How To Conduct a Penn State Shaker Box Test

Step 1

Stack the three plastic separator boxes on top of each
 other, and place 7 cups of forage in the top box.

Step 2 

Shake the separator five times, and then rotate
it a quarter turn. Repeat this process four times.

Step 3

Empty the material remaining in the top screen
onto a plate or other lightweight container.
(Image above 

Step 4

Weigh the material and record the weight. 

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the second
screen and the bottom pan.

For detailed testing instructions and to learn how to read your results, reference Tom Oelberg's article, "Tips for improving TMR consistency," as featured in the December 2009 issue of Hoard's West.

Source:  "Nasco's 2-Sieve Forage Particle Separator" product information retrieved from Nasco's online catalog on March 27, 2011.