A dramatic increase in the use of grain for ethanol production has increased the availability and lowered the cost of corn dried distillers grain with solubles for use in livestock rations.

Dr Eduardo Beltranena, a feed research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, says corn DDGS can be included in pig diets at up to 30 to 35 percent but if those high inclusion rates are maintained to close to market weight backfat hardness and belly quality can be reduced.

Dr Eduardo Beltranena-Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

We did a study looking at the withdrawal rates of corn DDGS by feeding zero to 30 per cent all the way through to market or by using a reduction from 30 to 20 and 20 to 10 and 10 to zero of corn DDGS out of the last two finisher diets.

With this product we saw pretty much identical growth rates and feed intake and feed conversion efficiency to feeding no DDGS, feeding 30 percent DDGS or implementing any of the withdrawal strategies out of finisher diets so weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion were the same, income over feed cost, feed cost, all that was the same.

By implementing the corn DDGS withdrawal strategies we expect to mitigate the negative effect that feeding high levels of corn DDGS will have on backfat hardness and the quality of the belly.

Dr Beltranena notes there are benefits from feeding these products on loin quality but if the packer wants to maintain backfat hardness and belly quality corn DDGS will need to be removed from the diet two to three weeks prior to marketing.