XXXX Feces as Feed for Ruminants and as an Energy Source.

@entity2175 @entity1625 @entity95
There are prospects for using novel feeds from various sources to provide ruminants with alternative sources of protein and energy such as by-products, and animal wastes. @entity95 feces are a concentrated source of fiber and could have commercial potential both as input biomass in anaerobic processes for biogas production, as well as a fibrous source for ruminal degradation. The aims of this work were to assess the potential as ruminant feeding and as biogas production of @entity95 feces, in comparison with 12 crops. The chemical composition and the potential and experimental @entity1625 ( @entity1625 ) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) of 148 feces samples were determined by using chemical methods, Daisy system digestibility and/or NIRS predictions. The average biomethane potential (BMP) was 286    10 lCH4/kg SV with -4% vs. the crops average. Milk forage unit (milk FU), @entity1625 and NDFD of feces were 0.54    0.06 milk FU/kg DM, 74%    3% and 50%    5%, respectively, with comparisons of -19%, -11% and -24% vs. the crops average. Reconstruction of the potential values based on the chemical constituents but using the crop partial least square model well agreed with the NIRS calibrations and cross-validation. In a global NIRS calibration of the feces and crops the relative predicted deviation for @entity1625 , NDFD and milk FU were 3.1, 2.9 and 2.6, respectively, and only 1.5 for BMP. Running the Daisy system for @entity95 feces in rumen fluid gave some inconsistencies, weakened the functional relationships, and appeared not to be correlated with the potential values of @entity1625 and NDFD. Nevertheless, the energetic potential of feces appears to be similar to some conventional crops at different degrees of @entity2175 . Thus we conclude that @entity95 feces has potential value as a ruminant feed and for biogas production.
