Dairy farmer’s perception on feeding, conservation, and constraints of brewery by-products utilization in selected districts of Ethiopia

A survey was conducted in Ada’a, Sululta, and Debre Birhan districts. The districts are located in the vicinity of brewery factories. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from purposively selected dairy farmers (160). Data were analyzed with a statistical package for social sciences (Version 21). The majority of farmers (69.4%) used wet brewery-spent grain (WBSG), whereas 30% of them used both WBSG and wet brewery spent yeast (WBSY). Farmers obtained WBSG and WBSY only in fresh form from the distributors. The majority of farmers (66.67%) blended WBSG and WBSY with concentrate and roughage feed before feeding it to their animals, while 14.47% fed the by-products alone to their animals. Several farmers (60.1%) responded that the key reason for providing WBSG and WBSY to their livestock was higher production (increased milk and growth rates). The majority (82.78%) of farmers used common salt to extend the shelf life of WBSG and WBSY. Out of 128 (80%) farmers who reported spoilage in WBSG, 49 (38.28%) farmers observed sever mold development, while the remaining 12 (9.38%) and 28 (21.88%) saw change in colour and unpleasant odor. According to 68 (53.13%) of the farmers who experienced in WBSG spoiling, the amount of spoilt was less than 9% and 10–20% of the total purchased. The majority of farmers (87.8%) reported that storage time and storage conditions (temperature, moisture, and humidity) were the primary reasons of WBSG spoilage, whereas 12.2% of the farmers reported that inadequate sanitation of feeding troughs, transportation, and storage facilities were the primary causes of spoilage. The key restrictions of brewery by-product utilization were found as scarcity and high purchasing costs. Farmers (44.38% and 41.86%) believed that feeding WBSG and WBSY to dairy cattle have negative health effect, respectively. In conclusion, insufficient and irregular supply, rising cost of material and transport, spoilage, and health-related hazards are the main constraints of WBSG and WBSY usage. It is suggested that there is a dire need for consistent supply, staying away from the brokers, and preserving the brewery by-products through sun drying, and ensiling. Additionally, more research is required to determine the negative health impact of feeding brewer by-products for dairy cattle.