Changes

'''Overmixing the total mixed ration''': If the total mixed ration is mixed too much in the mixer wagon, the long fibre will be broken into shorter pieces and hence become less effective. This can be overcome by adding the forage into the mixer wagon last, ensuring minimal degradation.

'''Overmixing the total mixed ration''': If the total mixed ration is mixed too much in the mixer wagon, the long fibre will be broken into shorter pieces and hence become less effective. This can be overcome by adding the forage into the mixer wagon last, ensuring minimal degradation.

'''Sorting of long fibre''': When the fibre in a total mixed ration is longer than 10cm, cows tend to sift through the diet and consume smaller, more palatable particles and the pieces of forage too small to sort out. This alters the concentrate-to-forage dry matter ratio which is actually eaten by the cow (even if it is correct in the diet presented to the animals), which increases the risk of developing subacute rumenal acidosis. There is the additional problem in this situation that animals lower down the hierarchy, such as heifers, will eat the remainder of the sorted diet and thus not receive tbe energy they require. Both groups of animals are then likely to be in negative energy balance, but for different reasons.

'''Sorting of long fibre''': When the fibre in a total mixed ration is longer than 10cm, cows tend to sift through the diet and consume smaller, more palatable particles and the pieces of forage too small to sort out. This alters the concentrate-to-forage dry matter ratio which is actually eaten by the cow (even if it is correct in the diet presented to the animals), which increases the risk of developing subacute rumenal acidosis. In this situation there is the additional problem that animals lower down the hierarchy, such as heifers, will eat the remainder of the sorted diet and thus not receive the energy they require. Both groups of animals are therefore likely to be in negative energy balance, but for different reasons.

'''Overestimation of forage dry matter content''': The dry matter of forage must be estimated in order to calculate how much of ir should be included in the diet. The cut of for healthy rumen function is a concentrate-to-forage dry matter ration of 60:40; if this is exceeded then SARA can develop. Therefore, if the dry matter content of forage is overestimated, a relatively smaller quantity of the fodder will be included in the diet, tilting the ratio to potentially detrimental proportions.

'''Overestimation of forage dry matter content''': The dry matter of forage must be estimated in order to calculate how much of ir should be included in the diet. The cut of for healthy rumen function is a concentrate-to-forage dry matter ration of 60:40; if this is exceeded then SARA can develop. Therefore, if the dry matter content of forage is overestimated, a relatively smaller quantity of the fodder will be included in the diet, tilting the ratio to potentially detrimental proportions.