Utilization of distillers dried grains with solubles and phytase in sow lactation diets to meet the phosphorus requirement of the sow and reduce fecal phosphorus concentration1

The feeding of dried distillers' grains with solubles to lactating sows

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) in sow lactation diets. In Exp. 1, 168 multiparous sows (PIC, Camborough 22) were fed a 10% DDGS diet throughout gestation. Sows were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 corn-soybean meal lactation diets formulated to contain different levels of DDGS (0, 10, 20, and 30%, respectively). All diets were formulated to be isocaloric (3.46 Mcal ME/kg) and all other nutrients exceeded NRC (1998) nutrient recommendations. Sow ADFI was not different ( > 0.10) as DDGS level increased. Increasing DDGS resulted in a linear ( < 0.03) increase in sow weight gain (7.5, 11.3, 20.3, and 17.2 kg, respectively) and a reduction in wean-to-first-service interval (7.1, 5.2, 5.0, and 4.9 d, respectively). Increasing DDGS did not affect subsequent total born per litter (13.7, 12.8, 13.3, and 12.3, respectively; > 0.10). In Exp. 2 and 3, lactation diets consisted of corn and 20, 30, 40, or 50% DDGS. Diets were formulated at 3.25 Mcal ME/kg, 1.05% standardized ileal digestible lysine, and all other nutrients to exceed NRC (1998) nutrient recommendations. In both experiments, sows (PIC, Camborough) were fed 40% DDGS in gestation and allocated to a randomized complete block based on the parity of the sow at the time of entry into the farrowing house. In Exp. 2, 256 gilts and multiparous sows were fed the randomly assigned diets. As DDGS inclusion increased, sow feed intake (6.2, 6.2, 6.0, and 5.9 kg/d, respectively) and sow weight gain (10.5, 10.3, 8.2, and 6.2 kg, respectively) tended to linearly decrease ( < 0.06). Sow wean to estrus differed between 20 and 30% DDGS inclusion (4.9 vs. 6.9 d; < 0.01). Litter gain was not different (2.55, 2.53, 2.51, and 2.59 kg/d, respectively; > 0.10) as DDGS inclusion increased. In Exp. 3, 98 multiparous sows were randomly allotted to 1 of the 4 experimental diets during the summer months. Sow feed intake, sow weight gain, and litter gain were not different ( > 0.10) between treatments. The data suggest that feeding high levels of DDGS of 40 to 50% may reduce sow feed intake and litter performance. These results demonstrate that feeding up to 30% DDGS in lactation diets can be done without adversely influencing sow or litter performance.

Dietary effects of distillers dried grains with solubles on performance and milk composition of lactating sows

A study was conducted to evaluate the dietary effect of adding increasing concentrations of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to corn- and soybean meal-based sow lactation diets on sow and litter performance, energy and N digestibility, plasma urea N (PUN), and milk fat and protein concentrations. Mixed-parity sows [n = 307; 221 ± 15 kg of BW, 4.54 parities, litter size of 10.6, and litter weight at birth (alive) of 15.14 kg] were assigned randomly to 1 of 5 dietary treatments: control (CON; corn-soybean meal); 10, 20, and 30% DDGS; and 30% DDGS high-protein (HP) diets. Sows were moved to farrowing rooms on d 109 of gestation and were fed the dietary treatments until weaning. Within each treatment group, feces and urine for energy and N digestibility analysis (from d 10 to 12 of lactation) and blood for PUN analysis and milk fat and protein concentrations (on d 0 and 19 of lactation) were collected from 6 randomly chosen parity 3 to 5 sows. There were no dietary effects (P = 0.10) of DDGS on ADFI of sows and sow backfat change. However, sows fed 30% DDGS HP lost more BW compared with sows fed CON (P < 0.05). There were no dietary effects (P = 0.71) of DDGS on preweaning mortality of piglets, litter weight gain, and piglet ADG. Dietary treatments did not affect (P > 0.05) DE, ME, N retention, or N digestibility of the diets. There were no differences in the concentrations of fat and protein in milk at weaning (d 19) among dietary treatments. Sows fed 20 and 30% DDGS had less (P < 0.05) PUN at weaning (d 19) than sows fed CON and 30% DDGS HP. Inclusion of up to 30% DDGS in a lactation diet did not affect (P > 0.05) sow and litter performance, DE and ME contents of the diets, N retention and digestibility, and milk composition compared with sows fed a corn-soybean meal CON diet. It was concluded that addition of up to 30% DDGS in a lactation diet will support satisfactory sow and litter performance.

Board-invited review: the use and application of distillers dried grains with solubles in swine diets

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) may be included in diets fed to pigs in all phases of production. The concentrations of DE and ME in DDGS are similar to those in corn. Phosphorus in DDGS is highly digestible to pigs and apparent total tract digestibility values of approximately 60% have been reported. The concentration of starch in DDGS is low (i.e., between 3 and 11%), but the concentration of fat in DDGS is approximately 10% and the concentrations of ADF, NDF, and total dietary fiber in DDGS are approximately 3 times greater than those in corn (9.9, 25.3, and 42.1%, respectively). The apparent total tract digestibility of dietary fiber is less than 50%, which results in reduced digestibility values for DM and energy in DDGS. The concentrations of most AA in DDGS are approximately 3 times greater than those in corn, but the standardized ileal digestibility of most AA is approximately 10 percentage units less than in corn. Nursery pigs from 2 to 3 wk postweaning, and growing and finishing pigs may be fed diets containing up to 30% DDGS without any negative impact on growth performance. However, the carcass fat in pigs fed diets containing DDGS has a greater iodine value than the carcass fat in pigs not fed DDGS. It may, therefore, be necessary to withdraw DDGS from the diet of finishing pigs during the final 3 to 4 wk before slaughter to achieve the desired pork fat quality. Lactating sows can also be fed diets containing up to 30% DDGS, and DDGS can replace all the soybean meal in diets fed to gestating sows without negatively affecting sow or litter performance. Inclusion of DDGS in diets fed to pigs may improve immune system activation, but more research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for these effects. Manure volume will increase when DDGS is included in the diets because of the reduced digestibility of DM in DDGS. Nitrogen excretion may also increase, but this can be prevented by the use of crystalline AA in diets containing DDGS. In contrast, P excretion can be reduced in diets containing DDGS if the total dietary concentration of P is reduced to compensate for the greater digestibility of P in DDGS. In conclusion, DDGS can be included in diets fed to growing pigs in all phases of production, beginning at 2 to 3 wk postweaning, in concentrations of up to 30% DDGS, and lactating and gestating sows can be fed diets containing up to 30 and 50%, respectively, without negatively affecting pig performance.