Feeding value of wet distillers byproducts for finishing ruminants.

Yearling and calf finishing trials (replicated over 2 yr) evaluated the feeding value of wet distillers byproducts (wet distillers grains and thin stillage). An additional trial estimated the amount of thin stillage bypassing the rumen when consumed by drinking. Yearlings were 5, 10, and 20% more efficient (linear, P < .01; quadratic, P = .05), whereas calves were 2, 6, and 14% more efficient (linear, P < .01) when fed 5.2, 12.6, and 40.0% (DM basis) wet distillers byproducts, respectively, compared with cattle fed a 79% dry-rolled corn diet. Cattle fed 5.2 or 12.6% wet distillers byproducts, or the dry-rolled corn diet, received similar amounts of protein (crude or metabolizable), which exceeded the metabolizable protein requirement of all cattle. Therefore, differences in efficiency were attributed to differences in energy utilization of the diets. Wet distillers byproducts fed at 5.2, 12.6 and 40.0% contributed 80, 62, and 47% more net energy for gain than corn when fed to yearlings and 17, 33, and 29% more net energy for gain than corn when fed to calves, respectively. Wet distillers byproducts averaged 169% the energy value of corn (2.53 Mcal of NEg/kg) when fed to yearlings and 128% the energy value of corn (1.96 Mcal of NEg/kg) when fed to calves. The increased energy values cannot be explained by increased digestibility, but they may be due to a combination of factors (reduced acidosis, increased energy utilization, yeast end products, etc.) that increase the net energy content of distillers byproducts. Approximately 50% of the thin stillage consumed by drinking bypassed ruminal fermentation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)