Nutritive and economic values of corn distiller's dried grains with solubles in broiler diets

A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of the addition of corn distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to broiler diets on growth performance and meat characteristics. A total of 3,200 d-old, unsexed Cobb-500 broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 16 pens (replicates), with 200 chicks per pen. There were four diet treatments (0, 5, 10, and 15% DDGS), and four replicates per treatment. From 8 to 21 d of age, the birds were fed broiler starter diets containing similar energy (TMEn 3,100 kcal/kg) and protein (21.6%) contents. From 22 to 35 d of age, they were fed grower diets containing similar nutrients (3,150 kcal/kg, 19.5% crude protein). No significant difference was found in growth performances among the four treatments. As the DDGS level increased, the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in meat increased (p<0.05). The color scores of breast and thigh muscles were not significantly influenced by DDGS, however, the yellowness of shank increased significantly by the addition of DDGS. The hardness of breast and thigh meats was not affected by the addition of DDGS. It was shown that the use of DDGS in broiler diets up to 15% could decrease the feed cost by replacing part of corn and soybean meal, without any negative effect on growth performance and meat qualities.