Forage Particle Box with 1/20 in. (1.18mm) Stainless Steel Screen and Instructions

Forage particle length is becoming an increasingly important issue in ruminant nutrition. Knowing the particle length, and understanding the factors which influence it, can promote better rumen health and milk production. This economical, easy-to-use Forage Particle Separator allows you to test your own forage or diet with immediate results on your as-fed feeds. By determining the different percentages of forage and feedstuff lengths, you can determine how much long feed material should be added to meet the needs of your dairy cows. This Forage Particle Separator will help you achieve the correct particle lengths needed to help meet the nutritional requirements of dairy animals. If minimum fiber levels are not obtained, cows often display one or more of the following metabolic disorders: reduced total dry matter digestibility, reduced milk fat percentage, displaced abomasum (DA), and an increase in the incidence of rumen parakeratosis. Reduced forage particle size has been known to decrease the time a cow spends chewing, which can cause decreased rumen pH. Smaller forage particles also spend less time in the rumen for microbial digestion, thereby decreasing digestibility. Diets that are too long can reduce intake and limit production. As determined from research data conducted by the Pennsylvania State University.

This additional sieve containing smaller holes can be added to the standard Three-Sieve Forage Particle Separator (C24682N), and used either with or without the 5/32 in. (4 mm) sieve. The additional 1/20 in. (1.18mm) sieve can be used when measuring the particle size of a TMR. It is no longer a standard recommendation but can be used to supplement a TMR particle size evaluation. A TMR may have a large percentage of feed particles smaller than the 5/16 in. (8 mm) found in the Nasco’s Three-Sieve Forage Particle Separator. Better characterization of smaller TMR feed particles may be desired for a more detailed measurement than Nasco’s Three-Sieve Forage Particle Separator can provide. Results of the TMR particle size distribution can be a tool in formulating rations, especially for forage intake, forage dry-matter intake, and physically effective fiber intake.