Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824

DOI 10.1007/s11250-009-9491-8

Feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization, and body

weight change of sheep consuming wheat straw
supplemented with local agricultural
and agro-industrial by-products
Ajebu Nurfeta

Accepted: 19 October 2009 / Published online: 31 October 2009

# Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009

Abstract Effects of supplementing sheep consuming Keywords Coffee pulp . Growth . Katikala atella .
wheat straw with local agro-industrial by-products on Local by-products . Sheep
feed intake, growth, digestibility and nitrogen utiliza-
tion were determined. Thirty 1-year-old local wethers, Abbreviations
with a mean (±SD) live weight of 19.8 (±1.06) kg, ADF Acid detergent fiber
were assigned to five treatments: wheat straw + atella DM Dry matter
(T1), wheat straw + atella + poultry litter (T2), wheat HCl Hydrochloric acid
straw + atella + coffee pulp (T3), wheat straw + atella + N Nitrogen
coffee pulp + poultry litter (T4), hay + concentrate (T5). NDF Neutral detergent fiber
A 7-day digestibility experiment and a 112-day growth OM Organic matter
trial were conducted. Total dry matter (DM) and SD Standard deviation
organic matter (OM) intake as well as body weight SEM Standard error of means
gain was similar for all treatments. The highest (P<
0.05) nitrogen (N) intake was in sheep fed T1 and T4
diets, while the lowest was in those fed T2 and T5
diets. Sheep fed T1 and T2 diets had greater (P<0.05) Introduction
DM and OM digestibility than those fed T4 and T5
diets. The highest (P<0.05) digestibility of N was for Ruminant nutrition in tropical and sub-tropical
the T2, T4, and T5 diets, while the lowest was for the regions is constrained by seasonal changes in feed
T1 diet. The highest N retention was in T4 diet, supply and quality. Hence, appropriate uses of
whereas the lowest was in T3 diet. In conclusion, in relatively inexpensive agricultural and agro-industrial
urban and peri-urban areas where atella, poultry litter, by-products are important to profitable livestock
or coffee pulp are available, smallholder farmers could production (Negesse et al. 2007). During the dry
feed the mixtures as a supplement to straw with a good season, ruminant livestock depends on crop residues
performance without using concentrate feeds. in most parts of Ethiopia. However, crop residues are
characterized by high fiber content and low protein,
energy, mineral, and vitamin content. As a result, the
A. Nurfeta (*) digestibility and the intake of these feed resources are
Department of Animal and Range Sciences,
low.
College of Agriculture, Hawassa University,
P.O. Box 222, Hawassa, Ethiopia Despite potential economic benefits, cereal grain
e-mail: ajebu_nurfeta@yahoo.com supplement to low-quality feeds is unaffordable by
816
smallholder farmers in addition to low availability and
its use as human food. Therefore, there is increasing
demand for efficient use of food by-products due to
economic and environmental concerns. Conventional
agro-industrial by-products could be used as a source
of energy and protein but are also expensive for
smallholder farmers. Supplementation with conven-
tional brewers' and distillers' by-products is limited by
low availability and localized distribution of process-
ing plants. Moreover, in most cases, the by-products
are produced in wet form, which is difficult to store
and expensive to transport. Hence, such by-products
are little utilized by smallholder farmers in Ethiopia.
Non-conventional agro-industrial by-products such as
traditional brewery/liquor residues (locally called
atella) are widely used by smallholder livestock
farmers in Ethiopia, mainly due to their low cost and
availability in most household localities (Mekasha et al.
2003). The traditional alcoholic drink (katikala atella)
is made for home consumption and sale. Katikala
atella is a grain by-product remaining after alcoholic
distillation. It is a wet residue (liquor), which is largely
brewed from cereal grains including maize, sorghum,
wheat, barley, and teff and the ingredients are allowed
to ferment for extended periods (usually not less than a
week) and the fermented product distilled to obtain
volatile organic compounds for human consumption
(Mekasha et al. 2002, 2003). Limited data are available
on the feeding value of katikala atella as a supplement
to crop residue.
Ammoniation and supplementation with poultry
litter are inexpensive ways of utilizing crop residues
for growing ruminants (Animut et al. 2002), which is
especially important for smallholder farmers in devel-
oping countries. Poultry litter has a high level of N
(Tsadik et al. 2008). It contains a great proportion of
uric acid that is well utilized by rumen microbes
(Zapata and Láres 2005). The greater proportion of
uric acid is utilized for microbial protein synthesis than
from urea (McDonald et al. 2002).
A large quantity of coffee pulp is produced in
Ethiopia and only a small quantity is utilized as a
fertilizer, while the major proportion is left unutilized
creating disposal problems. The use of coffee pulp is
constrained by low intake and low protein digestibility
(Demeke 1989) due to the presence of anti-nutritional
factors such as caffeine, tannins, and other polyphenols
(Ulloa Rojas et al. 2002). The presence of tannins and
caffeine could reduce acceptability and palatability of
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824
coffee pulp by animals. It has been reported that
addition of coffee pulp to the diet of growing lamb
reduced growth rate, due to excess tannins and
potassium (Habte 1989). However, provision of
coffee pulp with excess salt avoided the toxic effect
of coffee pulp and increased the growth rate of the
sheep (T. Habte, personal communication), which
was attributed to the composite effect of salt and
concentrate. It has been indicated that poultry litter
contains high level of sodium ranging between 5 to
6 g/kg DM (Rossi et al. 1999). It was believed that
inclusion of poultry litter into the diet of sheep that
contain coffee pulp can avoid the problems of
feeding coffee pulp without adding excess salt. It is
important to know how to make home-made diets
using different agricultural and agro-industrial by-
products as sources of protein or energy and the
values of these by-products for smallholder farmers
as smallholder farmers are utilizing whatever feed is
available at their disposal as a single feed or in
mixtures. Little information is available on the effect
of use of local distillers’ by-products in improving
the nutritive value of cereal straws when fed alone or
mixed with coffee pulp and poultry litter. The
objective of the work reported here was to assess
the effects of feeding atella, poultry litter, and coffee
pulp on intake, growth, digestibility, and N utiliza-
tion in sheep fed a basal diet of wheat straw.
Materials and methods
Animals and their management
The experiment was conducted at Hawassa University,
College of Agriculture, Ethiopia. Thirty local 1-year-
old wethers with a mean (±SD) live weight of 19.8
(±1.06) kg were used. The sheep were hairy-thin-
tailed type with a mature weight of about 30 kg. Six
sheep were allocated to each of the five treatments in a
completely randomized design. They were housed in
individual pens with corrugated iron roof and a
concrete floor. Before the start of the experiment, the
sheep were dewormed against internal parasites with
the injection of ivermectin as prescribed by the
manufacturer. Sheep were allowed an adaptation
period of 2 weeks to the diets before the actual data
collection. Body weight changes were monitored
fortnightly for 112 days. The initial and final weights
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824 817

