In times of economic hardship, everyone must find ways to adapt, and the poultry industry is no exception. The majority of the cost in an integrated poultry operation is feeding the birds. Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) has been around for decades as a by-product of the beverage industry and more recently as a co-product of the ethanol industry. Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in the production of DDGS from U.S. ethanol biorefineries, making the co-product a very economical choice. DDGS have not held a common place in the poultry industry for long though, as issues with nutritional variability, storage, transportation, etc. all have led to the product being avoided by nutritionists much of the time. Even now, DDGS are fed at a relatively low inclusion level compared to other major feed ingredients such as corn, wheat and soybean meal. With the often volatile price of corn grain, DDGS are receiving more attention as a feasible alternative in commercial poultry diets as research, such as that presented in this dissertation, continues to elucidate the nutritional, economical and dietary inclusion aspects of this once neglected ingredient. The primary purpose of this research has been to determine the efficacy of DDGS as an ingredient in poultry diets, and also to further elaborate on the suitable inclusion rates in a ration. In the end it is clear that DDGS are an effective and suitable choice for inclusion into both broiler and layer diets. DDGS can be incorporated into layer diets at up to one-third of the ration with no deleterious effects on performance or egg quality. DDGS can be added to broiler diets at varying inclusion levels, depending on bird age, as the research points towards increased tolerance of the co-product as the bird ages, without harming bird health or performance. It is also shown that further processing of DDGS, primarily fiber separation, can have a positive effect on bird performance. In conclusion, DDGS inclusion in poultry rations is a sound choice provided attention is paid to the nutritional profile of this co-product.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Cassandra Jones / Salmonella contamination in animal food production facilities is a growing concern. The bacteria has been the cause of 40% of pet food recalls in the past 5 years, and there are potential human health implications because pet food is a direct human contact food. A potential method to reduce Salmonella contamination in pet food is through the use of acidifiers and desiccants to destroy and inhibit growth of bacteria. The objective of this thesis was to quantify Salmonella contamination in livestock feed and pet food manufacturing facilities, and propose mitigation measures to mitigate the presence of pathogens in animal food. Therefore, the objective of Experiment 1 was to investigate sources of Salmonella contamination throughout livestock feed (n = 2) and pet food (n = 2) manufacturing facilities on a specific sampling day. Salmonella was present in all four facilities. However, one of the livestock feed manufacturing facilities had more than double the Salmonella-positive locations than all other facilities. This experiment demonstrated that surface type and location should be taken into consideration when controlling Salmonella contamination. In Experiments 2 and 3, the use of a commercial powdered dry acidulant, sodium bisulfate, was studied as a coating of dog kibble to reduce and prevent Salmonella growth over time. The coating reduced Salmonella concentration, and its efficacy was not impacted by altering the bulk density or surface area of the kibble. Experiment 4 was conducted to determine the efficacy of sodium bisulfate added to poultry mash to reduce or prevent Salmonella growth over time. The inclusion of the dry acidulant did not reduce Salmonella concentration; however, storage time reduced Salmonella contamination in poultry feed. In summary, Salmonella contamination exists in manufacturing facilities, but the location and magnitude of contamination differs. Furthermore, sodium bisulfate effectively reduces Salmonella contamination when applied as a pet food coating, but not in poultry feed.