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Swine nutritionist says watch DDGS

Today’s distillers dried grains with solubles, DDGs, come in different forms today and could affect livestock nutrition.  University of Missouri Swine Nutrition Specialist and animal science professor Marcia Shannon says producers need to be aware of what they’re getting, “Traditional distillers grains always had 10% more crude fat and now they’ll range anywhere from less than 4% which we consider de-oiled distillers grains. Or, anywhere from 5 to 9% which we consider low-fat distillers grains.”

And that affects nutritional quality of the feed. She says ethanol plants have discovered more benefits from the oil in that by-product, “That oil, that corn oil, they can sell through the human market at a higher value than they can ever extract out of feeding it as a livestock feed.”

She says low-fat DDGS are okay but de-oiled DDGS with less than 5 percent oil WILL affect net energy, “We know more energy that you feed pigs grow better and you have better feed efficiency. So, if you start feeding a low energy diet you’re going to have some impacts on overall performance of those pigs that will be observable probably.”

Shannon says current research shows you can feed the de-oiled DDGS up to about 30% of a hog’s diet but may also have to supplement for that lost energy. Shannon was a presenter at the Missouri Pork Expo earlier this month.