Effect of replacing corn grain by wheat-based dried distillers’ grains with solubles dietary energy and protein value in cattle

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of replacing corn grain portion of the diet by wheat-based dried distillers’ grains with solubles (wDDGS) on feeding value for ruminants by chemical fractionation, nylon bag rumen degradation and nutrient modeling approaches. This study revealed that increasing wDDGS inclusion level increased most of nutritional composition linearly, except for starch which linearly decreased. Metabolizable protein supply in small intestine increased linearly with increasing levels of wDDGS. The inclusion of wDDGS in corn based diets decreased energy values of the diet slightly. Optimum ruminal N to energy balance for microbial growth was reached by replacing 25-50% of corn by wDDGS. In summary, this study suggests that corn and wheat DDGS combinations are a viable alternative for replace feed barley grain for the beef industry in western Canada.