Use of Rice Bran as Ruminant Feed in Indonesia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the potential of rice bran and rice husks as feed and their impact on ruminants, as well as how to detect rice husk contamination in rice bran. Rice bran has great potential as a feed ingredient. In addition to containing nutrients that are quite high (crude protein 8–12%), it is also easily accessible to farmers because almost every region of Indonesia produces rice bran in fairly abundant quantities. The use of rice bran as animal feed has long been widely used by some farmers in Indonesia. The need for rice bran as animal feed is not in accordance with its availability, which causes these feed ingredients to have high prices, especially in the dry season. Even today, the price of rice bran is close to the price of corn. The high cost and scarcity of rice bran cause massive counterfeiting, especially with the addition of rice husks. Even though rice husks have 25–30% lignin and 15-20% silica, which, if used in the long term, will cause livestock productivity to decrease, cause reproductive failure, decrease health quality, and cause death. Rice bran is a very potential feed ingredient for ruminants because it contains nutrients that are in accordance with their needs. The high need for rice bran is not in line with its productivity, so it is mixed with many other materials, especially rice husks. Mixing with other materials can be determined by their physical and chemical properties. Rice husks are an alternative energy source for ruminants. To improve the digestibility of rice husks through physical, chemical, and biological treatment. Recommendations for using rice husks as a feed ingredient have not been widely reported, so future research is needed.