The effect of replacing soybean meal and dried distillers grains with corn gluten feed in Boer goat diets

Abstract

There is minimal research on the dietary implications of corn co-products in small ruminants, especially in goats. This experiment was conducted to determine if corn gluten feed (CGF) could replace soybean meal (SBM) and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a protein source in Boer-type goat diets. Seventy-five goats that were initially 26.9±.2kg and approximately 70 d of age were separated into 5 treatment groups with 5 replications. The experimental unit was pen. Treatments were isocaloric and isonitrogenous, but varied in protein source: 1) soybean meal; 2) 100% DDGS/0% CGF; 3) 66% DDGS/33% CGF; 4) 33% DDGS/66% CGF; 5) 0% DDGS/100% CGF. Average daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed to gain ratios were calculated every week over the 35-day experiment. The cost per pound of feed and pound of gain were calculated at the end of the experiment using the price of the feed ingredients as of March 28, 2019. Analysis was made using the Glimmix Procedure of SAS. There was no observable difference (P>.05), in all the measured data except the cost per goat (P=.0008) over the course of the 35 d experiment. Goats fed increasing amounts of CGF cost less to feed even though there was a quadratic increase in the amount of feed consumed in treatments containing increasing amounts of CGF (P=.038). In addition, cost per goat increased quadratically in treatments with increasing amounts of CGF (P=.049). However, this research found that CGF mixed with DDGS can replace SBM as a protein source with no observable effect on growth, while also being less expensive in maintenance situations.