PROBIOTIC FEED PROCESSING AND ENDOMETRITIS MANAGEMENT IN BALI CATTLE IN KUPANG, EAST NUSA TENGGARA: A REVIEW

Background: Bali cattle are the backbone of smallholder beef production in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Indonesia, yet their reproductive efficiency is constrained by long dry seasons, poor-quality forage and postpartum uterine disease.
Objective: This review synthesises published evidence on two linked interventions: probiotic-based feed processing and the management of endometritis in Bali cattle under Kupang conditions.
Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted using Indonesian and international journals, proceedings and theses indexed in Garuda, DOAJ, PubMed Central and university repositories. Sources were screened for relevance to Bali cattle, dryland NTT production systems and bovine endometritis, and findings were synthesised qualitatively.
Results: Probiotic fermentation of local fibrous feeds (kume grass, rice straw, crop residues) consistently raised crude protein and lowered crude fibre. In a Kupang feeding trial, hydrolysed kume hay with probiotic additives raised daily gain from 0.38 to 0.70 kg/head. Field data from Kupang Regency show a pregnancy rate of only 45%; reproductive disorders affected 58% of Bali cows in a large field survey, and endometritis accounted for about 8% of disorder cases in another. Standard therapy relies on intrauterine antibiotics, povidone-iodine or Lugol's solution, and PGF2α, while lactic acid bacteria (LAB) given intravaginally or intrauterine are an emerging, antibiotic-sparing option.
Conclusion: Combining probiotic-fermented dry-season feed with early postpartum examination and PGF2α-based endometritis therapy is the most practical path to shorter calving intervals in Kupang. Controlled trials of probiotics and uterine LAB in Bali cows are still lacking.