were taken twice on two consecutive days and the
average of the two was taken as initial and final
weights, respectively.
Experimental feed and treatments
The experimental feeds were composed of wheat
straw, katikala atella (atella), poultry litter, coffee
pulp, hay, and concentrate. Wheat straw was collected
from the field after the crop was combine-harvested.
Katikala atella was bought from small-scale local
brewers from Hawassa town, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
Poultry litter was collected from floor system layers
house, where sawdust was used as a bedding material.
Chloris gayana hay was cut after it was highly
matured. Coffee pulp was obtained from the dry
processing plant. Fresh atella was mixed fresh daily
with feed ingredients. Concentrate was made up of
maize grain (66.2%), Noug (Guizotia abyssinica)
cake (33.1%), and salt (0.7%). The proportions of
feeds constituting the diets are shown in Table 1. The
treatments were:
1. Wheat straw + atella
2. Wheat straw + atella + poultry litter
3. Wheat straw + atella + coffee pulp
4. Wheat straw + atella + coffee pulp + poultry litter
5. Hay + Concentrate ( made from maize, Noug
cake and salt)
The mixture was offered twice a day at 9:00 and
15:00 h into two equal halves. For treatment 5, which
was the conventional diet, 300 g (as-fed) of concen-
trate was offered per head per day. Sheep had free
access to water.
Tsadik et al. (2008) fed three different levels of
poultry litter (14, 28, and 45%) to goats and observed
similar intake, digestibility, and N balance which
means that the lowest level of supplementation could
be used. On the other hand, Ulloa Rojas and Verreth
(2002), from their review, indicated that the maximum
level of coffee pulp used in sheep ration is 15%. It is
against these backgrounds that the current proportion
of poultry litter and coffee pulp was used as indicated
on Table 1.
Digestibility trial
At the end of the growth experiment, three sheep with
a mean (±SD) live weight of 26.8 (±1.9) kg were
randomly selected from each treatment and placed in
individual metabolic cages and allowed an adaptation
period of 7 days followed by a collection period of
7 days. Feces were collected in fecal bags attached to
the sheep. Feces from each sheep were weighed and
10% of the daily output for the 7-day collection
period was taken and bulked in a freezer (–20°C). A
sub-sample of feces was dried daily at 105°C
overnight to determine the DM content of the feces.
The total urine output of each sheep was collected
daily in bottles (2.5-l capacity) containing 100 ml of
10% HCl. A 10% aliquot was taken and stored at
−20°C in a freezer. At the end of the experiment,
samples of feces and urine, which were collected
during the 7-day collection period, were kept at room
temperature and allowed to thaw for 24 h before
pooling for each sheep. Samples of feces to be used
for chemical analysis other than N were dried at 65°C
for 48 h. Feces were milled using a cross-beater mill
(Thomas-Wiley, Philadelphia, PA, USA) passed through
1-mm sieve and kept in screw-capped plastic bottles until
analysis. Feces for N determination were left in a freezer
until analysis.

