How to make layer chicken feed for layers in South Africa?

2021-03-22 Back to List

How to produce chicken feed for layers in South Africa?Today we will talk about this topic.

1.Why You Need to Make Chicken Feed Pellets in South Africa?

If you ever had chickens, you know that there are three types of chicken feed that you can buy: mash, pellet, and crumble. You might be wondering, though, out of three chicken feeds, which one is the best for chickens? 

Mash leaves waste behind due to the separation of grains while crumble takes extra time to produce. That leaves to pellet food: a type of chicken feed that creates the right proportions for chickens. With that being said, pellet feed is easier to produce unlike the other two, but what about the other benefits? Here, we will be talking about the benefits of chicken pellet food. If we were to compare pellet feed with mash, pellets have advantages or benefits that mash doesn't:

(1)Pellets reduce waste that is produced from the chicken feed, water soiling, or eating behaviors from chickens.

(2)The bulkiness of chicken feed is brought down by 18% due to pellets.

(3)Since chickens are prone to salmonella, pellet feed reduces chickens from contracting salmonella. Other things pellet feed prevents is mold and growth inhibitors.

(4)Besides being healthy for chickens, it is also easy to produce. The process of pellet food has less difficulty in mixing, particle sizes, and ingredient mixing.

(5)The chicken feed cost is saved by 15% due to pellet food.
(6)Pellet food has vitamins that chickens need to improve their digestive systems like Vitamin E and B12.

2.How to Make Chicken Feed For Layers in South Africa? Chicken feed production process details

Intensive chicken farming and mechanization have led to a widespread use of various types of chicken feed making machine which serve different purposes to make chicken feed. The process of making feed pellets for your chicken is relatively simple and involves several steps and corresponding feed pellet production equipment for poultry includes grinding machine, mixing machine, pellet mill, etc..

(1)Crushing - machine for grinding chicken feed

Gringing or crushing machine grinds chicken feed ingredients into a powder/mash to make it not only easier for poultry to eat faster, but also digest quicker, which increases their production in terms of eggs- for layers or meat for broilers.

(2)Mixing - mixer machine for feed chicken

Mixing machine is used to mix the raw materials uniformly and evenly. Different ingredients that make the poultry feeds such as corn flour, wheat bran, fish meal, bone meal, soybean meal and all the other ingredients and minerals are included. Throught mixing, the poultry meal that has all the ingredients are mixed uniformly and evenly.

(3)Pelletizing - pellet machine to make pellets for chickens 

The mixture can now be delivered into a pellet mill feeder, where it will go to a roller and die intruder. The extruded pellets will have an average moisture content of around 16-17%. Pellet mill machine is used to convert the powdered feeds into pellets that further enhance feed efficiency in poultry farming and increase production in terms of egg production or meat production, while at the same time reducing the costs incured.

(4)Cooling - Pellet cooler

The final step is to cool the wet pellets until you obtain a moisture content that is below 12%.

3. Nutritional management of laying hens in South Africa

In the process of laying hen breeding, many farmers consider the price of feed the most, ignoring the economic benefits of breeding. In this regard, the author will start with the nutrition management of laying hens and propose several measures to improve economic efficiency for reference.

(1) Five links for effective disease prevention and control

① Disinfection: conduct thorough disinfection of breeding utensils, pens, passages, and feces every week.

②Management: The most suitable temperature for laying hens to grow is 13℃~20℃, while the humidity is controlled at about 55%.

③Vaccine immunization: formulate an immunization program suitable for yourself in accordance with the field For example, the recommended immunization program for Newcastle disease: first immunization, 1 day to 3 days old, II line, IV line or clone strain vaccine. Second immunity, 1 to 2 weeks after the first immunity, IV line or cloned strain. Three exemptions, 2 to 3 weeks after the second exemption, live seedlings + inactivated seedlings. Four immunity, 8 weeks to 10 weeks of age, IV lines or clones are aerosol or eye drops. Five exemptions, 16 weeks to 18 weeks old, live seedlings + inactivated seedlings. During the laying period, live vaccines should be immunized from February to March.

④Reducing stress: For example, layer feed with high vitamins and added immune enhancer Barroton, quick replenishment of electrolysis and multi-dimensional.

⑤High-nutrient feed: For example, layer feed with high amino acid and high protein, when the layer uses nutritious full-price feed, it will improve the feed utilization rate of the chicken flock, and will not cause gout due to excessive protein or low protein content. Egg laying fatigue syndrome appears. For example, feeding a single feed often consumes more feed, less output, small egg weight, and low feed return, which makes it difficult to increase egg production and benefits.

(2) Pay attention to nutrition management of layer feed

According to different growth stages, production stages, seasonal changes, health levels, breeding environment, raw material quality, feed intake and other conditions, different nutrients are provided to meet the needs of chicken production and life. The growth and development of chicks can only be ensured by taking in sufficient nutrients. It is best to use special egg-chicken fortification 2 weeks before brooding, and then change to chick feed, so that the bones can be fully developed. Chickens grow very fast during the rearing period. Under the circumstance of ensuring a reasonable feed level, the height of the feed line should be adjusted in time. It is best to let the chickens stand on tiptoe to eat, which can promote the growth of tibia as soon as possible.

