AgBIO COMMUNICATIONS UNIT
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
For release: Jan. 18, 2002
Contact: Bob Thaler, (605) 688-5011
DDGS Can Work Well in Swine Rations
BROOKINGS, S.D. -- Byproducts of ethanol plants such as distillers dried grains with solubles, or DDGS, can be used in a variety of swine rations, a South Dakota State University Extension specialist said.
SDSU Extension Swine Specialist Bob Thaler cautioned that lysine content in DDGS can vary widely, and he recommended that producers test each load of DDGS they purchase for lysine, then build their rations. Lysine is an essential amino acid that swine require at different levels during different stages of development.
Producers can mail samples to
Oscar E. Olson Biochemistry Labs, South Dakota State University, ASC 133, Box 2170, Brookings, SD 57007-1217. Sample several locations and send at least one pint in a plastic, self-sealing bag. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number and information about what tests you want, and keep the cover letter separate from the sample or it may be damaged by moisture.Thaler also warns that mycotoxins, the molds that sometimes occur in grains, can sometimes be a concern in feeding DDGS. The molds can be present in the grain or they can get started growing on DDGS during storage. He recommends that producers start with a low inclusion rate and monitor the animals' eating habits -- swine will start backing away from their feed if they sense mycotoxins.
Thaler said DDGS isn't recommended at all for starter pigs because of their high amino acid requirements. Here are some of Thaler's recommendations about using DDGS for other pigs:
Grow-finish pigs: "Research shows that you can add 10 percent DDGS and get normal growth," Thaler said. "If you add 20 percent DDGS, you're going to have to add some synthetic lysine, but that also gives you normal growth." At 30 percent, Thaler cautioned, producers have to add additional amino acids -- threonine and tryptophan -- plus synthetic lysine, which can be cost-prohibitive.
Gestating sows: "This is probably the best place to look at using DDGS. They have a low lysine requirement. A gestating sow requires .5 percent lysine and DDGS is .75, .78, so it's higher than the animal's requirement. Also it has a lot more available phosphorus. It contains .6 percent available phosphorus, and a gestating sow's requirement for available phosphorus is .5 percent. So basically we can meet the animal's requirement for lysine and the available phosphorus level by using distillers dried grain as the sole grain source.
"What I would recommend to producers feeding it to gestating sows is that they start off with 25 percent of the ration distillers dried grain, and then balance on lysine and also look at phosphorus levels. If that's working, gradually start bumping up. If things are working well, you can go with it as the sole protein source in gestating sows."
Lactating sows: Thaler recommends starting off with 10 percent DDGS in a ration and go up all the way to 25 percent. He doesn't recommend going any higher because of the low amino acids in DDGS as well as the high fiber in DDGS, which can become an issue with gut fill. In addition lactating sows need additional protein from a feed source such as soybean meal.
--ljn--