergent fiber 44.8
Harris, 1969). Lignin 9.4
Data were analyzed by analysis of variance Cellulose 30.3
(Ostle, 1963). Insoluble ash 5.1
Hemicellulose 26.1
In Vitro Digestion Study. In vitro dry matter Gross energy, kcal/kg dry matter 4728
digestibility of ration and fecal samples was
Ration
Experimental
Item Basal (20% feces)
No. of animals 6 6
Apparent digestibility, %
Dry matter 68.2 57.4**
Organic matter 67.4 56.0 **
Crude protein 69.4 61.3 * *
Ether extract 62.6 53.4 **
Crude fiber 60.1 48.8" *
NFE 72.4 61.8"*
Ceil solubles 76.6 69.1 * *
Cell walls 60.2 48.3 * *
Acid-detergent fiber 51.2 38.1 * *
Cellulose 58.4 45.4"*
Hemicellulose 71.0 61.2" *
Energy 66.5 55.7**
TDN, % 66.9 56.3**
Digestible energy, kcal,/kg, dry matter 3036 2567**
Metabolizable energy, kcal/kg dry matter 2574 2145" *
5.4%, dry basis. The ash content was consider- metabolizable energy contents of the basal
ably lower than most values reported for ration were decreased (P<.01) by substitution
feedlot wastes, which may contain considerable of feces for 20% of the basal ration.
quantities of soil (Johnson, 1972). The dried
steer feces contained a sizable quantity of NFE, TABLE 4. APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY AND
47.2%, on a dry basis. TDN, DIGESTIBLE ENERGY, AND
The dried feces contained 70.9% cell walls, METABOLIZABLE ENERGY CONTENT OF
DRIED STEER FECES
44.8% acid detergent fiber, 9.4% lignin, 30.3%
cellulose, 26.1% hemicellulose and 5.1% insolu-
Dried
ble ash, on a dry basis. These values are similar Item feces
to those reported by Smith et al.(1971) for
dairy cattle manure, except that they reported Apparent digestibility, a %
slightly higher cellulose and somewhat lower Dry matter 16.6
hemicellulose content for manure used in their Organic matter 14.4
study. In general, the dried steer feces were Crude protein 24.4
Ether extract 26.9
somewhat higher in crude protein (N.R.C., Crude fiber 17.3
1971) and lignin, and lower in hemicellulose NFE 16.9
(Van Soest, 1964) than orchardgrass hay. Cell solubles 21.5
Substitution of dried steer feces for 20% o f Cell wails 15.4
the basal ration resulted in decreases (P<.01) in Acid-detergent fiber 5.2
Cellulose 12.2
apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic Hemicellulose 27.6
matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude Energy 16.1
fiber, NFE, cell solubles, cell walls, acid-deter- TDN,15 % 18.6
gent fiber, cellulose, hemicellulose and energy Digestible energya, kcal/kg dry matter 763
Metabolizable energy a, kcal/kg
(table 3). Apparent digestibility of dry matter dry matter 485
in the basal ration was 68.2%, compared to
57.4% for the experimental ration. Values for acalcuhted by difference by method of Crampton
apparent digestibility of crude protein were and Harris (1969).
69.4 and 61.3%, respectively. Reductions in bCalculated using digestion coefficients which
digestibility of other components were of simi- were calculated by difference by method of Crampton
lar magnitude. The TDN and digestible and and Harris (1969).
Apparent digestibility, and values for TDN, sented in table 5. Nitrogen intake from the
and digestible and metabolizable energy of experimental ration was slightly lower than
dried steer feces, calculated by difference, are from the basal ration. In spite of slightly lower
presented in table 4. Apparent digestibility nitrogen intake, fecal excretion of nitrogen was
values for all components of the proximate and greater for steers receiving the experimental
Van Soest analyses, given in table 4, were low. ration. Again, this is a reflection of the poor
Apparent dry matter digestibility of the feces digestibility of nitrogen in the feces portion o f
from steers fed a 50% roughage ration was very the ration. Slightly greater urinary excretion of
low, 16.6%. Apparent digestibilities of crude nitrogen was observed for steers receiving the
protein and crude fiber were 24.4 and 17.3%, basal ration than for those receiving the experi-
respectively. Apparent digestibility was 15.4% mental ration, probably a result of a larger
for cell walls and 5.2% for acid-detergent fiber. amount of nitrogen absorbed. Nitrogen reten-
TDN content of the dried feces was 18.6%, dry tion expressed as grams per day, percent of
basis, and digestible energy content was only nitrogen intake or percent of absorbed nitro-
763 kcal per kilogram of fecal dry matter, as gen, was decreased (P<.05) by substitution of
compared to 66.9% and 3,036 kcal per kilo- 20% dried feces in the ration.
gram of basal ration dry matter, respectively. Ruminal fluid pH, ammonia nitrogen a n d
Digestibility values obtained in the present volatile fatty acid levels are presented in table
study are considerably lower than those re- 6. Ruminal fluid pH values of steers receiving
ported by Johnson (1972) for feedlot wastes. the basal and experimental rations were similar.
