GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF GROW-FINISH PIGS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF HIGH QUALITY CORN DISTILLER&#039;S DRIED GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES

Carmencita  D. Mateo,; Soleil  B. Cabigting,

GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF GROW-FINISH PIGS FED DIETS CONTAINING GRADED LEVELS OF HIGH QUALITY CORN DISTILLER'S DRIED GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES

Carmencita D. Mateo | Soleil B. Cabigting

Abstract:

A feeding experiment was conducted to assess the effects of including graded levels of corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) originating from modern ethanol plant in the United States in diets on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of grow-finish pigs. Thirty-six crossbred (LW × LR) pigs (BW 15 ± 0.07 kg), with equal number of barrows and gilts, were blocked by gender and weight. Pigs within each block were randomly assigned to one of six dietary treatments (one pig/pen and six pens/ dietary treatment). Dietary treatments provided 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25% corn DDGS in the starter, grower and finisher diets. Experimental diets were least cost formulated to contain 3200 kcal ME/kg and 21% crude protein in the starter diet; 3100 ME kcal /kg and 17% crude protein in the grower diet, and 3100 ME kcal/kg and 16% crude protein in the finisher diet, respectively. Overall growth rate, ending body weight, feed conversion and carcass traits were similar among pigs regardless of level of dietary corn DDGS. The source of corn DDGS used in this study and the ME and digestible amino acid values used to formulate the diets seemed to support adequate performance and satisfactory carcass traits when corn DDGS replaced a portion of the corn, soybean meal, and dicalcium phosphate in grow-finish diets at inclusion levels up to 25%. However, the economic value of corn DDGS feeding in swine depends on the cost of corn and soybean meal, the two major feed ingredients that corn DDGS tend to replace in swine diets.