Indigestible neutral detergent fibers: Relationship between forage fragility and neutral detergent fibers digestibility in total mixed ration and some feedstuffs in dairy cattle.

Indigestible neutral detergent fibers (iNDF) accurately predict forage digestibility when measured . The objective of this study was to determine the effects of rumen incubation times on the estimated concentrations of iNDF for four forages (alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheat straw and orchard grass), four concentrates (barley grain, soybean meal, beet pulp and wheat bran) and two total mixed ration samples in dairy cows. The iNDF contents of the samples were evaluated in 10 feeds using three ruminally cannulated Holstein cows in a completely randomized design.