Nonruminant Nutrition: DDGS

Three experiments were carried out to evaluate the growth performance and breast yield of broiler chickens fed diets with increasing levels of DDGS and the additions of different enzymes to compensate the energy reduction in DDGS-added diets. In all the experiments Ross B308 male broilers were individually fed. In Exp. 1, 96 broilers from 21 to 35 d of age were used and assigned to 8 treatments in a factorial combination of 2 diets based either on sorghum (S) or corn (C) and 4 increasing dietary levels of DDGS (0, 5, 10 and 15%). Diets were formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of grower broilers. In Exp. 2, 80 broilers from 35 to 49 d of age were used and assigned to the same treatments used in Experiment 1, but diets were formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of finisher broilers. In Exp. 3, 84 broilers from 32 to 49 d of age were used and assigned to 6 dietary treatments in a factorial combination of 2 cereals: S or C and 3 diets: 1) S or C plus soybean meal (SBM) and 3200 kcal of ME/kg, 2) S or C, SBM, 10% DDGS and 3200 kcal of ME/kg, and 3) S or C, SBM, 10% DDGS but reductions of 100 kcal of ME/kg, 0.12% Ca and 0.12% available P, and added with 200 ppm of phytase (Ronozyme-P [CT]), 175 ppm of glucanase (Ronozyme VP) and 175 ppm of xylanase (Ronozyme WX). In Exp. 1, the feed intake and weight gain were better when 10% DDGS was included in the diet. In Exp. 2, the weight gain, feed conversion and energetic efficiency were improved (P < 0.01) at each increment of DDGS in the diet; the best responses were observed for dietary levels of 10 and 15% DDGS. In Exp. 3, there was not any negative effect on the growth performance of broilers fed a low-energy, low-Ca and low-available P diet supplemented with phytase, glucanase and xylanase. In summary, 10% and between 10 and 15% of DDGS can be included in the diet of grower and finisher broilers, respectively, without any negative effect on the growth performance even in low-energy, Ca and P diets added with phytase, glucanase and xylanase enzymes