Coprophagy, or feeding on manure, is not new in animal nutrition. For example, livestock feeding on a farm has frequently involved a system of beef cattle followed by hogs and subsequently chickens. Under such a programme the nutrition of the hogs and chickens is based on manure. The current interest in manure as a feedstuff is mostly due to the problem of waste disposal from intensive livestock and poultry operations. Apart from this problem it has been recognized that large amounts of nutrients are wasted. The re-use of manure is one way of creating edible protein from waste material which is often disposed of uneconomically and also creates a nuisance. The amount of excreta produced is considerable: a 2-kg hen produces 0.8 kg a week, a 650-kg cow 150 kg, an 80 kg pig 40 kg and a 45 kg pig 22 kg.
Wow I thought the USA outlawed cross species feeding years ago with the BSE scare. I’m so glad my family just let’s the cattle do cattle things on range land with range cubes and hay supplements in dry years or propane burnt paddle cactus pads. This is yet another reason I don’t eat on purpose feed lot beef.
The Asians have manure feed chains to an art form. It’s common in rural area’s for the human outhouse to be directly over either pig pens or fish ponds and chicken coups to also be over either. I have seen both setups in South East Asia. Hence is why never ever eat catfish from the Mekong Delta or fish ponds.
Manure is upwards of 50% single cell protein by dry mass it’s well known that beef manure is higher in protein than the intake feed because of the magic of the four stomachs making copious amounts of bacterial proteins. Still not a good reason to cross species it. Ferment it via digesters to methane and return the then pathogen free liquids to the fields closing the nutrient circle. Feeding it to animals that humans eat is purely for profits to reduce the cost of feed. The practice should be banned out right.