Comparison of wet and dry distillers grains plus solubles to corn as an energy source in forage-based diets 1 1 A contribution of the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division, supported in part by funds provided through the Hatch Act

Four experiments compared wet or dry distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS or DDGS) to corn as energy sources in forage-based diets. In Exp. 1, 66 individually fed steers (268 kg of initial BW) were fed a 60:40 blend of sorghum silage and alfalfa hay and supplemented at 0, 0.33, 0.67, or 1.0% of BW with either WDGS or DDGS. In Exp. 2, 160 steers (286 kg of initial BW) were fed 25% WDGS or 33.6% dry rolled corn (DRC) in 35% sorghum silage and grass hay diets (DM basis). In Exp. 3, 60 individually fed steers (231 kg of initial BW) were fed DRC at 22.0, 41.0, or 60.0%, or WDGS at 15.0, 25.0, or 35.0% of diet DM in 30% sorghum silage and grass hay diets. In Exp. 4, 120 individually fed steers (282 kg of initial BW) were fed DDGS, WDGS (15 or 30% of diet DM), or DRC (22 or 50% of diet DM) in sorghum silage and grass hay diets. In Exp. 1, 3, and 4, increasing DGS inclusion increased ADG (P < 0.01) in forage-based diets. In Exp. 3, cattle consuming WDGS gained more BW than cattle fed DRC (P < 0.01). Using regression analysis, data from Exp. 2, 3, and 4 were pooled to calculate the energy value of WDGS relative to DRC in forage diets. The energy value of WDGS was 137% and 136% of DRC when fed at 15 and 30% of diet DM, respectively.