Poultry feeds account for the bulk of the production costs in a poultry farming enterprise. By some estimates, this is generally in the region of 66% to 70% of the production costs. This is due to many factors, key among them is the cost of poultry feed raw materials. This is an industry-wide problem that faces the global poultry industry.
Yet, some poultry farming enterprises are looking for novel solutions to lower the massive feeding costs and also have some control over the quality of feeds that they feed their poultry. The solution is to formulate your own poultry feeds. It is estimated that farmers can cut back on the cost of poultry feeds by as much as 50% by formulating their own poultry feeds in-house. If you are running a large poultry farming operation, this can result in hundreds of thousands or even millions in savings.
Poultry Feed Formulation is a Science
Before you embark on establishing a poultry feed mill, it is important to appreciate that poultry feed formulation is science that requires specialized knowledge in order to achieve the optimal rations that will enhance the health and nutrition of your chicken. It is actually an exact science in that you have to realize specific rations and mix them in the right proportion in order to create well balanced formulations that will help your chickens hit their genetic potential.
Many poultry integrators generally have their own poultry feed mill because they appreciate the cost savings that come with formulating their own poultry feeds. It also allows them to have a direct say on the kind of feeds that they formulate for their chickens.
Once you have acquired the relevant skills in least cost poultry feed formulation, you have to form and register your business, select a suitable site and acquire your poultry feed mill.
This is one of the most challenging stages when it comes to setting up a poultry feed milling business. Machines cost a lot of money and you have to carry out a lot of due diligence in order to figure out the right kind of poultry feed milling machine that will meet requirements.
You will start by mapping out your requirements and then working out a suitable capacity of poultry feed mill that will meet those requirements. You have to factor in things such as the capacity of the machine, power consumption, the robustness of the build, the feed pellet sizes that it can produce, the machine functions, cost of maintenance as well as manufacturer warranty.
Poultry feed milling machines are costly and it is costly to ship them across thousands of miles. So you have to ensure that you get the process right from the word go.
Poultry Feed Milling Machine Brands
There are various companies globally that manufacture poultry feed milling machines as well as poultry feed milling plant lines. Many of these are now in China but there are also old players in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the US. Some of the top poultry feed milling machine brands include LOCHAMP, LUODATE, REMAN Engineering, Big Dutchman and many others. While you can write for individual companies for a poultry feed mill solutions, the easiest way to purchase a ready-made poultry feed milling machine is through Alibaba. However, if you are looking for a custom solution, you can write to the company and ask for a consultation.
What to Look for When Buying a Poultry Feed Milling Machine
There are numerous factors that you need to factor when shopping for a poultry feed mill machine. Let us look at each of these and how they will impact your choice of a suitable poultry feed milling machine:-
Reliability
One of the top areas that you should focus when buying a poultry feed mill machine is reliable engineering. Buying a feed pellet machine is a major capital acquisition that will cost you a lot in terms of time and money so you better do it once. There are a few engineering companies that will guarantee you quality and reliability when it comes to implementing a poultry feed mill project.
Choose the poultry feed mill machines that offer a high level of precision in their operation and that have been manufactured using cutting-edge technology. The poultry feed mill machines that are most sought after in the markets are those that have a longer functional life and simplicity of operation.
Some of the top engineering or manufacturing features that you should focus when shopping for poultry feed mill machinery include the following:-
- Ensure that the poultry feed mill machine has a high capacity as well as low energy consumption in order to meet your poultry feed processing requirements.
- The poultry feed machine should be compact and with a solid build in order to occupy less factory floor space.
- If possible, buy a multipurpose poultry feed mill that will produce not just poultry feeds but also other livestock feeds. This will save you cost of installing a new feed plant line in case you need to branch out into manufacturing other livestock feeds.
- The poultry feed mill machine should be easily adjustable, easy to maintain and be of superb quality.
- Look at the safety aspects of the poultry feed mill machine.
- Long service life
- Should offer you superior performance when it comes to poultry feed processing.
- The functionality should be excellent for maximum reliability.
Capacity
Capacity is one of the core areas that you should look at when buying a poultry feed milling plant. When you are investing in a poultry feed mill, you will often be doing so to meet certain capacity issues.
Before you purchase a particular poultry feed milling machine, take time to evaluate your capacity needs and then pick a machine that will meet your requirements. If you are planning to invest in a small scale poultry feed milling operation, you will need a machine with a smaller capacity, say less than 100kg per hour.
However, if you are planning to invest in a large or industrial scale poultry feed milling operation, you must invest in a machine with a bigger capacity like several tons per hour. You can determine your optimal poultry feed mill capacity by carrying out a feasibility study on your poultry feed mill project.
Power Consumption
Power consumption is a major cost in a poultry feed milling plant. When buying a poultry feed pellet milling machine or investing in a poultry feed plant, you need to factor in the power consumption of the machine and square this against your available power supply. Try to shop for machines that have good power efficiency.
You can look at the power rating of the machine and estimate the number of hours during which the machine will be operating. Use this data to calculate your projected monthly power consumption if the machine is running at full capacity.
Pellet Sizes
What pellet sizes can the poultry feed mill formulate? There are different requirements depending on the intended use of the feed. Chicks for example, need smaller-sized pellets than fully grown chickens. It is prudent to go for a machine with a variable pellet size functionality that will allow you to process both larger feed pellets and the more granular feed pellets to suit varied needs.
