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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #223312
Title: Effects of 20% wet distiller's grains plus solubles in steam-flaked and dry-rolled corn-based finishing diets

Author
item MACDONALD, JAMES - TX AGRILIFE RESEARCH
item JENKINS, KARLA - TX AGRILIFE RESEARCH
item MCCOLLUM, TED - TX AGRILIFE RESEARCH
item Cole, Noel

Submitted to: American Society of Animal Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/9/2008
Publication Date: 7/11/2008
Citation: MacDonald, J.C, Jenkins, K.H., McCollum, F.T., Cole, N.A. 2008. Effects of 20% wet distiller's grains plus solubles in steam-flaked and dry-rolled corn-based finishing diets [abstract]. Abstracts of American Dairy Science Association and American Society of Animal Science Joint Meeting, July 7-11, 2008, Indianapolis, Indiana. No. 732. 2008 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Two hundred sixty-four crossbred yearling heifers (354 ± 1 kg) were blocked by weight and used in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to determine effects of wet distiller's grains plus solubles (WDGS) derived from corn on animal performance, carcass characteristics, and the amount of manure harvested in steam-flaked corn (SFC) and dry-rolled corn (DRC) based finishing diets. Heifers were fed DRC or SFC based finishing diets with or without 20% WDGS (DM basis). Control diets with no WDGS were formulated to contain 13.5% CP. The WDGS replaced 15.2 percentage units of corn and 4.8 percentage units of cottonseed meal. All diets contained 10% alfalfa hay, 2% supplemental yellow grease, 4% glycerin, 1.2% urea, and 0.70% Ca. There were 24 pens (n=6 per treatment) that housed 8, 10, or 18 heifers with pen size serving as a blocking factor. Heifers were implanted once with Revalor-H® approximately 120 days before slaughter and were on feed for an average of 154 d. No corn processing method by WDGS inclusion interactions were found for any response variable (P > 0.39). Heifers consuming SFC-based diets had lower DMI (P < 0.01), similar ADG (P = 0.71), and greater feed efficiency (P < 0.05) than heifers consuming DRC-based diets. Corn processing method had no effect on any carcass characteristic (P > 0.58). There was a slight tendency for heifers consuming WDGS to have greater final BW (P = 0.15), ADG (P = 0.18), and hot carcass weight (P = 0.16). Inclusion of WDGS did not impact any other animal performance or carcass characteristic (P > 0.22). Feeding DRC resulted in increased manure OM harvested heifer-1 d-1 (P < 0.01) compared to SFC and feeding WDGS resulted in a slight tendency to increase manure OM harvested heifer-1 d-1 (P = 0.16). These data indicate that corn processing method has a greater impact on animal performance and amount of manure harvested than does the inclusion of WDGS when WDGS is included at 20% of diet DM.