Effect of Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles on Reproduction and Liver Fat Accumulation in Laying Hens

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted with Single Comb White Leghorn laying hens to determine the nutritional value of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDG/S) with respect to various production and liver characteristics. Adding 5% DDG/S to a wheat-based ration in Experiment 1 tended to improve egg production and adding the same level to either corn or wheat-based rations in Experiment 2 significantly (P < 0.05) improved egg weight but not rate of lay. Daily feed consumption was not significantly affected by adding various levels of DDG/S. Fertility and hatchability of fertile eggs were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments, but there was a tendency for both higher fertility and hatchability when DDG/S was included in the ration. Mortality and body weight increase were not significantly affected by supplementary DDG/S.Including 10% DDG/S in a wheat-based ration in Experiment 1 significantly reduced rate of egg production below that obtained with a 5% level of DDG/S. Adding 0.025% l-lysine to the diet with 10% DDG/S increased rate of egg production to a level equivalent to that obtained with 5% DDG/S. The apparent response to lysine was obtained with a basal ration calculated to contain 0.73% lysine, which is considerably in excess of the National Research Council recommendation.In both experiments, adding DDG/S tended to reduce liver fat accumulation, but the differences were not statistically significant. On the other hand, hens fed a corn ration had significantly more liver fat than hens fed wheat rations with 2.5% or more of DDG/S in Experiment 1. Likewise in Experiment 2, hens fed the basal corn ration had significantly more liver fat than hens fed wheat containing diets. The greater liver fat accumulation resulted both from an enlarged liver and in increased percent fat of the dry matter. Liver fat accumulation was not significantly increased by feeding a wheat diet made isocaloric with the corn diet by adding fat. Therefore, the increased liver fat accumulation associated with corn was not explained by its higher energy content.