Corn Processing Co-products Manual
A REVIEW OF CURRENT RESEARCH ON DISTILLERS GRAINS AND CORN GLUTEN
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DDGS IN POULTRY DIETS
Dr. Sheila E. Scheideler
Department of Animal Science
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Dried distillers grains feed products are not new to the poultry industry. Such co-products of the brewers industry have been available for quite some time. Distillers dried grains and distillers solubles have been regarded as good sources of vitamins and protein for poultry diets despite known deficiencies of particular amino acids and sometimes an abundance of fiber. Most of the distillers grains and solubles used in the past few decades were derived from barley distillation. On a protein basis, distillers feeds are deficient in the same amino acids as their parent grains. However, the concentration of essential minerals and vitamins increases in the distillers products compared to their parent grains.The official 1984 NRC definition of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles was "the product after the removal of ethyl alcohol by distillation from the yeast fermentation of a grain or grain mixture by condensing and drying at least three-quarters of the solids of the resultant whole stillage by methods employed in the grain distilling industry".The predominating grain shall be declared as the first word in the name. (Taken from "Poultry Feeds and Nutrition", Patrick and Schaible, 1980).
Research conducted in the mid 1980's evaluated the nutritional value of mostly barley distillers grains in poultry diets (Newman et al., 1985; Parsons, 1985; and Benabdeljelil and Jensen, 1989). Newman reported in 1985 that broiler chicks could be fed up to 10% barley distillers grains with equal performance to a corn soy diet. Further fermentation of the distillers grains with a microorganism did tend to improve feed quality of the distillers grains product tested. Benabdeljelil and Jensen, 1989, reported that up to 30% DDGS could be fed to laying hens with no negative effects on egg numbers but with a negative effect on egg size in young hens.They also observed some improvement in shell breaking strength when DDGS was added at a rate of 30%.There was reference to a theory that feeding DDGS may improve interior egg quality (Haugh units) in the laying hen but this theory was not substantiated in this study.
More recently, a renewed interest in the use of corn distillers dried grains has been taken by the poultry industry here in the Midwest due to the sharp increase in corn ethanol producing plants. Interest in using DDGS and DDG in poultry rations, particularly laying hen rations has escalated and usage levels have increased exponentially during the past 5 years. In coincidence with the explosion of ethanol producing plants in the Midwest, (particularly Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota), Iowa has become the number one egg producing state in the nation with over 20 million layers. Nebraska ranks 8th in the nation with 12 million layers. Poultry feeds have become a target industry for the co-products of the ethanol industry, particularly dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). As the interest and use of DDGS has increased, the number of research publications on the "new" feeding value of corn DDGS has also risen. While we have good background information from the feeding of barley DDGS, more current research with corn DDGS has been needed by the poultry industry.
The University of Minnesota has led the field on DDGS research in poultry. A landmark publication by Spiehs, et al., in 2002 from the University of Minnesota, surveyed the nutrient content of DDGS from 10 new ethanol plants in Minnesota and South Dakota. Results of this survey are presented in Table 1.Within the nutrient mean averages, coefficients of variation were less than 5 % for dry matter, calculated M.E. and less than 10% for crude protein, fat, fiber and some amino acids. Unfortunately, coefficients of variation for the first two limiting amino acids in poultry diets, methionine and lysine, were high (13.6 and 17.3, respectively). Coefficients of variation for phosphorus and zinc were also high (11.7 and 80.4%, respectively). Noll et al. (2003) surveyed four commercial plants during the spring of 2002 taking a total of 22 DDGS samples. Nutrient averages reported by Noll are also given in Table 1. Noll reported lower levels of protein, ash, fiber, methionine, lysine and phosphorus compared to the earlier survey by Spiehs, 2002. Noll reported less variation within a plant than between plants. The nutrient showing the most variability was sodium.
Noll and Brannon (2005) conducted a study in turkeys testing the acceptable inclusion level of DDGS in turkey rations as influenced by dietary protein level.They reported that up to 20% DDGS could be fed in turkey tom grower/finisher diets but that when high levels of protein were fed to turkey toms, improved performance could be managed with a 15% inclusion rate.
Most poultry rations are formulated on a least cost basis with ingredient maximums set by a nutritionist. Current practice by poultry nutritionists is to set a maximum limit of inclusion rate for DDGS in layer rations at 8-10%. More research is needed to justify going higher than these levels at this time.
REFERENCES
Amezcua, C.Martinez, C. M Parsons, and S.L. Noll, 2004. Content and relative bioavailability of phosphorus in distillers dried grains with solubles in chicks. Poultry Science 83:971-976.
Benabdeljelil , K. and L.S. Jensen, 1989. Effects of distillers dried grains with solubles and dietary magnesium, vanadium and chromium on hen performance and egg quality. Nutrition Reports Int.,Vol. 39:451-459.
Lumpkins, B.S. and A.B. Batal, 2005.The bioavailability of lysine and phosphorus in distillers dried grains with solubles. Poultry Science 84:581-586.
Newman, R.K., K Nash Centers, and C.W. Newman, 1985. Nutritional value of barley distillers grains fed to broiler chicks, with and without fermentation. Nutrition Reports Int.Vol. 32:93-101.
Noll, S., C. Abe and J. Brannon, 2003. Nutrient composition of corn distill dried grains with solubles. Poultry Science 82 (Supplement):71.
Noll, S.L. and J. Brannon, 2005. Influence of dietary protein level and inclusion level in DDGs on performance of market tom turkeys. Gobbles,Vol 62, No.4, p. 6-8. Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.
Parsons, C.M., 1985. Influence of caecectomy on digestibility of amino acids by roosters fed distillers dried grains with solubles. J. Agric. Sci., Camb. 104:469-472.
Patrick, H., and P.J. Schaible, 1980. Poultry: Feeds and Nutrition. AVI Publishing Company,Westport, Connecticut.
Spiehs, M.J., M.H.Whitney and G.C. Shurson, 2002. Nutrient database for distillers dried grains with solubles produced from new ethanol plants in Minnesota and South Dakota. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. 80:2639-2645.
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For more information on DDGS in poultry diets, contact: Dr. Sheila Scheideler • University of Nebraska-Lincoln • Department of Animal Science Room 206 • Lincoln, NE 68583-0908 • 402-472-6451
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Date published: January, 2005
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