Nutritive Value of Sorghum Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles and its Effect on Performance in Geese

The study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and nutritive value of sorghum dried distillers grains with solubles (sDDGS) and its effect as a feed supplement on the performance of geese. Experiment 1 showed that the gross energy, crude protein, ether extract, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, and amino acid content values of sDDGS were 17.87 MJ/kg and 15.48, 4.26, 31.46, 0.17, 0.25, and 0.06-3.18% [dry matter basis (DM)], respectively. Experiment 2 used fasting-force feeding to measure the true metabolizable energy of sDDGS (11.38 MJ/kg DM) and true total tract digestibility of amino acids (43.16-80.92% DM) in geese. Experiment 3 examined the effectiveness of sDDGS as a feed supplement for geese. Three hundred and fifteen 35-day-old male Sichuan white geese with an initial average bodyweight of 1,732 g were randomly allocated to five treatments. Geese in each treatment group were fed one of five experimental diets (control diet alone, or supplemented with 4, 8, 12, or 16% sDDGS) until 70 days of age. Inclusion of sDDGS in the diet did not affect daily average weight gain (P>0.05). Birds fed diets containing up to 8% sDDGS had higher average feed intake (P<0.05) than geese fed the control diet, and the feed/gain ratio in geese fed diets containing 16% sDDGS was higher (P<0.05) than in the control and the 4% sDDGS group. The yields of breast meat, leg meat, subcutaneous fat and skin, and abdominal fat were not affected (P>0.05) bydietary sDDGS levels. Generally, sDDGS is a potentially valuable feedstuff for geese, but it should be supplemented with a high-energy or protein-rich ingredient. To improve growth performance and carcass yield, up to 12% sDDGS can be included in diets from 35 to 70 days of age.