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This study evaluated the effects of multienzyme supplementation on growth performance, digestibility of GE and nutrients, and characteristics of intestinal content in growing pigs fed diets containing corn distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or wheat middlings (WM). Fifty-four individually housed pigs (25.33 ± 0.41 kg) were blocked by BW and sex and randomly assigned to 1 of 6 dietary treatments (n = 9) in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 levels of carbohydrases (0 vs. 100 mg/kg; 1,500 units/g xylanase, 1,100 units/g beta-glucanase, 110 units/g mannanase, and 35 units/g galactosidase) and 3 basal diets (corn-soybean control [CSB], CSB + 40% DDGS, or CSB + 30% WM). Titanium dioxide (0.5%) and phytase (1,000 phytase units/kg) were added to all diets. On d 29, pigs were euthanized and digesta (jejunum, ileum, and cecum) was collected. The whole digesta was directly submitted to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry for metabolome analysis. The mono-sugar concentrations at the liquid portion of digesta (centrifuged at 18,000 × g for 10 min) were determined. The partial least squares discriminant analysis model clearly separated cecal metabolomes of the CSB, DDGS, and WM diets (positive and negative detection mode) but not with or without carbohydrases. Dietary treatments differences were not separated based on ileal metabolome. The addition of carbohydrases increased (P < 0.05) xylose concentration of jejunal and ileal digesta supernatant only in the WM diet, but not in the CSB and DDGS diets, as indicated by the interaction (P < 0.05) between basal diets and carbohydrases addition. The interaction (P < 0.05) was also observed for the galactose concentration of ileal fluid, which was increased (P < 0.05) by carbohydrase addition into the CSB diet but not into the WM and DDGS diets. The glucose concentration of ileal fluid was improved (P < 0.05) by carbohydrase addition regardless of basal diets. Pigs fed CSB diets had greater (P < 0.05) glucose and mannose concentration at the ileum and galactose concentration at the cecum compared with pigs fed WM and DDGS diets. The inclusion of DDGS resulted in decreases in the glucose concentration of jejunal fluid and galactose concentration of ileal fluid compared with CSB diets. Pigs fed WM diets had greater mannose concentration at the jejunum and galactose concentration at the ileum compared with pigs fed DDGS diets. The addition of WM also resulted in increases in the xylose concentration of ileal and cecal fluids compared with the CSB and DDGS diets. In conclusion, carbohydrase supplementation increased xylose release at the upper but not the lower digestive tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High variability in amino acid (AA) content and digestibility among sources of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) create challenges for nutritionists when using it in precision nutrition feeding programs. The objective of this meta-analysis was to develop prediction equations for standardized ileal digestible content (SIDC) of AA in DDGS for poultry. A meta-analysis based on 86 observations from 19 publications was conducted to develop equations for predicting SIDC of AA based on chemical composition in DDGS. A mixed model was used to develop prediction equations for SIDC of AA, and a backward selection of variables was conducted based on chemical composition of DDGS. Each total AA content was the best predictor of SIDC for all indispensable AA. The prediction equations for SIDC of Met and Lys were y = –0.12 + 1.05 × Met (R2 = 0.899) and y = –0.22 + 0.91 × Lys (R2 = 0.870), respectively. The prediction equations for SIDC of Met and Lys using data from broiler chick assays were y = –0.16 + 1.12 × Met (R2 = 0.809) and y = –0.24 + 0.90 × Lys (R2 = 0.731), respectively, and equations derived from rooster assay data for Met and Lys were y = –0.05 + 0.97 × Met (R2 = 0.996) and y = –0.20 + 0.97 × Lys (R2 = 0.982), respectively. For all the prediction equations, the intercept (=0) and slope (=1) were not different (P > 0.10) between predicted and observed SID AA values, indicating high accuracy of the models. In conclusion, equations for predicting SIDC of AA in DDGS were developed