Tea residue, as a byproduct in tea processing, is highly nutritious and can be used as a good raw material for ruminant feed. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) and Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) mixed fermentation of tea residue mixture (tea residue:wheat bran, 7:3) on chemical composition, bacterial community, and rumen degradation rate. Changes in chemical composition and bacterial community were evaluated after 0 (F0), 1

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... ), 3 (F3), and 5 (F5) days of fermentation. The rumen degradation rate was studied by the in situ nylon bag method. Compared with group F0, acid soluble protein in other groups increased while pH and neutral detergent fiber decreased (p < 0.05). The group F5 was the best. The diversity of bacterial communities in group F0 was significantly lower than those in the other groups (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of phylum Firmicutes and the genus Lactobacillus increased with increasing fermentation time. The rumen degradation rates of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber were increased after fermentation. In conclusion, mixed fermentation of tea residue by L. plantarum and B. licheniformis can ameliorate chemical composition, reduce bacterial community diversity, and improve the rumen degradation rate.