Applied Animal Nutrition-I

PROCESSING OF CONCENTRATE FEED

• Material flow during processing includes:
  • Particle size reduction
  • Premixing
  • Mixing
  • Pelleting and
  • Packing
• Coarse ingredients pass over a permanent magnet, which removes tramp metal, and then through a hammer mill, which reduces particle size to the desired screen analysis.
• Ground material is monitored periodically to ensure size uniformity and to help detect wear of hammer mill screen and hammers.
• The ground material is then routed to ingredient holding bins.
• There are two mixing operations in feed milling.
• One is for the mixing of micro-nutrients; the operation is generally termed pre-mixing.
• The other mixing operation involves the actual blending of all components of the diet.
• Micro-nutrients, such as vitamins and trace minerals, are accurately weighed with carrier material which has a density approximating that of the predominant micro-ingredient.
• The materials are then mixed in a batch mixer or cone mixer for a period of time specified by the equipment manufacturer to ensure homogeneity.
• The premix is finally routed to the premix holding bin.
• Ration mixing begins when augers are set in motion to deliver; the correct amounts of each ingredient including the premix, according to the formula, into the mixer.
• Where manual changing of the mixer is done, ingredients are weighed out in sacks or hopper carts.
• The mixing period is according to the equipment manufacturer's specifications, but final mix is checked periodically with a tracer to ensure homogeneity of the mix.
• If the mixed diet is to undergo pelleting, it is routed to the pelleting bin.
• Mixed feed mash for pelleting is first conditioned with steam in the steam conditioner section of the pellet mill, after which it enters the die where it is finally extruded.
• Freshly extruded pellets are hot and contain excess moisture which is removed during passage through the cooler.
• Fines are then screened from the cooled pelleted feed and returned for repeating.
• Fish oil, if added, is now applied prior to the routing of the finished pellets into the packer bins.