and showed that total concentration of each AA was the best predictor of SDIC. These prediction equations can be used by animal nutritionists to more accurately estimate SIDC of AA among DDGS sources in diet formulations for precision poultry nutrition feeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of lipid source on energy and lipid digestibility, and on metabolic oxidation status of nursery pigs fed diets containing 10% of soybean oil (SO), choice white grease (CWG), palm oil (PO), or 1 of 2 different sources of distillers corn oil (DCOl and DCO2). Fifty-four barrows weaned at 28-d of age were fed a common starter diet from d 1 to 7, followed by group feeding their respective experimental diets (either 100% basal or 90% basal + 10% test lipid) from d 8 to 14 to adapt the pigs to their dietary treatments and to optimize subsequent feed intake. For the next 10 d (d 15 to 24), pigs were moved to metabolism crates for continued diet adaptation and to become accustomed to the twice daily feeding regimen in the metabolism crates. Following this period, a 4-d total fecal and urine collection occurred (d 25 to 29, final BW 11.03 ± 0.51 kg) to determine apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and lipids, and to determine the DE and ME content of each lipid source. After an overnight fast of 12 h, urine was collected for 5 h, quantified, and subsequently analyzed for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and isoprostane (IsoP) concentration. Following this collection, serum was obtained and analyzed for TBARS. Soybean oil had greatest (P < 0.05) DE (9388 kcal/kg) content compared with DCOl, DCO2, CWG, PO, and SO containing 8001, 8052, 8531, 8293, and 9388 kcal/kg lipid, respectively. Digestible energy as a percentage of GE was greatest (P < 0.05) for SO when compared to the other lipid sources (P < 0.05). The ATTD of EE averaged 85.0% and varied slightly (84.4% to 85.6%) among treatments. Differences in ME among lipids were similar to that for DE, with ME values for DCOl, DCO2, CWG, PO, and SO containing 7921, 7955, 8535, 8350, and 9408 kcal/kg lipid, respectively. Metabolizable energy as a percentage of DE did not differ between lipid sources. Pigs fed the diets containing lipids had higher (P < 0.05) plasma TBARS compared to pigs fed the control diet, but no differences were noted in urinary TBARS excretion among treatments. Urinary IsoP excretion differed among treatments (P < 0.01), but was highly variable (34.0 to 104.6 pg/ml). These results indicate that DE and ME values vary among lipid sources and appear to have variable effects on metabolic oxidation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration of SID AA is highly variable among DDGS sources. The range in SID Lys content for DDGS sources reported in the literature varies from 0.088 to 0.929% (DM basis). Therefore, accurate prediction of SID AA content in DDGS sources is essential to capture the greatest nutritional value and manage variability when formulating DDGS diets for swine. A meta-analysis was conducted using a database representing 19 published studies and 99 DDGS sources to predict the SID essential AA content of DDGS based on chemical composition. Samples of corn (n = 85), wheat (n = 6), sorghum (n = 2), corn-wheat (n = 4), corn-sorghum (n = 1), and rice (n = 1) DDGS were included in the analysis. Wheat DDGS had greater CP (39.8 vs. 30.9%), ADF (20.8 vs. 13.0%), and Trp (0.39 vs. 0.23%) content, but lower crude fat (4.9 vs. 9.7%), Lys (0.64 vs. 0.92%) and Lys digestibility (44.6 vs. 61.8%; P < 0.05) compared with corn DDGS, respectively. For all types of DDGS, the best predictor of SID AA content was the corresponding total AA content (R2 ranged from 0.984 to 0.995). Fiber content (NDF, ADF or hemicellulose) had negative effects on SID content of AA, but the coefficient for fiber in prediction equations was small (-0.006 to -0.003 for NDF and -0.019 to -0.001 for ADF). For example, when NDF increased from 20.4 to 49.6% (minimum and maximum), the concentration of SID Lys and Thr decreased by 0.09 and 0.15%, respectively. The prediction models showed that the mean of radius (one-half the width) of the 95% confidence interval for the mean SID AA prediction was 0.030, 0.021, 0.024, and 0.012, respectively, for Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp. The