Effects of formulating growing pig diet with increasing levels of wheat-corn distillers dried grains with solubles on digestible nutrient basis on growth performance and nutrient digestibility

Formulating swine diets containing fibrous coproducts based on net energy (NE) and standardized ileal digestible amino acid (SID AA) values is recommended for optimizing pig performance. However, the effects of applying this approach to diets with increasing dietary levels of wheat-corn-derived distillers dried grains with soluble (wcDDGS) on pig performance have not been evaluated. Thus, 48 pigs with an average body weight [BW] of 25.5 kg were used to determine the effects of increasing wcDDGS (1:1 wheat to corn ratio) content in grower diets on performance and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients. Pigs were housed in pens of either 2 barrows or gilts balanced for BW and fed 4 diets within sex for 42 days. Diets were a nutrient adequate corn-barley-soybean meal-based diet with 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% wcDDGS, and were similar in calculated NE and SID AA values. Acid insoluble ash was used as the indigestible marker. Final BW and overall average daily gain (ADG) linearly decreased (p < 0.05) and feed efficiency tended to decrease (p = 0.07) with increased dietary wcDDGS. Overall average daily feed intake was not affected (p > 0.10) by dietary treatment. The ATTD of dry matter and energy linearly decreased (p < 0.01), whereas the ATTD of neutral detergent fibre linearly increased (p < 0.01) with increasing dietary level of wcDDGS. Increasing dietary wcDDGS content did not affect (p > 0.10) ATTD of Ca and P. In conclusion, increasing dietary wcDDGS content reduced growth performance and ATTD of energy in growing pigs. Thus, the risks of high dietary wcDGGS content may not be completely alleviated by formulating growing pig diets on the basis of NE and SID AA systems.