## Moisture, Water Addition Improves Total Mixed Rations…
But Perhaps Don’t Get Carried Away
### Addition of water to total mixed rations (TMRs) has become a generally accepted recommendation to reduce sorting behavior by cattle during eating.
As such, there are a number of recommendations out there concerning the “ideal” moisture content for total mixed rations (TMRs), some of which may seem to contradict each another.
So, where did these recommendations come from, and what actual research stands behind them?
### Effects of wet ingredients and water addition on intake
There have been numerous scientific studies that have shown that intake of silage alone, as well as TMRs containing silage, declines as silage moisture content decreases, and that excessive addition of wet ingredients such as wet brewers grain can limit TMR intake in both beef and dairy.
These studies appear to be the primary basis for recommending that TMR moisture content is optimized around 60% dry matter (DM), and should not go below 50% if additional moisture is required to decrease sorting behavior.
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However, a search of scientific literature from the past 50 years shows that there have been few studies that have examined the effects of simply adding water to a forage or TMR on feed intake and performance in lactating cattle. Of these, as early as 1961, Thomas et al. with the USDA at Beltsville, Maryland showed that the addition of water to hay or wilted silage, down to a dry matter content of 22%, did not negatively affect consumption by dairy heifers, and in some cases increased consumption. The same study, as well as subsequent studies, shows that VFAs and others components arising from fermentation in silage, as well as the nutritional characteristics of wet feeds, are responsible for these effects on intake, as opposed to moisture itself.
Robinson et al. (1991), from the Agriculture Research Station in Fredrickson NB, found that “Dry matter intake and milk yield and composition were not influenced by the moisture content of the mixed ration …” when water was added to a TMR by presoaking the grain mix of the ration for 24 hours to give dry matter contents of 35%, 45% and 60%”. In an analysis on multiple studies involving the feeding of a range of forages as hays and wilted silages, as well as corn silage, Holter and Urban (1992) at the University of New Hampshire found “no significant relationship between DM content of the diet and the resulting ad libitum intake in either dry or lactating cows”.
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The above results lead one to conclude that as long as good quality forages and TMRs are fed, the addition of potable water should not in itself negatively affect consumption. The case where TMRs are susceptible to sorting may be less clear.
### Effect of water addition on sorting
It is generally accepted that the addition of water, either directly or as wet ingredients (e.g. silage, wet distillers grains), is essential for minimizing sorting of grain from forages in mixed rations. Though scientific evidence is sparse, anecdotal support is strong.
DeVries’ group at the Kemptville ON campus of the University of Guelph have shown that the addition of water, as well as liquid feed containing molasses, redistributes fine particles and starch into the larger particle size fractions as classified by the Penn State Particle Separator. A definitive study by Leonardi et al. (2005) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison showed that dropping the DM content of a relatively dry TMR from 81% to 64% by adding water,” reduced sorting and tended to increase neutral detergent fiber intake and milk fat percentage”, while dry matter intake and milk production were unaffected.
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In another classic study, Lahr et al. (1983) at the University of Minnesota fed lactating cattle for the first 200 days of lactation four TMR rations based on alfalfa hay and corn silage that were identical except for moisture content from added water (78, 64, 52 and 40 %DM). These authors reported that DM intake declined linearly as TMR DM content decreased, though the intakes of the 52 and 40% DM rations were identical. At the same time, milk fat content increased linearly with diet moisture content increased, while milk production did not differ with moisture content of the diet. Since initial and final body weight
Key Words: Dairy, Feed, Intake, Lactating, Manure, Milk, Moisture, Nutrition, Performance, Sorting, Total Mixed Ration, TMR, Vertical, Water
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