A feed company in Wisconsin performed an on farm trial. They used a Penn State particle separator to determine the particle distribution of the TMR at feeding and 24 hours after feeding. Group one cows had liquid added to their feed and group two cows were fed TMR with no added liquid. Group one cows had 51% and 53% particles on the bottom pan at 0 and 24 hours. Group two cows had 53% and 38% particles on the bottom pan at 0 and 24 hours.

These results show that adding liquid to TMR prevented cows from sorting the TMR and consuming more of the finer feed particles. This is a simple and quick test that veterinary consultants could use on dairy farms.

Hill Top Dairy is now adding some liquid whey and water to our TMR. Whey has feed value and the quality is usually consistent. The economics of feeding whey is also beneficial. Whey is available from a few cheese manufacturing companies. These companies sometimes process it for food, dispose of it, or sell it to dairymen.

The take home message is that if the TMR is too dry then adding water or whey will reduce sorting.