radius of the 95% confidence interval provides a reference for establishing feed formulation safety margin coefficients. The prediction error and bias were 0.37 and 0.19 for Lys, 0.20 and -0.28 for Met, 0.32 and 0.48 for Thr, and 0.06 and -0.27 for Trp, respectively. In addition, internal validation of the model showed nonsignificant (P > 0.10) intercept (= 0) and slope (= 1) for established equations of predicted values against observed values for all SID AA. In conclusion, accurate prediction equations were developed for estimating individual SID essential AA content and suggested safety margins for DDGS from various grain sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding diets high in fiber (DF) increases mucin secretion and alters intestinal morphology. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different sources of DF on intestinal epithelial proliferation and differentiation in finishing pigs. Forty-six finishing pigs (BW 84 ± 7 kg) were fed 1 of 4 diets: control (corn-soybean; CON; n = 12), wheat straw (23%; WS; n = 11), corn distillers dried grains with solubles (55%; DDGS; n = 11), and soybean hulls (30%; SBH; n = 12). The WS, SBH, or corn DDGS was the only DF containing ingredient in each diet, CON and DF diets were formulated to contain 8.5 and 17% NDF, respectively. Pigs were fed an amount equal to 2.5% of initial BW for 14-d in metabolism cages. Ileum samples were collected for histology and gene expression analysis after euthanasia. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests in GraphPad Prism 6. Overall, DF diets were not different in proliferation (positive cells for Ki67/crypt) compared with CON. However, proliferation was greater (P < 0.05) for pigs fed DDGS (13.3 ± 0.8) than those fed SBH (10.0 ± 1.2). Presence of goblet cells (% area of mucosa) was greater (P < 0.05) in WS (11.5 ± 0.9) and DDGS (9.2 ± 0.5) diets compared with CON (8.2 ± 0.3) diet, WS diet was also greater (P < 0.05) than SBH (10.9 ± 0.6) diet. Furthermore, the expression of the mu-cinMuc2 was greater (P < 0.05) in all DF diets compared with CON. The expansion of the progenitor cell pool was tested by Olfm4 expression. Compared with CON, SBH decreased (P < 0.05) and DDGS increased Olfm4 (P < 0.05); and SBH showed lower (P < 0.05) expression than WS and DDGS diets. This suggests that DDGS induced Notch signaling. Enterocyte differentiation was demonstrated by changes in functional marker Fabp, and differentiation driver Hesl. No differences were observed in Fabp expression, but SBH decreased (P < 0.05) and DDGS tended to increase (P = 0.06) Hesl compared with CON. These observations suggest that feeding SBH may reduce, and DDGS may promote swine intestinal enterocyte differentiation. Secretory cell expansion is indicated by cell markers Muc2, ChgA, and Lyz, and differentiation drivers Atohl. DU4 and Sox9. Compared with CON, DDGS was a stronger inducer while SBH was a stronger repressor of secretory cells. These results indicate that sources of DF modulate different aspects of epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fiber plays an important role in the gastrointestinal inflammatory response. We hypothesized that the immune response is modulated differentially by the type of dietary fiber. Forty-six pigs (83.4 ± 6.7 kg) were divided into 4 groups and fed diets formulated with 3 different fiber sources: wheat straw (WS; n = 11), corn distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS; n = 11), and soybean hulls (SBH; n = 12). A corn-soybean meal diet was used as control (CON, n = 12). Test diets were formulated to contain approximately 17% NDF by adding 23% WS, 55% DDGS, or 30% SBH. Pigs were housed in metabolism cages, acclimated for 10-d and fed an amount equal to 2.5% of their initial BW for 14-d. Ileal tissue and blood samples were collected at euthanasia. To identify which genes expression in the ileum was changed, a commercial PCR array (Qiagen, PASS-011ZA) was used. The cDNA from the ileal RNA was pooled and expression of 84 immune markers; 5 housekeeping genes, and 7 quality controls were determined. Fold-change and statistical significance were calculated using Qiagen's RT2 analysis tool and 3-actin as housekeeping gene. Results with P < 0.001 were considered significant. The