Cows will need a certain amount of fibre in the diet to ensure their rumen functions properly. Here are some of the minimum fibre requirements:

Neutral Detergent Fiber: 30% DM

Acid Detergent Fibre: 19% DM

Crude Fibre: 17% DM

• Low fibre, high starch diet will cause rumen to be acidic.

• Acidosis may occur.

• In order to minimize this, adding sodium bicarbonate will help to reduce acidity.

• Buffers such as sodium bicarbonate are highly recommended when grain feeding per day exceeds 4 - 5 kg grain/cow.

• Buffers are not a substitute for fibre, hence feeding low fibre diets should be avoided.