He reported apparent digestibilities by sheep o f Ruminal fluid of steers receiving the basal
35 to 50% for feedlot waste dry matter and 60 ration contained 20.9 mg of ammonia nitrogen
to 71% for feedlot waste crude protein when 25 per 100 ml, compared to 15.7 mg per 100 ml
to 40% dried feedlot waste was substituted for for steers receiving the experimental ration
cottonseed hulls in a high roughage ration. The (P~.05). The lower ruminal fluid ammonia
difference in rations fed to steers producing nitrogen concentration for steers receiving the
feces fed in the two studies may explain, at experimental ration may indicate that the fecal
least partly, the large difference in apparent nitrogen was not attacked readily by rumen
digestibility. Apparent digestibilities by sheep, microbes. There were no significant differences
of 22% of the dry matter, 17% of the cell walls or trends in concentration of individual or total
and 32% of the crude protein for ground ruminal fluid volatile fatty acids between steers
dehydrated manure from dairy cattle fed a high fed the two rations. Blood urea concentrations
roughage diet (Smith et al., 1971) are not of 13.2 and 14.0 mg per 100 ml for the cattle
greatly different from corresponding values fed the basal and experimental rations, respec-
obtained in the present study. tively, were not significantly different (table 6).
Data concerning utilization of nitrogen in In Vitro Digestion Study. In vitro dry matter
the basal and experimental rations are pre- digestibility of ration and fecal samples are
Ration
Experimental
Item Basal (20% feces)
TABLE 6. RUMINAL FLUID pH, AMMONIA AND VOLATILE FATTY ACID CONCENTRATIONS
AND BLOOD UREA OF STEERS FED BASAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RATIONS
Ration
Experimental
Item Basal (20% feces)
a'bMeans in same row having different superscripts are significantly different (P<.05).
presented in table 7, and are graphically c o m - ration in trials 2 and 3 of the in vivo study
pared to digestibilities d e t e r m i n e d in vivo in (feces 2, table 7). This value was significantly
figure 1. (P<.01) lower than the corresponding value o f
The values for in vitro digestible dry m a t t e r 15.8% d e t e r m i n e d by the same m e t h o d for
(IVDDM) o f the basal and experimental rations feces f r o m animals fed the basal ration o n l y
were quite similar to those d e t e r m i n e d in vivo (feces 1). In view of the very close a g r e e m e n t
(figure 1). In vitro dry m a t t e r digestibility of b e t w e e n ~ in vitro and in vivo dry m a t t e r
the basal and experimental rations was different digestibilities for the rations and feces 1, t h e
(P<.01). dry m a t t e r digestibility of 8.8% d e t e r m i n e d by
In vitro dry m a t t e r digestibility of the feces t h e in vitro p r o c e d u r e is an indication that
which was substituted for part of the basal digestibility w o u l d be reduced further if t h e
ration in the in vivo study (feces 1) was 15.8%, waste was recycled m o r e than once.
similar to the value of 16.6%, calculated by
difference, for these feces in the in vivo study
70
(table 4). A very low in vitro d r y m a t t e r
digestibility of 8.8% was recorded for feces
collected f r o m steers receiving the experimental
TABLE 7. IN VITRO DRY MATTER
60
_-A 5o
~~ r-],NWTRO
IN VlVO
DIGESTIBILITY m
Sample IVDDMa,b 40
%
Basal ration c 64.9
Experimental ration c 54.6
Feces I d 15.8 I--- 2 0
z
Feces 2e 8.8
Q.
aln vitro digestible dry matter.
beach value listed is significantly (P<.01) different
from all other values. 0
BASAL EXPERIMENTAL FECES I FECES 2
RATION RATION
Csame as fed in in vivo metabolism trials 2 and 3.
Figure 1. Comparison of in vivo and in vitro dry
dFeces collected in in vivo metabolism trial 1 and matter digestibility. Experimental ration contained
fed in in vivo metabolism trials 2 and 3. 20% dried steer feces. Feces 1 was collected from all
eFeces collected from steers fed experimental steers in trial 1, and Feces 2, from steers fed the
ration in in vivo trials 2 and 3. experimental ration in trials 2 and 3.