Sample collection and chemical analysis

Table 1 Ingredient composition of the experimental feeds on
dry matter basis (g/kg) Feed offered was sampled daily and sub-samples
were bulked over the collection period (7 days) for
Ingredient T1 T2 T3 T4 T5
subsequent analysis. Similarly, refusals were weighed
Coffee pulp – – 166 127 – every morning and 10% bulked for each sheep for
Poultry litter – 103 – 129 – chemical analysis. Atella and ingredients mixed with
Atella 373 255 312 212 – atella were kept in a freezer (−20°C) until processing
Wheat straw 627 641 522 532 – for chemical analysis.
Hay – – – – 667
Dry matter content of the feed was determined by
Concentrate – – – – 333
drying the samples at 105°C overnight. For chemical
analysis, feces, feed offered and refused were dried at
818 Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824

65°C for 48 h. The dried samples were ground to pass
through a 1-mm screen and stored for nitrogen (N),
acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber
(NDF) analysis at room temperature. Ash was
determined by combusting the sample at 550°C for
5 h. Total N was determined using a Kjeldahl
apparatus. ADF was determined according to AOAC
(1990). The NDF was analyzed according to Van
Soest et al. (1991).
higher than that of pure atella. Other ingredients and
concentrate had high DM content. Except for wheat
straw and hay, all the feeds and feed mixtures had
high contents of N. The NDF and ADF contents in
wheat straw, hay, and coffee pulp were high. Atella
and concentrate had low NDF and ADF contents
compared with other feeds.
Feed intake and body weight change

Statistical analysis
Average daily gain (g) was calculated by dividing the
deference between final and initial weights of indi-
vidual animals with number of days (112). Data on
feed intake, weight gain, digestibility, and nitrogen
balance were analyzed using the General Linear
Model (GLM) procedure of the Statistical Analysis
System (SAS) computer package (2001). Duncan’s
multiple range test was used to test the significant
differences between treatment means. The model used
for analysis of data on feed intake, body weight change,
digestibility and N utilization was: Yij =µ+Ti +εij where;
Yij is the response variable, µ is overall mean, Ti is
treatment effect and εij is random error.
Table 3 shows the mean feed intake and body weight
change in sheep fed a basal diet of wheat straw or hay
and different types of supplements. Sheep in T5
consumed more (P<0.05) basal feed DM compared
with other treatments. In sheep fed a basal diet of
wheat straw, the highest (P<0.05) basal DM intake
was for the T2 diet. The highest (P<0.05) supplement
DM intake was for T3 diet while the lowest was for
T5 diet. There were no significant differences in total
DM intake among treatments. However, the total OM
intake was lower in T5 than all other treatments
except T2. The highest N intake was in sheep fed T4
and T1 diets, while the lowest was in those sheep fed
T2 and T5 diets. There was no significant difference
in body weight gain among treatment groups.

