Have you ever seen a bulk feed truck unloading? The feed is pumped under high pressure from the truck into the pumping unit at a speed visible to the naked eye. But have you ever thought about what this high-speed impact means for the feed pellets?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Throughout the entire process from production to feeding, bulk feed undergoes multiple loading and unloading operations, transportation jolting, and storage turnover, resulting in continuous damage to the integrity of the pellets. Those in feed processing know that when the moisture content is between 141% and 161% of the feed's moisture content, starch gelatinization is complete, resulting in the best pellet adhesion and the lowest powdering rate. However, by the time the feed reaches the farm, the powdering rate is no longer determined by the processing technology\u2014the height difference at the feed tower inlet, the airflow impact in the unloading pipes, the free fall of feed from tens of meters inside the tower, and even the blower continuing to draw fine powder to the top of the tower after the feed has been processed\u2014each step increases the powder content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research data shows that for every 11 TP3T increase in pulverization rate, feed conversion ratio decreases by 0.31 TP3T to 0.51 TP3T. In a laying hen farm with 200,000 birds, consuming thousands of tons of feed annually, each additional percentage point increase in pulverization rate means tens of tons of feed are directly converted into uneaten powder that the chickens cannot consume. Some of this powder is picked out by the chickens, some is sucked away by the blower, and the rest remains mixed in the feed trough, where the chickens peck at it a few times and then refuse to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people have encountered this situation: a truckload of new feed is put in, and after a few days, the feed flowing out of the bottom of the feed hopper is noticeably more broken than when it first entered the hopper. This isn't an illusion; it's the result of the feed being repeatedly "tumbled" inside the hopper. As the feed falls freely from the top of the hopper to the bottom, the greater the drop, the more severe the pellet breakage. The higher the feeding frequency, the more times the pellets break down. You may not see this process, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The "formula" you buy may have already been "screened" by the feed tower.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Feed leaving the feed mill undergoes rigorous and uniform mixing. The standard for the uniformity of complete compound feed is a coefficient of variation not exceeding 10\u00b9TP\u00b3T, which is a national standard requirement. However, once the feed enters the mixing tower, the uniformity begins to decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the mixer's output to the bulk tanker delivery, the feed is bumped along the way, then pulsed pneumatic feeding into the chicken house's storage silo, and finally to the feed trough\u2014each step reduces the uniformity of the compound feed. The core reason is gravity. Heavier particles sink to the bottom fastest, while smaller particles settle more slowly and remain at the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that the composition of feed varies at different points in the feed tower. The initial feed may have more particles and be nutritionally balanced; the middle feed may have a mix of coarse and fine particles; and finally, what remains is all fine powder and additive residue. The problem is that each farm has its own feed switching logic. When the chick feed is finished, it's replaced with grower feed, and when the grower feed is finished, it's replaced with peak-growth feed. The feed output at these critical points is precisely the last part of each batch of feed left over\u2014that is, the part with the highest powder content, and the part with the most uneven distribution of additives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suppose a batch of feed is stored in a tower for 20 days. For the first 15 days, the chickens eat "good feed," and for the last 5 days, they eat only "concentrated, finely ground feed." They grow well for the first 15 days, but their nutrient intake decreases in the last 5 days, dragging down the overall performance of the batch. But you have no idea where the problem lies\u2014because you haven't measured the feed's powdering rate and uniformity every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Invisible static electricity is stealing your trace additives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There's another hidden problem called electrostatic adsorption. It sounds a bit mystical, but it happens every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vitamins are most prone to forming static charges. The charged particles repel each other, causing separation and uneven distribution in the premix. Simultaneously, charged particles are easily adsorbed onto metal objects, accumulating as scale on the mixer's shaft and mesh walls. If the feed has high viscosity or adheres to the inner walls of the mixer, feed tower, and conveying pipes due to static electricity, these components cannot escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What does this mean? It means that the trace additives, vitamins, and enzymes you bought at high prices may never have gone into the chicken's stomach, but were instead attracted by static electricity and stuck in some corner of the equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One farm encountered a particularly typical phenomenon: using the same batch of feed and the same formula, the flock was in good condition for the first half of the month, but suddenly intestinal problems and a drop in egg production occurred in the second half. They checked the water quality, diseases, and environment, but found nothing wrong. Finally, they dismantled the feed tower auger and found a thick layer of yellowish-brown substance adhering to the inner wall of the pipe and below the feed tower outlet\u2014this was concentrated and accumulated vitamin premix after electrostatic adsorption. These additives tend to adhere to metal surfaces at the production end, and are further concentrated in the feed tower and feed line. Finally, they clump together and fall off when changing feed or when the equipment vibrates, causing an "additive overdose" at a certain time. The chickens either refused to eat or experienced problems after consuming it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can't see it, but it's definitely happening. The larger the metal structure of the feed tower and the longer the feed line, the more obvious the static electricity accumulation. This effect is especially strong during dry seasons and in low-humidity environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drug residues remain in the feed hopper, meaning the next batch of chickens may be "passively ingesting" the drugs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, here's a problem that many people haven't considered: when changing materials, the drugs from the previous batch will remain in the silo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drug contamination in feed silos is mainly caused by improper design or operation. Uneven silo interiors, incomplete cleaning, and alternating use of medicated and non-medicated feeds in the same silo can all lead to drug contamination. In particular, when medicated and non-medicated feeds are used alternately in the same silo, drug residues can mix into subsequent batches or even several batches of feed, causing cross-contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you added anticoccidial drugs to the previous batch of chick feed, drug residues will remain on the feed tower walls and at the feed outlet when you switch to grower feed. These residues will continue to mix into the next batch of drug-free feed, and the flock may be "passively ingesting low doses of drugs" throughout the growing period, directly affecting intestinal health and immunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn't just a problem for farms; feed mills and veterinary drug monitoring agencies investigate this every year. The issue is that regulators check the source\u2014the feed mill\u2014but there are no mandatory standards for whether there are residues in the farms' own feed hoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Put the bill first<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If we calculate one ton of feed at 3,500 yuan, a loss of four points means 140 yuan gone. For a farm with tens of thousands of birds, consuming hundreds or even thousands of tons of feed a year, four points is not a small amount. And these four points are not stolen or spilled; they are lost little by little through invisible details such as grinding, electrostatic adsorption, and cross-residue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody monitors the percentage of fine powder at the feed tower's outlet every day, nor does anyone use an electrostatic meter to measure the wall thickness of the feed line. But these losses do occur\u2014some of the tonnage discrepancies you experience at the end of the month stems from these losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discharging feed from the top to the bottom of the feed tower is the most basic step in chicken farming. But it's precisely this step that secretly leaks profits to countless farms every year. It's not a problem with the feed mill, nor with the formula; it's that after the feed enters your tower, that final leg of the journey isn't finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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