This is more important for the rooster, it can reduce the hunch and raise the keel, which will help to catch up with the hen in the future, that is, increase the fertilization rate. Among them, the hallmarks of high-yield and stable-yielding flocks: uniform and effective antibody level; excellent uniformity and pass rate; body size up to standard. Body shape composition: body shape = weight + skeleton. Features: The bones of chickens grow rapidly in the first 10 weeks. The skeleton of 8-week-old chicks can complete 75%, and the skeleton of 12-week-old chicks can complete more than 90%; body weight development reaches 75% of the full period at 20 weeks of age.

Early brooding (first week): Quickly start maternal antibodies. The results of the study show that the type of diet fed to the chicks immediately after hatching or the injection of nutrients into the eggs or embryos after hatching can affect the development and maturity of small intestinal villi and improve the overall growth performance of poultry.

Dead hunting rate refers to the mortality of laying hens after laying. Taking Hailan brown chicken as an example, the allowed dead hunting rate is 5% to 6%, but in actual production, the dead hunting rate often exceeds 10% or even more. Calculated based on the 4% difference between 6% and 10%, the difference in the loss of 10,000 chickens from dead scouring is: 4% × 10,000 birds × 20 yuan / chicken = 8,000 yuan. In addition, these undeserved chickens can only earn 30 yuan each, so the actual loss is 8,000 yuan + 4% × 10,000 × 30 yuan / chicken = 20,000 yuan, and each chicken earns an average of 20,000 ÷ 10,000 = 2 yuan less. It can be seen from this that it is of great significance to control the death rate.

The death rate of laying hens directly affects the economic interests of farmers. The death rate is affected by many factors, and symptomatic treatment is needed to increase the interests of farmers.

However, the stress at this time mainly comes from nutrition, that is, feed. Add multivitamins before the chicks are basketed to reduce the adverse effects of transfer stress.

The basic starting point for controlling the rate of dead scouring and maintaining the peak period is the feed, scientific ingredients, and a reasonable mix of feeds according to the nutritional needs of the chicken body. Laying hens must increase the level of amino acids and protein in the feed to meet the needs of maturity and sexual maturity. First of all, a comprehensive and balanced nutritional supply can enhance the body's resistance and immunity. Secondly, long-term malnutrition can easily cause the function of the immune system to decline, leading to the invasion of external pathogens or the development of chronic diseases. Thirdly, adding compound multi-dimensional and vitamins to feed can enhance chicken body metabolism and anti-stress ability.

4. Nutritional elements of layer feed in South Africa

(1) Water: Water is the solvent and transportation tool of various nutrients. The metabolism and various biochemical reactions in the growth and development of chickens require the participation of water. The elimination of wastes in the body also requires water for transportation. It has the function of regulating body temperature and regulating osmotic pressure to maintain the normal state of cells. The main source of water is drinking water, and the tail product (endogenous water) of the water in the feed and the metabolism of organic matter in the body. Insufficient water will hinder the excretion of metabolites, leading to blood circulation and endocrine disorders, increased body temperature, metabolic disorders and death. The water supply for chicks is generally 2-2.5 times the feed intake, and 1.5-2 times for laying hens. When the room temperature is higher than 32°C, the water consumption will double. Therefore, there is no life without water.

(2) Protein: Protein is the foundation of life, the main raw material that constitutes animal cells, and the basic component of various enzymes, hormones and antibodies involved in metabolism in the body. At the same time, protein is also the most important ingredient in chicken and eggs. For example, the lack of protein in chicken feed will not only affect the health of chickens, but also reduce productivity and product quality.

5.Things to Add to Chicken Feed in South Africa

•Aragonite or feeding limestone (for calcium, not absolutely necessary)

•Oyster shell (calcium, free feed)

•Grit

•Salt

•Probiotic

•Crab meal (small amounts provide protein and minerals)

•Flaxseed (omega-3, feed whole to avoid rancidity)

•Broad-spectrum mineral supplementKelp (a mineral source)

•Fish meal (helps boost protein and omega-3s)

•Cultured yeast (B vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes)

6.Simple Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe Formula For Layers In South Africa

•30% Corn.

•30% Wheat.

•20% Peas.

•10% Oats.

•10% Fish Meal.

•2% Poultry Nutri–Balancer (where to buy)

•Free Choice Kelp (where to buy kelp)

•Free Choice Aragonite.

7.Equipment Needed To Make Chicken Feed For Layers In South Africa

Making your own feed for more than a handful of chickens requires a commercial, heavy-duty feed mill. With this, you can freshly grind the grains you purchase for your hens. 

You will also need to think about storage for the bags of grains you buy. Consider building a storage bin with partitions for each of your grains and a lid on the top. If you can use a sliding gate at the bottom to dispense the grain, you can naturally rotate the grains. You may need to clean the bins out completely once or twice a year to prevent pest infestations.

Where to find chicken feed plant in South Africa?chicken feed making machine South Africa price?leading suppliers of poultry animal feed mills for South Africa market?machinery to produce feed for chickens for sale South Africa?chicken pellet feed making machine in South Africa?Contact Richi Machinery for these details.