2008 Univ of NE Swine Report- Effects of Increasing Concentrations of Distillers

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate growth performance of weanling pigs introduced to low concentrations (5%) of DDGS during phase 2 of the nursery period followed by high concentrations (30%) during phase 3 of the nursery period. Overall (day 0 to 42), pigs fed 5 or 30% DDGS in phase 2 (and 30% DDGS in phase 3) had decreased (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) compared to control pigs. In addition, pigs fed 30% DDGS (during phase 2 and 3) had decreased (P < 0.05) body weight (BW) compared to control pigs and pigs that only received DDGS during phase 3. However, pigs fed 0% DDGS during phase 2 (followed by 30% DDGS in phase 3) had similar BW, ADG and aver- age daily feed intake compared to pigs fed the control diet. This research indicates that the inclusion of DDGS during phase 2 of the nursery may negatively affect growth performance, particularly when followed by inclusion of high concentrations of DDGS during phase 3 of the nursery period. However, growth performance may be maintained when high concentrations of DDGS are included in the diets of pigs (with no previous expo- sure to DDGS) late in the nursery period.