THE EFFECTS OF INCLUSION OF GRADED LEVELS OF BREWERS DRIED GRAINS (BDG) IN THE DIETS OF EARLY-WEANED PIGS ON THEIR PERFORMANCE UP TO 10 WEEKS OF AGE

Abstract


 
 
 
 Forty-eight (48) Yorkshire female and castrated male pigs early weaned at 21 days, with average initial body weight of 8.14 kg were used to assess the effects of including graded levels of Brewers dried grains (BDG) in their diets on their performance until 10 weeks of age. Brewers dried grains were added to the 18 per cent crude protein corn-soy bean meal diets at the rate of O, 5, 10 or 15% level, each BDG level constituting a treatment Inclusion of BDG up to 15% had no adverse effect on the total gains and average daily weight gains of the test pigs. However, although the average daily feed intake and feed: gam ratio did not differ between the control pigs and those pigs with 5 and 10% BDG in their diets (between which there was no difference), the 15% BDG increased both average daily feed intake and feed: gain ratio. Not only did the pigs on 15% BDG consume more feed per unit of gain, they also scoured more frequently than the others, showing a lower degree of tolerance for increased fiber level (unlike the older pigs reported in the literature). The results of this study thus confirm the feasibility of using BDG in the diet of early weaned pigs, although the degree of tolerance appears to be age or body weight dependent.