How to produce animal feeds with a small pellet machine?
For livestock owners, the ability to transition from buying expensive, generic commercial feeds to producing custom, high-nutrition pellets on-site offers a significant competitive edge. Nawrocki LLC provides the technical infrastructure through the miniPelleter series to make this independence a reality.
Why produce your own animal feed pellets? Cost control and quality independence
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The primary driver for on-site feed production is the optimization of the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR).
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By utilizing a miniPelleter, producers can eliminate the logistical overhead of third-party suppliers and gain total control over the nutritional integrity of their livestock’s diet.
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Customizing recipes allows for the inclusion of local co-products—such as distillery grains or specific herbal additives—that are often unavailable in standardized industrial mixes.
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From a fiscal perspective, the ROI is realized through reduced waste (pellets prevent selective feeding) and the ability to purchase raw grains in bulk during market lows.
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Producing your own feed ensures that your livestock receives fresh, unoxidized nutrients, leading to better health outcomes and higher market value for the final animal product.
Capacity of a small pellet mill 22kW for animal feeds
How much of animal pelleted feeds a small pellet mill can do per hour with a 22kW motor? It depends on the composition of the feed. The more grease the higher production, like for poultry. The more fibrous materials like straw or hay, the capacity gets lower - like for horses or cattle.
Check bellow what can you expect.
miniPelleter 22 Performance and Throughput
given in kg/h
PD: Popular Pellets Diammeter [milimeters]
600
Poultry
PD: 3.5mm
250
Cattle
PD: 5.0
350
Pigs
PD: 3.5
250
Equine
PD: 6.0mm
400
Fish
PD: 3.0
250
Rabbits
PD: 4.0
Pelleting of fine milled peas husk
Tailored Nutrition:
Feed Profiles and Raw Materials
Different species require specific physical and nutritional pellet characteristics. The miniPelleter is engineered to handle these diverse formulations by adjusting the pelleting parameters to match the fiber and fat content of the recipe.
Poultry Feed (Broilers & Layers)
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Main Raw Materials: Corn (maize), soybean meal, wheat, calcium carbonate (for layers), and amino acids like methionine.
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Technical Focus: Poultry requires high-energy density. The challenge lies in achieving a durable pellet that survives transport to the feeder without creating "fines" (dust), which birds often refuse to eat.
Swine Feed (Pigs)
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Main Raw Materials: Barley, wheat, soybean meal, whey powder (for piglets), and essential minerals.
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Technical Focus: Digestibility is key. Pelleting improves the starch gelatinization of grains, making nutrients more bioavailable, which is crucial for rapid weight gain in finishers.
Cattle Feed (Beef & Dairy)
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Main Raw Materials: Alfalfa, chopped hay, corn silage, beet pulp, and bypass proteins.
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Technical Focus: These feeds are high in fiber. The miniPelleter utilizes high-torque Bonfiglioli gearboxes to compress bulky forage materials into dense, easy-to-digest pellets that stimulate rumination.
Equine Feed (Horses)
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Main Raw Materials: Alfalfa, oats, timothy hay, beet pulp, and molasses (as a binder/energy source).
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Technical Focus: Dust suppression is vital for equine respiratory health. Pelleting eliminates the dust associated with loose hay and ensures that every mouthful contains a balanced ratio of vitamins and minerals.
Aquafeed (Fish)
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Main Raw Materials: Fish meal, soybean concentrate, fish oil, and high-starch binders (wheat gluten or pea starch).
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Technical Focus: Density control is paramount. Depending on the species (e.g., trout vs. carp), the pellets must be calibrated to either sink or remain buoyant, a feat achieved through precise moisture and pressure management in the Nawrocki LLC system.
Rabbits & Small Ruminants & Snails
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Main Raw Materials: Alfalfa meal, high-quality grass hays (timothy, orchard), wheat middlings, sunflower meal, and dried beet pulp.
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Technical Focus: These animals require a diet very high in structural fiber. For rabbits specifically, the pellets must have a high mechanical durability index to ensure they don't crumble, as their dental health and digestive tract rely on the consistent physical structure of the feed.
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Challenges for the Small-Scale Producer of Animal Feeds
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While the benefits are clear, small producers face specific technical hurdles.
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Fat content (2-4%) and moisture control is the most frequent challenge; raw materials must be maintained at 12–15% moisture to ensure the pellet "sets" correctly.
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Additionally, managing the die bed depth is essential to prevent motor overloading when switching between high-fiber (cattle) and high-protein (poultry) recipes.
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Finally, ensuring biosecurity and preventing cross-contamination between different batches requires a machine with a "clean-design" chamber, a standard feature in the second-generation miniPelleter.
FAQ: Technical Answers For Animal Feeds Pelleting for Machines for Pellets Users
Yes, typically. By sourcing raw grains locally and eliminating retail markups and logistics costs, producers often see a 20–30% reduction in feed expenses.
Usually no. Fish feed requires smaller diameters (2 - 3 mm) and different NPT ratios compared to the larger (6 - 8 mm) pellets used for cattle.
For most farm-scale recipes, no. The friction-generated heat in a Nawrocki LLC die is sufficient to bond the starches and proteins.
If cooled properly and stored in a dry environment, home-produced pellets have a shelf life comparable to commercial feeds (3–6 months).
No. Materials must be dried to approximately 15% moisture. Wet materials will "paste" the die and stall the motor.
Yes. Alfalfa is a high-protein, high-fiber material that pellets exceptionally well. However, because alfalfa is abrasive, we recommend using our vacuum-hardened dies to ensure a longer service life of the pelleting assembly.
For small ruminants, a diameter of 4mm to 6mm is most common. The Nawrocki LLC system allows for quick die changes, enabling you to switch between smaller rabbit pellets and larger sheep pellets in a single production session.
Adding just 1 - 2% of fats or oils can reduce the friction in the die enough to lower the amperage by 10 - 15%, allowing you to increase the feed rate and overall hourly production.
Straw is highly elastic and abrasive. It requires more energy to compress and stay formed, which means the motor must work harder to push less mass through the die compared to grain-based feeds.
Yes, a 22 kW motor typically requires a stable 400V (three-phase) connection with a minimum protection of 50 - 63A to handle the startup current and peak loads during heavy pelleting.
Shortening the NPT will increase throughput and lower energy costs, but it may result in softer pellets with a lower durability index. Nawrocki LLC engineers can help you find the "sweet spot" for your specific recipe.