Apparent digestibility of nutrients

Results
Chemical composition
The chemical composition of the feeds and different
feed combinations used in the experiment is shown in
Table 2. The DM content of atella was the lowest,
while the DM content of other feeds mixed with was
Digestibility in sheep fed a basal diet of wheat straw
or hay and different types of supplements is presented
in Table 4. Sheep fed T1 and T2 diets had higher DM
and OM digestibility than those fed T4 and T5 diets,
whereas T3 had intermediate digestibility. No differ-
ences were observed in DM and OM digestibility
among T3, T4 and T5 diets. The highest digestibility

Table 2 Chemical composition of the ingredients and diets used in the experiment

Variable Wheat Hay Coffee Poultry atella atella + poultry atella + coffee atella + coffee Concentrate
straw pulp litter litter (T2) pulp (T3) pulp + poultry (T5)
litter (T4)

Dry matter (g/kg) 920 920 920 930 200 300 300 360 920
In DM, g/kg :
Ash 96 92 57 143 89 88 63 85 80
Nitrogen 4.5 8.3 17.9 38.1 29.6 34.6 27.4 30.1 35.0
Neutral detergent fiber 797 797 637 482 239 382 444 414 270
Acid detergent fiber 536 536 569 321 181 244 357 339 155
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824 819

Table 3 Intake (g per day, unless specified) and body weight change in sheep basal diet of wheat straw (T1–T4) or hay (T5) and
different types of supplements for 112 days

Supplement

Variable atella (T1) atella + poultry atella + coffee atella + coffee pulp + Concentrate (T5) SEM
litter (T2) pulp (T3) Poultry litter (T4)

Intake :
Dry matter
Basal feed 276c 358b 238c 270c 413a 17.6
b c a b
Supplement 488 356 523 500 274d 7.5
Total 764a 714ab 761a 770a 687ab 21.9
Organic matter
Supplement 445b 325c 491a 458b 253d 6.8
a ab a a
Total 694 647 704 700 624b 19.9
Nitrogen
Supplement 14.5ab 12.3c 14.2b 15a 9.6d 0.21
Total 15.8ab 13.9c 15.4b 16.2a 13.6c 1.62
b a a a c
Neutral detergent fiber 335 420 421 420 250 16.1
Acid detergent fiber 229c 271ab 302a 306a 255bc 11.5
Body weight change:
Initial (kg) 19.8 20.3 19.3 19.8 20.0 0.72
Final (kg) 26.3 27.8 25.4 26.6 27.4 1.1
Total gain (kg) 6.5 7.5 6.1 6.9 7.4 0.8
Gain/day (g) 57.9 66.6 54.1 61.4 66.2 7.1

Means within rows with different superscripts are significantly different (P<0.05)
SEM standard error of the means

of N was in T2, T4, and T5 diets and the lowest was Nitrogen balance
in T1 diet, which had similar digestibility as T3 diet.
Sheep fed T1 and T2 diets had higher (P<0.05) NDF The highest (P<0.05) N intake was in T4 diet, where
and ADF digestibility than those fed T3 and T5. as the lowest was in T1 diet (Table 5). Sheep fed T3

Table 4 Digestibility (%) in sheep fed basal diet of wheat straw or hay and different types of supplements

Variable Wheat straw + Wheat straw + atella + Wheat straw + atella + Wheat straw + Hay + SEM
atella (T1) poultry litter (T2) coffee pulp (T3) atella + coffee pulp + Concentrate (T5)
Poultry litter (T4)

Dry matter 58.5a 54.9ab 50.2bc 48.8c 46.2c 1.81

a ab bc c
Organic matter 62.0 58.9 54.4 52.3 50.6c 1.63
c ab bc a a
Nitrogen 51.2 56.9 54.9 60.5 61.4 1.54
Neutral detergent 50.2a 46.2ab 35.9cd 40.8bc 32.4d 1.91
fiber
Acid detergent 37.8a 39.9a 29.0bc 32.7ab 24.8c 2.21
fiber

