Importance

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Abstract

A batch of animal feed from a plurality of ingredients is prepared in a mixer/feeder wagon (1) where the ingredients require respective predefined mixing periods during a mixing cycle in the mixer/feeder wagon (1). The mixer/feeder wagon (1) comprises a mixing compartment (14) in which a mixing rotor provided by a paddle mixer (17) is rotatably mounted. Stationary chopping blades (42) mounted in a base (43) of the mixing compartment (14) cooperate with the paddle mixer (17) for chopping fibrous material during the mixing cycle. The appropriate predefined mixing periods required for the respective ingredients are determined in order to avoid over-mixing and under-mixing of the ingredients, and the predefined mixing period is defined as the number of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) to which that ingredient is to be subjected. The duration of the mixing cycle is defined as the number of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) to which the ingredient which requires the largest number of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) is to be subjected. The ingredient which requires the largest number of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) is loaded into the mixing compartment (17) at the commencement of a mixing cycle. The counts of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) from the commencement of the mixing cycle at which the respective remaining ingredients are to be loaded into the mixing compartment (14) are determined so that the number of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) remaining in the mixing cycle from the count at which each ingredient is to be loaded into the mixing compartment (14) is equal to the predefined number of counts of revolutions of the paddle mixer (17) to which that ingredient is to be subjected by the paddle mixer (17).

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