Sorghum as a feedstuff for gamebirds and broilers
Project Summary:
Project: Sorghum as a Feedstuff for Gamebirds and Broilers in the Southeast U.S.
Project Sponsor: United Sorghum Checkoff Program
This project investigated the use of U.S. grain sorghum as a feedstuff for gamebirds and broilers in the Southeast U.S. The project was conducted at Clemson University during project years (2017-2021) with the goal to enhance the marketing opportunities for grain sorghum varieties through a better understanding of the nutritional and economic benefits for use in poultry and game bird production enterprises.
The research focused on the following 6 primary objectives:
- Determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) value of selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum for feeding commercial broilers to target weight
- Determine the AME value of selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum for feeding bobwhite quail to target weight/age.
- Determine the AME value of selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum for feeding Japanese quail to target weight/age.
- Determine the growth rates and economic impact of commercial broilers fed selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum in relation to that of a standard corn based diet.
- Determine the growth rates and economic impact of bobwhite quail fed selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum in relation to that of a standard corn based diet (Note: This objective was eliminated from the project. The funds were re-allocated to repeat the broiler growout trial proposed for Objective 4 due to contaminated grain for treatments).
- Determine the growth rates and economic impact of Japanese quail fed selected modern varieties (tan and/or white, red and/or bronze, and U.S. No. 2 yellow) of grain sorghum in relation to that of a standard corn based diet.
Key Findings:
- U.S. grain sorghum is nutritionally comparable to corn and can successfully replace corn in poultry diets.
- Feeding U.S. grain sorghum to broilers and Japanese quail did not negatively affect growth performance or carcass quality.
- Modern U.S. grain sorghum varieties for feed use have been improved and are now considered to be tannin-free.
- U.S. grain sorghum can be a cost-effective alternative feedstuff, especially when grain sorghum prices are competitive with corn prices.
The nutritional and benefit-cost ratio information generated from this research provides the producer/nutritionist with valuable information for designing diets containing sorghum in replacement of corn. This represents a positive step towards the acceptance of grain sorghum as an alternative to corn in the U.S., helping to motivate more poultry integrators to include grain sorghum or increase inclusion rates that were already in use. This will provide poultry producers an additional source of energy for production allowing flexibility from season to season as corn prices fluctuate.
