Research: Increasing DDGS levels in nursery pigs
Increasing dietary Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) inclusion levels for nursery pigs decreases dry matter digestibility and faecal phosphorus concentration, but does not affect its excretion, retention, or digestibility.
That, in a nutshell, were the conclusions of researchers at the University of Minnesota. They searched for ways to optimise utilisation of dietary phosphorus (P) by pigs, since P is expensive and potentially harmful to the environment.
P and calcium (Ca) balance were evaluated in nursery pigs fed a control maize-soybean meal diet formulated on a total P basis, and four experimental diets containing maize DDGS formulated on either a total phosphorus or available P basis.
Formulating DDGS diets (100 or 200 g/kg) on a total P or available P basis had no effect on P digestibility or total excretion, but total dietary P content is reduced when diets are formulated on an available P basis. The study was published in Animal Feed Science and Technology.
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