Effects of feeding distillers dried grains with solubles to broilers from 0 to 42 days posthatch on broiler performance, carcass characteristics, and selected intestinal characteristics

In this study, we evaluated the effects of feeding 0 vs. 8% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in a broiler diet during the starter and grower phases (0 to 14 to 28 d; 40 replicates/treatment) and subsequently feeding each of these a finisher diet (28 to 42 d) with either 0, 7, 14, 21, or 28% DDGS (8 replicates/treatment). During the starter phase, DDGS in the diet resulted in significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher FCR for birds. The same effect occurred in the 0- to 28-d period, along with a significant decrease in BW gain. During the finisher phase, as DDGS increased in the diet past 14%, a significant linear decrease in BW gain and feed intake was observed compared with the control. Cumulative BW gain and feed intake exhibited a similar response. Dressing percentage and breast meat yield declined in a linear manner with increasing DDGS. Increasing DDGS in the finisher-phase diet resulted in an increase in large intestine and relative gizzard weights. High levels of DDGS linearly decreased the presence of Escherichia coli in the ileum based on selective media analysis. Prefinisher × finisher interactions were observed for ileal E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes as well as for L. monocytogenes in the ceca based on selective media analysis. Distillers dried grains with solubles can be effectively incorporated into commercial broiler finisher diets up to a 42-d slaughter age at levels up to 14% of the diet.