Feed mills and dry mixers for individual feed production

There is a trend towards using home-grown cereals for pig feed production. It's an economic option and also allows the production of individual rations of a known quality. It can also reduce transport costs and enable farmers to use by-products from the food industry, which can help to reduce costs, further. These are significant advantages - and perhaps more so given the current financial climate in pig production.

As a company, we are especially interested in delivering the right system adapted to suit individual operational requirements. If, for example, a HYDROMIX feeding system is used, only a feed mill is needed as the mixing process will be carried out in the tank of the liquid feeding system. The milling and mixing system can, of course, also be controlled by the Big Dutchman MC 99 NT feeding computer - so, in some cases, the outlay may be far less than first estimated.

Feed mills – for evenly-structured feed

Big Dutchman supply hammer mills with driving powers of between 11 and 22 kW and capacities of 2000 - 4000 kg/hr.

Every mill is equipped with a stone catcher, in the form of a riddle sifter, along with a metal detector and collector. A screen is used for the even maceration of cereals and other grains; their structure, however, depends on the mesh size (usually between 2.5 - 4.5 mm).

The raw materials and finished meal are transported by a chain elevator or a speed-controlled conveyor screw auger. A frequency converter (optional) allows the grinding speed to be continuously adjusted.

Advantages High capacity (2-4 tonne/hr); Even feed structure; Rugged construction, the rotor is also used in industrial machines with much higher driving capacities; Stone catcher and collector for metal are standard; Mill grinds in both directions => even wear of the screens, => longer lifetime; Dust filter for improved hygiene; All parts of the mill are mounted onto a frame, this minimises installation requirements; Good price-performance ratio.

Big Dutchman double mill

Feed kitchen with feed mill, mixer and HYDROMIX

Under certain conditions, for example with rearing and finishing pigs, it could make more sense to use two, small mill units instead of one large mill. This enables the production of different rations and recipes with different grain and/or grist sizes.

Dry mixer – precise mixing, versatile use

Big Dutchman's dry mixer is a multi-purpose horizontal machine. Different feed components such as cereals, dry minerals, vitamins and fats can be thoroughly mixed and it can deal with varying capacities.

The dry mixer is highly accurate, making it especially suitable for the production of premixes. The standard version has a capacity of 2000 litres and three weigh bars ensure accurate weight calculation. The mixer is emptied over an opening at the base. The aperture can be opened or closed automatically or manually by a sliding valve.

Advantages Double, counter-rotating screw which works along the entire length of the mixer for a high mixing accuracy and very good mixing quality, including small amounts; 3-leg mixer requires only little space and can thus easily be merged with existing dry feeding systems; The system is controlled by an MC 99 NT feeding computer; The core part of the mixer is the specially formed screw made from steel for little wear and a long lifetime.

Mineral containers for premixes and other feed additives

Examples of milling and mixing systems

All projects are individual and a great deal of information has to be taken into consideration when planning a system. For example, the number of animals, whether a dry or liquid feeding system is to be used and the number of feed ingredients and minerals, must be considered carefully. To develop the best concept for each customer, BD operates an intensive preparation and planning routine, often guided by an advisory service.

Implementation of BD feed mill in a HYDROMIX liquid feeding system

Implementation of a BD feed mill and a BD dry mixer

Implementation of a BD feed mill and a BD dry mixer

We recommend ... Apart from the milling and mixing systems described in this article, Big Dutchman also offers a variety of products which compliment and often complete an installation. The product range includes silos, mineral containers, conveyor spirals (augers), bucket and chain elevators, tube and trough screw augers. Consult our experts on the many different option Big Dutchman offers for successful pig feeding.