greatest change observed was IL23Ainductionby WS (256 fold) vs. DDGS (12 fold). Compared with WS, DDGS induced 2 and repressed 39 genes. Compared with SBH, DDGS induced 53 genes and repressed IL5RA. When compared with SBH, WS induced 48 and repressed 5 genes. To determine whether the type of dietary fiber alters the overall immune profile, plasma concentrations of cytokines and chemokines were measured using a porcine immunoassay panel on a Luminex 200. Fluorescent intensity data were analyzed by curve-fitting of standards to calculate sample concentrations. Group comparisons were tested by Mann-Whitney U test using GraphPad Prism 6. Overall, WS increased concentrations of cytokines while DDGS decreased them. Our results indicate that the immune response is modulated differently by type of dietary fiber source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress (HS) compromises growth performance and health status and is a major detrimental event in pig production. Zinc (Zn) has been explored as a supplement for protecting against the adverse effects of HS. In this study, metabolic effects of HS and Zn supplementation were evaluated by examining the lipidome of growing pigs fed with ZnNeg (no Zn supplementation), ZnIO (120 ppm ZnS04), or ZnAA (60 ppm ZnS04 + 60 ppm zinc amino acid complex) diets under diurnal HS (12 h at 37°C and 12 h at 25°C per day) or thermal-neutral (TN) condition (21°C). Diets were based on corn-soybean meal and formulated to meet NRC (2012) requirements. Following a 3 x 2 factorial design, crossbred gilts (71 ± 9 kg BW, n = 8/trt) were acclimated to experimental diets for 2 wk and then challenged with a diurnal HS treatment or maintained in a TN environment for 7 d. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based lipidomic analysis of serum, liver, cecal fluid, and fecal samples indicated that HS led to comprehensive changes in the lipidome while Zn supplementation selectively affected specific lipid species under HS. Compared to TN, HS decreased the levels of the phosphatidylcholines (PCs) containing odd chain fatty acids (pentadecanoic acid and hepta-decanoic acid) (P < 0.05) while it increased PCs containing very long chain fatty acid (carbon number > 22) or stearic acid in serum and the liver (P < 0.05). The HS group also had lower (P < 0.05) levels of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and their lysophosphatidylcholine and amide derivatives but higher (P < 0.05) levels of medium-chain dicarboxylic acids (suberic acid and sebacic acid) in cecal fluid and fecal samples than TN group. Moreover, under HS, ZnIO diet selectively increased acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid in cecal fluid (P < 0.05). Considering microbial metabolism is responsible for generating many of these lipid markers, HS and Zn supplementation might affect the lipidome partly through changing the metabolic activities of gut microflora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigs that grow slower than their contemporaries may be subject to complications in animal welfare. Competition at the feeder due to limited feeder space allowance and behavior of pigs may partially contribute to this slow growth. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of feeder space allowance on behavior of pigs during the nursery period. Pigs (n = 440) were monitored for growth performance from birth to market. Pigs were categorized as slow growers (SG) or fast growers (FG) based on their market weight adjusted to 170 d of age (SG ≤ 105 kg and FG > 125 kg). During the nursery period (4 to 9 wk of age), 8 pigs were housed in pens that provided either a 2-space or a 5-space feeder. The behavior of pigs (n = 192) in 24 pens (12 pens for each feeder space treatment) was video recorded for the first 4 d after entering nursery and on d 21 in the nursery, respectively. Marking chalk was used to mark the backs of pigs with different patterns for individual identification during video recording. Behavioral time budgets were calculated for each pig by scan sampling of the videos at 5-min intervals for 23 h each day during the recording period. In addition, 96 focal pigs (4 pigs from each of 24 pens) were identified and individually measured for feed consumption rates at 9 wk of age. Data were analyzed using