Means within rows with different superscripts are significantly different (P<0.05)
in faeces 100
Digestibility ð%Þ ¼ Nutrient intake
Nutrient
Nutrient intake
SEM standard error of the means
820
Table 5 Nitrogen balance (grams per day) of sheep fed basal diet of wheat straw or hay supplemented with different feed mixtures
Variable Wheat straw + Wheat straw + atella + Wheat straw + atella + Wheat straw +
atella (T1) poultry litter (T2) coffee pulp (T3)
N intake 10.3e 14.3c
c b
N in the feces 5.1 6.2
N in the urine 2.8b 3.2b
N retained 2.5c 5.0b
N retained 24b 34.7a
(% of intake)
Means within rows with different superscripts are significantly different (P<0.05)
SEM standard error of the means
and T4 diets lost more N in feces than those fed other
diets. Moreover, the highest urinary N loss was in
those sheep fed T3 diet, which had also negative N
retention. The highest N retention was in T4 diet,
whereas the lowest was in T3 diet.
Discussion
Chemical composition
The N content of atella (29.6 g/kg DM) found in the
present study is lower than the values of 32 g /kg DM
reported by Demeke (1984), 33.6 g/kg DM by
Mekasha et al. (2003) and Demeke (2007). Demeke
(2007) showed that the N content of atella is
comparable with industrial brewers’ grains. Accord-
ing to Mekasha et al. (2002) the high N content found
in atella could mainly be attributed to its fermentation
process where the occurrence of yeast in the residue
could increase N contents. Moreover, the starch has
disappeared during the fermentation process which
concentrated the remaining nutrients including N.
Removal of the carbohydrate fraction during fermen-
tation has a concentrating effect on the remaining
nutrients, most importantly crude protein (Koeln et al.
1984). The variation in the composition of atella
could be due to the type and proportion of grains used
for distillation (Mekasha et al. 2003).
The N content of poultry litter in this experiment
was similar to the value reported by Negesse (1991)
from the same farm. Furthermore, the N content of
poultry litter in this study (38.1 g/kg DM) was lower
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824
Hay + SEM
atella + coffee pulp + concentrate (T5)
poultry litter (T4)
15.6b 19.5a 13.6d 0.07
ab a c
6.9 7.7 5.2 0.27
11.0a 4.4b 3.0b 0.51
-2.3d 7.4a 5.4b 0.38
-16.6c 37.9a 39.7a 2.8
than the value of 48.5 g/kg DM reported by Mekasha
et al. (2002). The N content of poultry litter could be
influenced by the N content of the bedding material
(Negesse 1991) and the proportion of excreta in the
litter (Tsadik et al. 2008).
The grass hay used in this experiment was
characterized by low N and high fiber content. The
N content of grass hay was lower than the value of
12.4 g/kg DM reported by Negesse (1991) from the
same farm. In general, the N content in all experimental
diets was higher than the minimum of 11.2 g/kg DM of
N required in feeds to support acceptable ruminal
microbial activity and the maintenance requirement of
N for the host ruminant (McDonald et al. 2002). The
NDF and ADF content in poultry litter was higher than
the values reported by Negesse (1991). The high NDF
content of poultry litter in this experiment could be due
to the inclusion of wood shavings and sawdust as a
bedding material, which could also be affected by
sources of wood used.
The N content of coffee pulp was similar to the
value reported by Gebru et al. (1989) and Abate
(1989) from dry-processed coffee pulp.
Feed intake and body weight change
The total DM intake was similar in sheep fed a basal
diet of wheat straw supplemented with different by-
products or hay supplemented with concentrate. The
similarity in total DM intake indicates that feeding
poultry litter and coffee pulp in mixture with atella
had no negative effect on palatability. It has been
reported that supplementation of hay with atella
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824
improved total DM and OM intake without affecting
the intake of basal diet (Mekasha et al. 2002). The
higher basal DM intake for sheep in T2 and T5 could
be attributed to the low supplement intake in both
treatments. It has been indicated that feeding poultry
litter improved microbial growth efficiency due to the
supply of key amino acids, such as leucine, lysine,
threonine, and tryptophan (Zinn et al. 1996). The low
OM intake in T5 could be due to the high intake of
hay, which is low in N and also relatively lower total
DM intake.
The use of coffee pulp is restricted mainly by high
fraction of cell wall contents and more particularly by
its contents of anti-nutritional factors such as poly-
phenols, tannins, and caffeine (Ulloa Rojas et al.
2002). Gebru et al. (1989) fed sheep with zero to
150 g of coffee pulp and observed a similar DM
intake among different levels of coffee pulp. Further-
more, de Souza et al. (2005) fed coffee pulp (ranging
