Nutritive value of Saanen goat diets with dried distillers grains with solubles as a replacement for soybean meal

ABSTRACT The objective with this study was to evaluate the effect of including dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a replacement for soybean meal on feed intake, digestibility, and total digestible nutrients (TDN), as well as plasmatic glucose and serum urea concentrations. Fifteen Saanen goats were distributed in a completely randomized design with three treatments and five replicates. Treatments were soybean meal (SBM), SBM+DDGS (12.28% of dry matter [DM]), and DDGS (23.16% of DM), as protein source in diets, common to all corn ground and mineral-vitamin supplement, and corn silage (60% of DM). Response variables were evaluated every 30 d, from 1 to 120 d after parturition. Measurements included body weight, DM intake, DM and nutrient digestibility, and blood samples. Indigestible neutral detergent fiber was used to estimate fecal excretion. There was a difference in neutral detergent fiber intake from 1 to 30 d after parturition. In the four phases of lactation evaluated, there were treatment effects on DM, organic matter, ether extract, and total carbohydrate digestibility, as well as on TDN concentration. Neutral detergent fiber digestibility was affected by treatments, except from d 61 to 90. There was no treatment effect on non-fibrous carbohydrate digestibility, regardless of period. Therefore, SBM+DDGS (12.28% of DM), as protein source on diets may be used in Saanen goat diets from 1 to 120 d of lactation without negative effects on feed intake, digestibility, and plasma glucose and urea concentrations.