the Glimmix procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). Pigs provided with 5-space feeders spent more time eating (5.0 vs. 4.7% [SE 0.2]; P = 0.05) than pigs provided with 2-space feeders, indicating that providing more feeder space may increase feeding motivation of pigs. Compared with their counterparts in pens with 2-space feeders, SG pigs in pens with 5-space feeders spent less time standing (8.7 vs. 9.9% [SE 0.7]; P < 0.05) and tended to spend more time lying (84.7 vs. 83.9% [SE 0.59]; P = 0.08). Feeder space treatments did not affect feed consumption rate and time spent drinking or fighting (P > 0.10). These results suggest that providing more feeder space may improve the welfare of SG pigs due to the increased eating and resting activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment consisting of 2 identically designed trials was conducted to determine the nutrient composition and AMEn content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to develop prediction equations for AMEjj in broilers. Fifteen samples of DDGS rang-ing in ether extract (EE) from 3.15 to 13.23% (DM basis) were collected from various dry-grind ethanol plants and were subsequently fed to broiler chicks to determine AMEn content. A corn-soybean meal control diet was formulated to contain 15% dextrose, and test diets were created by mixing the control diet with 15% DDGS at the expense of dextrose. In each trial, 672 male Ross x Ross 708 chicks were housed in grower battery cages with 7 birds per cage (0.06 m²/bird) and received a common starter diet until 10 d of age. Each cage was randomly assigned to 1 of 16 dietary treat-ments, with 6 replicate pens per treatment. Experimen-tal diets were fed over a 6-d acclimation period from 10 to 16 d of age, followed by a 48-h total excreta collec-tion period. Gross energy (GE) and CP of the experi-mental diets and excreta were determined to calculate AMEn for each DDGS sample. On a DM basis, AMEn of the 15 DDGS samples ranged from 1,869 to 2,824 kcal/kg. Analyses were conducted to determine the GE, CP, EE, DM, starch, total dietary fiber (TDF), neu-tral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and ash content of the DDGS samples. Stepwise re-gression resulted in the following best-fit equation for AMEn (DM basis) based on the adjusted coefficient of determination (R²adj)i SE, and prediction error sum of squares (PRESS): AMEn, kcal/kg = -12,282 + (2.60 x GE) + (89.75 x CP) + (125.80 x starch) - (40.67 x TDF; R²adj = 0.86; SE = 98.76; PRESS = 199,819; P < 0.001). These results indicated that the composition of DDGS with variable EE content may be used to predict AME., in broiler chicks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment consisting of 3 nearly identical trials was conducted to determine the AMEn content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to validate 4 previously published prediction equations for AMEn of corn DDGS in broilers. In addition, prior research data were used to generate a best-fit equa-tion for AMEn based on proximate analysis. Fifteen samples of DDGS ranging in ether extract (EE) from 4.98 to 14.29% (DM basis) were collected from various dry-grind ethanol plants and were subsequently fed to broiler chicks to determine AMEn content. A corn-soy-bean meal control diet was formulated to contain 15% dextrose and test diets were created by mixing the con-trol diet with 15% DDGS at the expense of dextrose. In each trial, male Ross x Ross 708 chicks were housed in grower battery cages and received a common starter diet until the experimental period. Each cage was ran-domly assigned to 1 of the dietary treatments (trial 1 and trial 2: control + 6 test diets, 13 replicates per diet; trial 3: control + 3 test diets, 12 replicates per diet). Ex-perimental diets were fed over a 6-d acclimation period, followed by a 48-h total excreta collection period. On a DM basis, AMEU of the 15 DDGS samples ranged from 1,975 to 3,634 kcal/kg. Analyses were conducted to de-termine gross energy, CP, EE, DM, starch, total dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, crude fiber (CF), acid detergent fiber, and ash content of the DDGS samples. All results were reported on a DM basis. Application of the 4 equations to the validation data resulted in root mean square error (RMSE) values of 335, 381, 488, and 502 kcal/kg, respectively. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator technique was applied to proximate analysis data for 30 corn coproducts adapted from prior research and resulted in the following best-fit equation: [AMEn (kcal/kg) = 3,673 - (121.35 x CF) + (51.29 x EE) - (121.08 x ash); P < 0.01; R² = 0.70; R²adj = 0.67; RMSE = 270 kcal/kg]. The RMSE values ob-tained through validation were not consistent with the expectation of predictive performance based on internal measures of fit for each equation. These results indicat-ed that validation is necessary to quantify the expected error associated with practical application of each indi-vidual prediction equation to external data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) feeding strategies (a corn-soybean meal (CS) fed continously; CS+40% DDGS fed continously; CS+40, 30, 20, or 10% DDGS in 4 phases, respectively; or CS+40% DDGS in phases 1 to 3 and CS in phase 4 before slaughter) on belly and pork fat quality of immunologically castrated (n=192) pigs were evaluated. All pigs received the first Improvest dose at 11week of age, and the second dose at 9, 7, or 5week before slaughter at 24week of age. Increasing the time interval of the second Improvest dose before slaughter reduced IV in all fat depots and increased belly thickness. Gradually decreasing dietary DDGS and DDGS withdrawal feeding strategies reduced IV in all fat depots. Calculated IV were greater using the Meadus et al. (2010) equation compared with using the AOCS (1998) equation because it includes more long-chain unsaturated fatty acids., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Effects of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) feeding strategies on carcass composition, primal cutout, and lean quality of immunologically castrated (IC; n=863) pigs were evaluated, and consisted of: 1) corn-soybean meal (CS) diet (PCon); 2) CS+40% DDGS (NCon); 3) CS+40, 30, 20, or 10% DDGS fed in phases 1 to 4, respectively (SD); or 4) CS+40% DDGS fed in phase 1 to 3 and CS in phase 4 (WD). All pigs received the first dose of Improvest® at 11weeks. of age, and the second dose was administered at either 9, 7, or 5weeks. before slaughter at 24weeks. of age. The SD and WD improved carcass dressing percentage and resulted in intermediate primal cut yields and pork loin quality compared with pigs fed PCon and NCon. Increasing the time interval between second dose of Improvest® and slaughter increased adipose tissue accretion but did not affect lean quality of pork., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An experiment consisting of 3 nearly identical trials was conducted to determine the AMEn content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to validate 4 previously published prediction equations for AMEn of corn DDGS in broilers. In addition, prior research data were used to generate a best-fit equation for AMEn based on proximate analysis. Fifteen samples of DDGS ranging in ether extract (EE) from 4.98 to 14.29% (DM basis) were collected from various dry-grind ethanol plants and were subsequently fed to broiler chicks to determine AMEn content. A corn-soybean meal control diet was formulated to contain 15% dextrose and test diets were created by mixing the control diet with 15% DDGS at the expense of dextrose. In each trial, male Ross × Ross 708 chicks were housed in grower battery cages and received a common starter diet until the experimental period. Each cage was randomly assigned to 1 of the dietary treatments (trial 1 and trial 2: control + 6 test diets, 13 replicates per diet; trial 3: control + 3 test diets, 12 replicates per diet). Experimental diets were fed over a 6-d acclimation period, followed by a 48-h total excreta collection period. On a DM basis, AMEn of the 15 DDGS samples ranged from 1,975 to 3,634 kcal/kg. Analyses were conducted to determine gross energy, CP, EE, DM, starch, total dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, crude fiber (CF), acid detergent fiber, and ash content of the DDGS samples. All results were reported on a DM basis. Application of the 4 equations to the validation data resulted in root mean square error (RMSE) values of 335, 381, 488, and 502 kcal/kg, respectively. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator technique was applied to proximate analysis data for 30 corn coproducts adapted from prior research and resulted in the following best-fit equation: [AMEn (kcal/kg) = 3,673 - (121.35 × CF) + (51.29 × EE) - (121.08 × ash); P < 0.01; R(2) = 0.70; R(2) adj = 0.67; RMSE = 270 kcal/kg]. The RMSE values obtained through validation were not consistent with the expectation of predictive performance based on internal measures of fit for each equation. These results indicated that validation is necessary to quantify the expected error associated with practical application of each individual prediction equation to external data., (Poultry Science Association Inc.)

An experiment consisting of 2 identically designed trials was conducted to determine the nutrient composition and AMEn content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to develop prediction equations for AMEn in broilers. Fifteen samples of DDGS ranging in ether extract (EE) from 3.15 to 13.23% (DM basis) were collected from various dry-grind ethanol plants and were subsequently fed to broiler chicks to determine AMEn content. A corn-soybean meal control diet was formulated to contain 15% dextrose, and test diets were created by mixing the control diet with 15% DDGS at the expense of dextrose. In each trial, 672 male Ross × Ross 708 chicks were housed in grower battery cages with 7 birds per cage (0.06 m(2)/bird) and received a common starter diet until 10 d of age. Each cage was randomly assigned to 1 of 16 dietary treatments, with 6 replicate pens per treatment. Experimental diets were fed over a 6-d acclimation period from 10 to 16 d of age, followed by a 48-h total excreta collection period. Gross energy (GE) and CP of the experimental diets and excreta were determined to calculate AMEn for each DDGS sample. On a DM basis, AMEn of the 15 DDGS samples ranged from 1,869 to 2,824 kcal/kg. Analyses were conducted to determine the GE, CP, EE, DM, starch, total dietary fiber (TDF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and ash content of the DDGS samples. Stepwise regression resulted in the following best-fit equation for AMEn (DM basis) based on the adjusted coefficient of determination (R(2)adj), SE, and prediction error sum of squares (PRESS): AMEn, kcal/kg = -12,282 + (2.60 × GE) + (89.75 × CP) + (125.80 × starch) - (40.67 × TDF; R(2)adj = 0.86; SE = 98.76; PRESS = 199,819; P ≤ 0.001). These results indicated that the composition of DDGS with variable EE content may be used to predict AMEn in broiler chicks.

The effect of sulfate in drinking water at concentrations of 600, 1,200, and 1,800 mg/L on nursery pig performance and health was evaluated over 28 days on 415 weaned pigs. Sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate were evaluated in combination at concentrations of 600, 1,200, and 1,800 mg/L, and independently at concentrations of 600 and 1,800 mg/L in the drinking water. Seven treatment groups and 1 control group were evaluated for mean gain, feed consumption, water consumption, feed conversion, prevalence of diarrhea, and evidence of common post-weaning enteric pathogens. Statistical analysis was performed, using analysis of variance with repeated measures including initial pig weight as a covariate. Prevalence of diarrhea was analyzed nonparametrically with a repeated measures design. Results indicated that pigs drinking 600, 1,200, or 1,800 mg of sulfate/L water had increased prevalence of nonpathogenic diarrhea during the trial period. There was a trend for increased water consumption corresponding to increased sulfate in the water. Differences in mean daily gain, feed consumption, or feed-to-gain ratios were not observed. Forty-five pigs were treated at least once during the trial and 4 pigs died, resulting in a nursery morbidity of 11% and mortality of 0.96%. Fourteen isolates of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli were found and rotavirus was isolated from 1 pig. Pigs in this study were not exposed to transmissible gastroenteritis virus. Except for an increase in fecal moisture content (not associated with pathogenic diarrhea), concentrations of up to 1,800 mg of sodium, magnesium, or a combination of sodium and magnesium sulfate/L had no adverse effect on nursery pig performance.