Investigating the Impact of Coffee Pulp on Milk Yield and Blood Parameters in Awassi Ewes

Using industrial waste in livestock feed is crucial for lowering production costs while reducing the environmental impact. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding coffee pulp (COP) on the Awassi ewes' milk production, nutrient digestibility, and blood parameters. Thirty 5-year-old Awassi ewes with an initial body weight of 56.7 ± 3.72 kg were selected for the experiment. Three dietary rations were used, and ten ewes were randomly assigned to each diet for nine weeks, including one week of adaptation. The diets were: (1) 0 COP (CON), (2) 100 COP (COP100), and (3) 200 g/kg COP of dietary dry matter (COP200). Coffee pulp was included at 100 and 200 g/kg of dietary DM; as a result, barley grain increased whereas soybean meal and wheat straw decreased as COP inclusion increased, while the diets remained approximately isonitrogenous. We evaluated effects on intake, performance, milk production and composition, digestibility, nitrogen balance, and selected serum biochemical parameters. Nutrient intake did not differ among dietary groups (p > 0.05). Milk lactose concentration was significantly higher in COP100 and COP200 than in CON (p = 0.015). No adverse changes were detected in the measured productive responses or selected serum biochemical parameters. The cost of milk production decreased with coffee pulp inclusion, from approximately US$ 0.359/kg milk in CON to US$0.325 and US$ 0.300/kg milk in COP100 and COP200, respectively (p = 0.002), corresponding to reductions of approximately 9.5% and 16.4%. Blood urea nitrogen was higher (p = 0.017) in ewes that consumed the COP diets than in those that consumed the CON diet. These results indicated that substituting conventional feedstuffs in ewes' diets with up to 200 g/kg of COP was effective and reduced milk production costs.