Should I Feed Distiller’s Grains to Sheep and Goats? A Conversation With Jeff Hunter

Based on Episode 51 of the RamQuip Sheep & Goat Production Podcast with Jeff Hunter of Hunter Nutrition, recorded December 24, 2025.

Distiller’s grains can look attractive when the price per ton is lower than other protein ingredients. But does that lower price translate into a better feeding program? And what else should sheep and goat producers consider before buying a load?

In Episode 51, Jeff Hunter of Hunter Nutrition joined Leon Gehman and Matt Nolt to explore those questions. Drawing on Jeff’s feed manufacturing experience, the discussion looked at ingredient value, sulfur, feed quality, and the practical challenges of building a balanced ration.

The conversation focused largely on sheep, especially finishing lambs and breeding ewes, and also explored roasted soybeans, lactation diets, and mixing feed on the farm.

What are distiller’s grains, and how have they changed?

Distiller’s grains are a coproduct of grain processing. Producers often encounter dried distiller’s grains with solubles, commonly called DDGS, although wet products are also available.

The product available today may differ from the higher-fat, lower-priced ingredient producers remember from earlier years. As processing plants recover more oil for other markets, the remaining feed ingredient can contain less fat.

Part of the original appeal was the combination of protein, fat, and a low purchase price. Evaluating what is available now matters more than relying on what distiller’s grains offered years ago.

Does close proximity to a plant make it cheaper?

Being close to a processing plant can reduce freight costs and make a load look more attractive. The next step, however, is to compare the cost of the nutrients supplied.

In the example discussed during the episode, soybean meal cost about $300 per ton and contained 47.5% crude protein. DDGS cost about $183 per ton delivered and contained 25% crude protein. On those assumptions, soybean meal supplied protein at roughly $0.316 per pound of crude protein, compared with $0.366 for DDGS.

The DDGS was cheaper per ton, but more expensive per pound of crude protein in that example. These were December 2025 prices and product assumptions, not current quotes or fixed nutrient values.

Are there times when distiller’s grains are a good buy?

There can be opportunities when the economics are more attractive. Price alone, though, does not settle the decision. A lower purchase price still needs to be weighed against the ingredient’s nutritional limitations and its place in the complete ration.

Hunter Nutrition uses limited amounts in some pelleted feeds, partly to bring in fat and help with pelleting. With less oil remaining in some products, that advantage can become smaller. Running the ration numbers and considering the nutritional concerns come before changing a formula.

Why is sulfur a concern?

Sulfur was one of the strongest cautions in the conversation. Rumen bacteria can convert sulfur to hydrogen sulfide, and excessive sulfur intake can contribute to polioencephalomalacia, often called PEM or “polio” in livestock.

Low-sulfur water, careful attention to sulfur in the ration, and good forage were discussed as factors producers might consider when evaluating limited use. Jeff still questioned whether the potential savings justified the risk in the feeding situations he encounters.

That concern becomes especially relevant where animals are already receiving a high-concentrate diet. Looking beyond the ingredient’s protein number is essential to understanding how it fits the entire feeding program.

Could finishing lambs offer a good opportunity to incorporate distiller’s grains into their ration?

Finishing rations are one place producers may consider distiller’s grains. It can be tempting to assume that growing lambs offer more flexibility than the breeding flock.

A high-grain finishing diet does not automatically provide a larger margin for error. The sulfur-related concerns still apply, so the ration needs to be evaluated before deciding whether limited inclusion is worthwhile.

The small amounts used in Hunter Nutrition’s formulated feeds were examples from those particular formulations, rather than a universal recommendation for every flock, ration, or load of DDGS.

What about wet distiller’s grains in a TMR?

Wet distiller’s grains bring additional moisture into a total mixed ration, or TMR. When combined with other wet ingredients, they can substantially affect the ration’s dry matter content.

For lactating ewes, the practical question is whether they can consume enough dry matter to meet their nutritional needs.

Could mycotoxins be part of the problem?

A producer’s earlier concerns about feeding too much distiller’s grains prompted a closer look at feed quality. Mycotoxins present in the original grain were an important consideration in the discussion, including their concentration in the resulting coproduct.

At Hunter Nutrition, the supplier’s mycotoxin levels are part of the purchasing conversation. The company uses a source with low levels and keeps inclusion limited in the feeds where it uses distiller’s grains.

Knowing the specific source and its feed-quality information adds another part to the buying decision, alongside price and nutrient content.

Do animals like the taste?

Distiller’s grains have a recognizable smell, and Jeff’s experience is that ruminants find them palatable.

That appeal does not remove the other considerations. A feed that animals like still needs to fit the ration nutritionally and economically.

Where do roasted soybeans fit?

A question about bypass protein led the conversation into roasted soybeans and processed soybean products. Roasted beans can bring both protein and fat into a lactation diet, which is part of their appeal when considering ewe performance and body condition.

It is also possible to overdo them. Total fat becomes a concern as inclusion increases. Body condition at weaning was another part of the discussion, particularly where ewes need to breed back in an accelerated lambing program.

There is no single roasted-soybean rate that fits every ration. Changing a protein ingredient also means looking at the other nutrients that come with it.

Could whole roasted beans replace a protein pellet?

For producers growing their own soybeans, feeding roasted whole beans with shelled corn can seem like a practical alternative to buying a protein pellet. Having the ingredients on the farm, however, does not make the two programs nutritionally equivalent.

Two concerns came up in the discussion. Enough whole beans to meet the protein target could bring in too much fat. The protein pellet also supplies vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients that would still need to reach the animals consistently.

Keeping a fine premix evenly distributed in a whole-grain mix presents another challenge. Processing the corn and beans to reduce particle size was discussed as one way to make incorporating a premix more practical. The goal is to deliver the complete ration consistently, rather than meeting protein alone.

What should producers take from the discussion?

The approach outlined in this conversation was cautious: establish a clear economic reason to use distiller’s grains, then evaluate sulfur, feed quality, and the rest of the ration. Limited use in a formulated feed does not make it a fit for every operation.

Before changing a feeding program, useful questions from this conversation include:

What does the ingredient actually cost per pound of the nutrient we need?
What do we know about this source’s protein, fat, sulfur, moisture, and mycotoxin levels?
How does it fit the animals’ stage of production?
What else changes when we replace an ingredient or supplement?
Can we mix and deliver the complete ration consistently?

Connect With Hunter Nutrition

Hunter Nutrition offers feeds, premixes, and formulation support. Producers mixing feed on the farm can work with the company on a formula suited to the ingredients they have available.

Visit Hunter Nutrition to learn more. Listen to the full Episode 51 conversation, or explore more Sheep & Goat Resources from RamQuip.

Acknowledgment and Credits

RamQuip sincerely thanks Jeff Hunter of Hunter Nutrition for generously sharing his time, experience, and nutritional insights for the benefit of our listeners. Credit for the guest expertise and insights summarized from this podcast belongs to Jeff Hunter. Leon Gehman of LC Ranch and Matt Nolt of Glenbrook Farm hosted the discussion.

This article summarizes an educational podcast conversation. Work with a qualified livestock nutritionist and your veterinarian when evaluating feed ingredients and making ration changes.