Animal Feed Processing Techniques and Equipment

Animal feed processing plays a vital role in the farming industry. This complex and sophisticated system encompasses several steps and technologies. From the selection of raw materials to the processing of the final product, each link in the feed processing flow carries important functions and responsibilities. This article will systematically introduce the basic process of animal pellet feed processing, delve into the importance of each step and its interrelationship, aiming to help readers fully understand this complex and sophisticated manufacturing process. It is expected that this column will provide valuable knowledge and skills for investors in the animal feed industry or farmers who want to make their own feed.

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Key Steps in Animal Feed Processing: Manufacturing Process and Machine

Today's animal feed market is dominated by pelleted feeds, which are popular among breeders. Because they are easy to store and transport, help with nutrient absorption, and reduce feed waste. Below is a common basic animal feed processing flow of pellet for your reference. However, you must be reminded that animal feed processing equipment price in feed pellet processing line varies depending on the requirements of the animal feed and the scale of production. If you have any needs, welcome to consult us about specific animal feed mill plant processes and prices for free!

Animal Feed Manufacturing Process Flow Chart

•   Selection of Raw Materials

At the initial stage of animal feed processing, after detailed market research and quality assessment, animal feed mills should focus on selecting high quality raw materials. Grains, legumes, fats, vitamins, and minerals are the main ingredients in animal feed formulations. Animal feed manufacturing plants can work with reliable suppliers to ensure that the raw materials meet standards and have high quality nutritional value.

•   Reception and Cleaning of Raw Materials

Upon arrival of raw materials, animal food processing plants implement a strict acceptance program. This includes inspections for appearance, odor, and purity. Next, a cleaning step is performed to remove foreign matter, impurities, and substandard ingredients to ensure purity and quality of animal feed pellets.

•   Crushing of Raw Materials

The raw material enters the crushing equipment to be processed to obtain the desired particle size and fineness. This step is crucial for subsequent mixing. Specialized animal feed crusher machines are used in the animal feed pellet production line to pulverize the ingredients to the desired particle size, helping that the various ingredients of animal feed formulas can be evenly mixed to improve the overall quality of the feed.

•   Batching (Blending)

At this stage, the ingredients are mixed according to the precise proportions of the animal feed recipe. Feed milling plants should strictly control the accuracy of the dosing process to ensure that the chemical composition of each batch is uniform and the mix is stable, so as to achieve the target performance of the animal feed pellet product design.

•   Mixing of Ingredients

Under the precise pellet feed formula control, various ingredients are put into the animal feed mixing machine according to the proportion. The scientific mixing process of animal feed mixer machine ensures that the nutrients are fully mixed and homogenized, resulting in a high quality feed ingredient.

•   Pelletizing Process

The mixed raw materials are molded through the animal feed pellet processing machine. This is the process of turning powdered materials into pellets and is the most central step in the entire animal feed production process. The size, shape and density of the pellets are controlled through the use of appropriate animal feed pelleting machine and equipment, utilizing high pressure and molds to ensure that the quality of the final product meets standards.

•   Cooling and Drying

After pelleting, the product enters a cooling and drying system to remove residual moisture and stabilize the product. This process uses specialized animal feed pellet cooler machine and drying machine to ensure that the product not only meets quality standards, but also extends its shelf life.

•   Pellet Crushing (optional)

After cooling and drying, depending on the feeding requirements of the specific animal, the product may need to be further processed to ensure that the product meets the specified pellet size and shape. Typically, some chicks and nestlings require crumbled feeds for ease of ingestion and improved digestibility. In addition, some livestock (cattle, pigs and sheep) and small mammals (rabbits and hamsters) often require pellet crushing.

•   Packaging and Storage

Use animal feed bagging machines to package the products and store them in a suitable environment. The feed production line uses packaging materials that meet hygiene standards and strictly controls the packing process to ensure that the products are not contaminated or damaged during transportation and storage. Suitable packaging and storage conditions help maintain the freshness and quality of the product and extend its shelf life.

Dear investors, you need to be careful about investing in animal feed production plants. Different animal feeding needs require different feed processing technology and methods of feed mill plant and equipment parameters. To ensure the success of your animal feed processing plant investment, it is recommended to look for a professional animal feed engineering service company. If you are confused about buying machines for setting up your own animal feed plant, do not hesitate to contact us!