from 0 to 26.25% of diet) to lactating dairy cows
replacing ground corn and observed no significant
difference in the intakes of DM, OM, and CP among
different levels. Likewise, Habte (1989) fed three
different levels of coffee pulp (10, 20, and 30%) and
300 g of concentrate to sheep fed a basal diet of hay
and observed low weight gain at high level of coffee
pulp with similar weight gain at the low and medium
levels. Van and Ledin (2005) indicted that the intake
of a diet with a sole feed is lower than that of a mixed
diet. Likewise, cattle accept coffee pulp as a food only
when supplemented with highly palatable feeds,
forages, and concentrate (Cabezas et al. 1987; cited
by Mazzafera 2002). In this experiment, inclusion of
coffee pulp up to 16.6% (T3) had no significant effect
on the total DM intake. This may be due to the NPN
provision of poultry litter in the diet and also due the
high sodium content of poultry litter that possibly
neutralizes the effect of high potassium and tannin in
coffee pulp (Habte 1989). Tannins are generally
thought to be the anti-nutritional factors, which
prevent coffee pulp from being used to greater than
10% of animal feed (de Gonzalez et al. 1994) while
low levels may increase nitrogen absorption in the
small intestine by reducing rumen degradation (Min
et al. 2003). On the other hand, Abate (1986)
observed that inclusion of 20% coffee pulp to the
diet of goat promoted growth. According to T. Habte
(personal communication) where grazing lambs were
821
supplemented with 300 g per day concentrate and
180 g per day coffee pulp, generous inclusion of salt
promoted better growth. Poultry litter contains between
5 to 6 g/kg DM of sodium (Rossi et al. 1999). Therefore,
for smallholder farmers in urban and peri-urban areas,
utilization of poultry litter would be cheaper sources of
sodium than salt, which is not commonly utilized. That
could also maximize the use of coffee pulp and hence
reduce shortage of feed, which is the main factor
affecting the productivity of ruminants under small-
holder production system.
Similarities in weight gain among treatment reflected
that the supplements were comparable and have to
supply nutrients for improving the body weight gains of
the sheep fed wheat straw. Similarly, Animut et al.
(2002) reported that weight gain was similar in goats
fed a basal diet of wheat straw supplemented with
different levels of broiler litter or soybean meal. The
similarity in weight gain among treatments could be
due to the similarity in the total DM intake though the
digestibility was different. Although the level of
concentrate in T5 was more than one-third of the diet,
the growth rate for this group was similar to other
treatments where there is no concentrate. This is
consistent with the results of Gihad (1976) who
reported that supplementing poultry litter to low-
quality tropical forage had similar weight gains as
sheep supplemented with urea-molasses or fed tradi-
tional soybean meal based diets.
The N intake (13.6–16.2 g/day) during the growth
experiment in the current study indicated that the
levels of N in these diets are adequate for the daily
gain obtained. According to Van Soest (1994) weight
gain is not compromised if the N content of the diet is
more than 12.8 g/kg DM, which is the case in all
supplements of the current study. This is very
important for smallholder farmers in urban and peri-
urban areas who cannot afford to use concentrate feed
and hay such as the common feed (T5) in the study
area.
Although not estimated, the cost per unit gain in
the treatments where poultry litter and coffee pulp are
part of the diet may be lower compared with those fed
conventional feeds (T5). Rossi et al. (1999) reported
that the costs of feed were lower for cows, which
were supplemented with poultry manure compared
with those supplemented with soybean meal. Muia et
al. (2000) also reported lower costs of production and
822
improvement in milk production in dairy cows fed
napier grass supplemented with poultry litter.
Apparent digestibility
Compared with other treatments, supplementation of
atella alone (T1) or a mixture of atella and poultry
litter (T2) resulted in higher digestibility of DM, OM,
and NDF (Table 4). Mekasha et al. (2002) observed
higher N digestibility in sheep supplemented with
atella compared with faba bean, field pea, and rough
pea hulls. Atella may contain soluble carbohydrate,
which would enhance microbial assimilation of
ammonia in the rumen (Mekasha et al. 2003). It has
been reported that distillers’ grain contains other
nutrients recovered from fermented grains which
include low soluble carbohydrate, relatively high
fiber, and high fat that stimulate cellulose digestion
in the rumen (Huang et al. 1999). An enhancement of
nutrient digestibility could probably be due to an
effect of improved microbial growth in the rumen and
