Treating Rumen Contents Waste as Complete Feed for Broiler Rabbits, UB Faculty of Animal Science Students Contribute Gold Medal at PIMNAS 34

Rumen is one part of the stomach of ruminants or ruminant animals, containing feed ingredients eaten by livestock, in the form of grass/forage and fortification (concentrate) . Based on statistical data from the Directorate General of Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry (2020), the number of cattle slaughtered in East Java is 215,843 heads.

The large number of cattle slaughter produces abundant rumen waste. However, the utilization of Slaughterhouse waste (RPH) has not been utilized, causing environmental pollution. On the other hand, the contents of the cow’s rumen can be used as additional raw material for feed, because in the rumen there are many microbes as a source of protein.

A group of students from the Faculty of Animal Science Universitas Brawijaya (Fapet UB) utilizes the waste as a complete feed for broiler rabbits. The product, named HERBI FEED, was created by Arlieza Rizki, Ery Vio Verawati, and Rozaan Rofie’ Iskani with their supervisor Dr.Ir. Kuswati, MS.,IPM.,ASEAN Eng.

Herbi Feed is formed into pellets, packed with polyethylene plastic and sealed with a sealing machine. According to Arlieza Rizki, the results of the proximate analysis show that the product made by him and his colleagues has a nutritional content of 15.32% PK, 11.34% water content, 88.66% BK, 14.24% ash content, 3.01% LK, SK 17, 69%, and Ca 1.04%.

Besides that, it has the advantage of being cheaper, practical, available in three types of packaging sizes, and is unique because it utilizes rumen contents as its main raw material. Through Herbi Feed products, Arlieza and the team won a gold medal in the poster exhibition at National Student Scientific Week the 34th(PIMNAS) which was held at the University of North Sumatra from Monday to Friday (25-29/10/2021). (dta)