Reprinted, with permission, from the proceedings of: Mitigating Air Emissions From Animal Feeding Operations Conference.
This Technology is Applicable To:
Species: Poultry (Layers)
Use Area: Animal Housing
Technology Category: Management
Air Mitigated Pollutants: Ammonia
System Summary
A diet containing 10% Dried Distillers Grains plus Solubles (DDGS) fed to laying hens in a production environment reduced manure ammonia emissions an average of 16.9% compared to standard diets. Ammonia emission reductions were variable over time, ranging from +6.3% to -33.3% compared to control group emissions.
Applicability and Mitigating Mechanism
- Ammonia emissions are reduced through the use of alternative feed components.
- The technology is suitable for use in any layer housing system.
- Manure ammonia emissions are reduced due to reduced manure pH caused by increased volatile fatty acid production.
Limitations
- DDGS often contains detectable levels of antibiotic residues that are banned for use in laying hens.
- DDGS may be contaminated with sufficient mycotoxins to adversely affect bird health and production.
- Lack of uniform DDGS processing standards causes significant variability in metabolizable energy content, amino acid content, and amino acid digestibility, which makes precise feed formulation difficult.
Cost
The effect of implementing a diet containing a 10% DDGS on overall production costs has yet to be determined.
Authors
E. Carroll Hale III
Earth Net LLC
Point of Contact:
admin@usedi.com
The information provided here was developed for the conference Mitigating Air Emissions From Animal Feeding Operations Conference held in May 2008. To obtain updates, readers are encouraged to contact the author.
