What is the distinction between dry matter and as fed forage?

As fed – This refers to feed as normally fed to animals. On an as fed basis, feed may contain from 90% water for lush pastures to 10% water for cereal grains. Dry matter – That part of a feed, which is not water. It is computed by determining the percentage of water and subtracting the water content from 100%.

How is DM basis calculated?

To determine the amount of protein on a dry matter basis, simply divide the reported amount of protein (in this case, 10%) by the total amount of dry matter (25%) in the can. Then, multiply the result by 100.

How is dry matter intake calculated?

To get this figure you can use an ‘average’ value from a feed table or ideally use the value obtained from a feed analysis you have taken. The base equation is as follows: 120/NDF of the feed = % of body weight used to determine the dry matter intake of that feed.

What is dry matter percentage?

Weigh and record the container and feed weight immediately after drying. Subtract the weight of the container from the total weight (Step 6) to determine the weight of the feed after drying. Divide the weight of the dry feed (Step 4) by the weight of the wet feed (Step 7). Multiply by 100 to get a percentage.

What is a balanced ration?

A balanced ration is the amount of feed that will supply the proper amount and proportions of nutrients needed for an animal to perform a specific purpose such as growth, maintenance, lactation or gestation. Examples of nutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins.

What is dry matter in hay?

Dry matter is what remains after all of the water is evaporated out of a feed: grain and fresh or dried forages. Fresh pasture has high water content and will have a lower percentage of dry matter than an equivalent weight of dryer feed, such as hay or grain.

How do I convert DM to Fed?

To convert weights from a dry matter to an as-fed basis, divide by the as-fed dry matter percentage value, expressed as a decimal. On an as-fed basis, a feedlot finishing ration is 60 percent DM.

How do you convert dry matter to basis?

To convert this nutrient analysis from “as fed” to “dry matter”: 1) Figure the dry matter percentage. Subtract the moisture content from 100%. In this example 100% – 13.2% = 86.8% dry matter. 2) Convert individual nutrients from “as fed” to “dry matter”.

What is dry matter in feed?

Dry matter is what remains after all of the water is evaporated out of a feed: grain and fresh or dried forages. Dry matter is an indicator of the amount of nutrients that are available to the animal in a particular feed.

How much dry matter is in a bale of hay?

A 500kg bale contains about 200kg of dry matter. Note – the pH of baleage is around 5. This can negatively impact digestion and rumen function so good quality hay is a better option as the pH of hay is around 7 and is a higher dry matter feed.

How to convert dry matter to as fed?

However in some cases you may need to convert the values to an as fed basis. Most grains are 90% DM 10% moisture. Most hays are 85-90% DM 15-10% moisture. Most silages are around 30-60% DM 70-40% moisture. Exercise 1: Convert values from a dry-matter basis to an as fed basis by multiplying the percentage of dry matter divided by 100.

How to convert dry matter to DM basis?

Alternative solution: The known TDN value on a DM basis could be multiplied by the as-fed dry matter percentage value, provided it is expressed as a decimal. 93% TDN (DM basis) * 0.74 = 68.8% TDN (as-fed)

Where does unknown nutrient value go in dry matter conversion?

The known nutrient value for a given dry matter expression (dry matter, as-fed or air-dry basis) is placed over its associated and known dry matter percentage to establish the ratio on the left side of the equation. On the right side, the unknown nutrient value is placed over its associated and known dry matter percentage.

How is the dry matter percentage of a feed determined?

To determine actual dry matter percentage, feed samples must be placed in a special oven set to 105oC that will evaporate off all moisture. Once actual dry matter percentages of different feeds are known, nutritional comparisons can be conducted and rations properly evaluated.