Application of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a replacer of soybean meal in broiler chickens feeding
Abstract. Contemporarily, the production of high-grade ethyl alcohol enables obtaining dried distillers decoction that contains post-fermentation residues of cereal grains, solubles as well as yeast cells and their metabolites multiplied in the fermentation process, which makes that product applicable also in poultry feeding. Experiments were conducted on 540 broiler chickens of COBB 500 line. One-day chicks were randomly allocated to 3 nutritional groups: K, D1 and D2, each group consisted of 6 replicates of 30 birds. The factor that differentiated the groups was the content of dried wheat decoction in the starter type feed mixture (5% and 7%). Production results (individual body weight, feed intake and mortality) of the birds were controlled in a 42-day rearing period. On the 42nd day of rearing, 6 male and 6 female chickens from each group were chosen for slaughter that had body weights similar to the average of each group according to gender. The aim of this study was to determine experimentally whether the by-product of ethanol production is suitable for replacing soybean meal in feeding broiler chickens. The application of the wheat decoction had no negative effect on production results of the chickens. The birds fed a mixture with a higher content of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) were characterised by a similar body weight and better feed conversion ratio compared to the control birds. A properly-balanced (fibre, energy, amino acids) nutritional dose of the dried wheat decoction may be used as a good energy-protein component in feed mixtures for broilers. It is a rational means of DDGS management which is, simultaneously, a cheaper substitute for soybean meal.
