The Effects of Dietary Sand on the Usage of Diets Containing Brewer’s Dried Grains by Growing Chicks

The effect of dietary sand on the utilization of brewer’s dried grains (BDG) by growing chickens was studied. In the first experiment that lasted 6 weeks, starter pullets were fed different levels of BDG with or without dietary sand. In the second experiment, the chicks from Experiment 1 were continued on the same levels of BDG and sand for another 8 weeks. The experimental diets consisted of all combinations of five levels of BDG (0, 15, 20, 25, and 30%) with two levels of sand (0 and 4%). The third experiment consisted of feeding combinations of five levels of BDG (0, 25, 30, 35, and 40%) with two levels of sand (0 and 4%) to 6-week-old pullets for a period of 8 weeks. The results show that in Experiment 1, there was a significant interaction between BDG and sand with respect to rate of gain and feed conversion. With the inclusion of sand in the diet, the chicks were able to digest significantly (P<.05) higher levels of BDG than when no sand was fed. For the growers (Experiment 2), there was no advantage from the feeding of sand at the 4% level. However, if the amount of sand consumed is removed before the calculation of feed conversion, it can be seen that the use of sand improved feed conversion. For the growers, a higher level of dietary sand may be required for any effect to be noticed on their utilization of higher levels of BDG.