Coffee Grounds. II. Effects of Coffee Grounds on Performance of Milking Dairy Cows and Feedlot Cattle, and on Rumen Fermentation and Dry Matter Removal Rate3

Coffee grounds analyzed (%) 91.1 dry matter, 11.8 protein, 23.1 fat, 42.5 fiber and .7 ash. They had a detrimental effect on rumen fermentation as measured by in vitro dry matter disappearance and gas production. The addition of 10 or 20% coffee grounds to cow rations containing hay and grain or grain only, reduced the quantity of dry matter removed from the rumen, decreased the concentration of total VFA, and increased that of lactic acid. Holstein cows were used to compare grain rations containing 0 or 5% coffee grounds in one study and 0, 5 or 10% in a second study. In the first study, 5% coffee grounds in the grain ration did not have a detrimental effect on feed intake or production. In the second study, grain intake, milk production, and weight gain progressively decreased with increasing concentrations of grounds. In a third and fourth study coffee grounds were included in the grain rations of finishing cattle fed high-concentrate, low-roughage rations. Incremental additions of coffee grounds (5 or 10%) to the control grain ration resulted in incremental decreases in grain intake and weight gain.