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GEMCO: Trusted Expertise in Animal Feed Processing Solutions

GEMCO, one of the top animal feed machine manufacturers in China, has helped many investors successfully implement many feed pellet engineering projects in many countries around the world. Regardless of the size of the production, we offer complete feed mill plants and can customize a solution to fit your needs. We provide full technical support and service to ensure the efficient and stable operation of your production line.&#;
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Animal husbandry is a big industry and the animals that are reared here are taken care of in the best possible way. In order to ensure that the maximum benefit can be derived from them, they need to be kept healthy and strong. This is achieved with the use of animal feeds which generally refers to food that is given to the animals rather than what they forage on by themselves.

Types of animal feed
The purpose of providing animals with animal feed is to ensure that they are getting compensated for the required nutrients that are absent in their natural diet. Animal feed is commonly divided into those that come from traditional sources and those that are a mixture of additives and other raw materials.

• Traditional feed: This is generally used to refer to food scraps as found in every household and the by-products as obtained from industries related to food processing. Some of the common examples of traditional feed are:
  • Peanuts, corn and soy which are by-products of oil crop milling;
  • Slop, a food scrap fed to pigs;
  • Chicken scratch, scrap fed to chicken;
  • Spent grain, a by-product of the brewing industry etc.
• Compound feed: These are compound blends made keeping a specific animal in mind. Thus raw materials and other additives are formulated as per the requirements of specific animals so as to ensure maximum benefit to the targeted animal. Generally the main ingredient of the same are feed grains, such as sorghum, soybeans, oats, barley and corn which are formulated by the feed manufacturers as pellets, crumbles or meal types.
• Premixes: These are sometimes classified under compound feed or sold separately. They include a blend of micro ingredients in commercial rations and can be easily procured from companies selling premixes in the sacked form. This easy availability enables the farmer to purchase a premix of his choice depending on the animals that he rears. The farmers can also make their own mixes by using their own special formula and yet be assured that their farm animals are getting the recommended levels of nutrients. Some of the micro ingredients which form a part of the premixes are:
  • Vitamins;
  • Minerals;
  • Antibiotics;
  • Chemical preservatives;
  • Fermentation products etc.

Animal feed ingredients
Most animal feed ingredients manufacturing companies, such as Champrix generally employ nutritionists who help create formulated mixtures based on the needs of the targeted animals. This process of formulating an animal feed so as to provide a balanced diet to animals is a rather complex process since each group of animals has different nutritional needs. These feeds generally consist of:

• Agricultural products, such as vitamins, wheat, fruits, forage, minerals, corn, barley, distiller&#;s grain, sorghum and vegetables.
• Co-products which are by-products of either a chemical reaction or a manufacturing process and include ingredients, such as:
  • Animal protein;
  • Blood meal;
  • Bakery co-products;
  • Citrus pulp;
  • Brewer&#;s yeast;
  • Molasses;
  • Salt;
  • Soybean meal etc.

Manufacturing of animal feed ingredients
Animal feed is generally made in feed mills situated across the world and includes the 4 major processes of:

• Procurement of raw materials from suppliers;
• Creating an animal feed formula based on years of scientific research;
• Mixing of the raw ingredients in rations specified the animal feed formula;
• Packaging of the animal feed along with their labelling for selling into the markets worldwide.

Raw materials on their procurement are first weighed and then tested and analysed to ensure that the required nutrients are present in the proper quality and quantity. Testing of these raw materials is done as much to ensure quality as to make them safe for use on animals and involves certain physical, chemical and electronic measurements to test if the raw materials match up to the predetermined standards. Thus testing is carried out for certain key quality indicators, such as:

• Moisture content;
• Quality and quantity of fats and proteins contained in it;
• Presence of crude fibres;
• Mycotoxins present;
• Pathogens included etc.

Quality control too forms an important part of the manufacturing process. In fact it determines the effectiveness of the animal feed made and its contribution to the growth and health of the animals concerned. Quality control starts with the examination of the supplied ingredients which are:

• Physically checked for damages caused by heat, weather conditions, pests or molds;
• Presence of filth, adulterants and contaminants.

Quality control is commonly facilitated by a process known as microscopy which happens to be the most fundamental and the fastest technique for the quality control of animal feed ingredients. Microscopy is further divided into:

• Qualitative microscopy which use surface features and even cellular characteristics to identify and evaluate ingredients and other foreign materials which might be supplied individually or in mixtures;
• Quantitative microscopy measures the specific amounts of ingredients that are present in the finished animal feed as well as the specific amount of adulterants and contaminants present.

Animal feed ingredients play a very important role in the animal husbandry industry. In fact the health of the animals reared in a farm forms the foundation of this industry and thus needs to be properly catered to so as to ensure the health of the industry as a whole. 

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Animal Feed Production Equipment.