Abstract
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.