thus enhanced ruminal fermentation (Aregheore and
Perera 2004). The digestibility of N in T2, T4, and T5
was higher than other treatments, which could be due
to the higher N supply in these diets. Even though
sheep fed T3 diet had high N intake (Table 5), the
digestibility was low which could be due to the anti-
nutritional factors in coffee pulp. Mekasha et al.
(2003) indicated that atella could be used as a
supplement to enhance production under smallholder
livestock production systems because of the high CP
contents and high rumen ammonia-N and VFA levels
in fed animals.
Though the highest N intake was in T4 diets, the
digestibility of DM and OM was similar with T3 diet.
This could be due to the inclusion of coffee pulp,
which might have depressed the digestibility of both
diets. Gebru et al. (1989) fed three levels (60, 120,
and 150 g) of coffee pulp to sheep and observed
reduction in digestibility of DM and N with increas-
ing levels, which was attributed to the capacity of
tannins to form insoluble complexes with proteins
thereby reducing digestibility of DM and N. The low
N digestibility in T1 diet could be due to relatively
low N content in this diet where poultry litter was not
included. Although the ruminal pH was not measured,
the low digestibility of NDF and ADF in T5 might be
due to the low ruminal pH, caused by concentrate
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824
feeding. The high digestibility of NDF and ADF in
T1 and T2 diets could be due to the low contents of
these nutrients in their respective diets, whereas
addition of coffee pulp in T3 and T4 diets increased
the NDF content with subsequent reduction in NDF
digestibility. According to Ben Salem and Smith
(2008), improvements in nutritive value of forage
depend on increasing the supply of rumen N, thereby
increasing the digestibility of the fiber.
Nitrogen balance
The N balance was positive for all treatments, except
for T3, showing that the treatment diets had positive
effect as a supplement to a diet based on wheat straw.
The higher N retention (% of intake) for T2, T4, and
T5 was probably due to the higher N digestibility in
these treatments. Compared with other treatments, the
higher N retention observed in T4 reflected the high
N intake in this diet. Mekasha et al. (2002) observed a
similar trend where atella was supplemented in sheep
fed a basal diet of hay, which was attributed to the
high N content in atella. The N retention in the
current experiment was higher than the value reported
by Mekasha et al. (2002) in sheep fed a basal diet of
hay and atella, except for T3 diet. The higher N loss
in T3 diets, which resulted in negative N balance,
could be due to the effects of anti-nutritional factors
in coffee pulp (Ulloa Rojas et al. 2002). Moreover,
Kaswari et al. (2007) suggested that losses of N in
urine are mainly caused by an oversupply of crude
protein and/or an imbalance in the supply of amino
acids. Consistent with the current experiment, increased
excretion of N in the feces has been reported for
lactating dairy cows fed coffee pulp resulting in
negative N balance (de Souza et al. 2005). Moreover,
it has been suggested that caffeine effects in ruminants
might be related to the increase of diuresis leading to a
decrease in N retention (Cabezas et al. 1987; cited by
Mazzafera 2002), which could be the case for the T3
diet. Gebru et al. (1989) also reported reduced N
retention with increasing levels of coffee pulp. Though
coffee pulp was a component of the diet in T4,
inclusion of poultry litter may have played a significant
role in reducing the adverse effect of coffee pulp. The
positive N balance, except for the T3 diet indicates that
the intake of nitrogen containing compounds exceeds
the nitrogen lost from the body.
Trop Anim Health Prod (2010) 42:815–824
Conclusion
In urban and peri-urban areas where atella, poultry
litter, and coffee pulp are available, smallholder farm-
ers can obtain a good performance by using these as
feed supplements instead of concentrate feed. The use
of poultry litter as a component of a diet with coffee
pulp could play beneficial role in neutralizing the anti-
nutritional factors in coffee pulp and hence increase its
utilization. It is important to view the benefit of these
agricultural and agro-industrial by-products not only
on performance but also on the basis of availability of
these resources and the income relative to input.
Acknowledgments The Ethiopian Agricultural Research Orga-
nization (now the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute)
provided funding for this project. The author is thankful to
Professor Frik Sundstøl and Dr. Adugna Tolera for their comments
on the manuscript. The assistance of Dagim Belay and Tadesse
Bokore in animal management is appreciated.
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