Feed is one of the largest operating costs for livestock and poultry farms. Depending entirely on purchased compound feed can expose a farm to changing feed prices, transportation costs, supply disruptions and limited control over feed formulations.
For farms with sufficient and relatively stable feed demand, on-farm feed production can provide an alternative approach. Instead of purchasing all finished feed from external suppliers, farmers can purchase or grow raw materials and process them according to the nutritional requirements of their animals.
A properly designed farm feed mill can combine grinding, weighing, dosing and mixing within a compact production system. Depending on the required feed form, pelletizing, cooling, screening, storage and bagging can also be added.
However, producing feed on the farm is not automatically the right investment for every operation. Daily feed consumption, raw material availability, required feed types, available space, labor, energy infrastructure and future expansion should all be evaluated before selecting a system.
On-farm feed production means processing feed ingredients directly at or near the livestock operation instead of relying entirely on externally manufactured compound feed.
A typical system may process grains such as corn, wheat and barley together with protein sources, minerals, premixes, oil, molasses and other ingredients included in the feed formulation.
The ingredients are weighed according to the recipe, ground when necessary and mixed into a homogeneous batch.
Simple installations may produce mash feed using grinding and mixing equipment. More advanced systems can include automatic dosing, raw material silos, liquid addition, pelletizing, cooling, screening and finished-feed storage.
The important point is not the number of machines installed, but whether the complete process matches the farm’s actual feed demand and working conditions.
The main advantage is greater control over the feed production process.
When finished feed is purchased externally, the farm depends on the supplier for formulation, production scheduling, transportation and pricing. Producing feed internally allows greater control over raw material purchasing, recipe management and production timing.
Producing feed on the farm allows operators to evaluate the cost of individual ingredients instead of purchasing only a finished compound feed.
This does not mean that internal production is always cheaper. The actual result depends on raw material prices, production volume, energy, labor, maintenance, storage, transport and equipment investment.
For this reason, the decision should be based on the farm’s actual annual feed requirement and operating conditions rather than on a fixed expected saving percentage.
Different animal groups may require different feed formulations.
Dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goats, broilers and layers may require different recipes according to their feeding program. With an on-farm system, these formulations can be changed according to the farm’s nutritional strategy, provided that they are correctly prepared and managed.
Producing feed internally also provides greater visibility over the ingredients entering the ration.
The farm can establish its own procedures for raw material selection, inspection, storage, traceability and stock management.
This can be particularly useful for farms that grow part of their own grain or have reliable access to local raw materials.
Producing feed at the point of consumption can reduce part of the dependence on regular finished-feed deliveries.
Raw materials still need to be transported and stored, but the farm gains more control over production timing and feed availability.
An on-farm feed mill can be considered for dairy cattle farms, beef cattle operations, sheep and goat farms, poultry farms, mixed livestock operations and agricultural cooperatives.
Farm size alone should not determine whether the investment is suitable.
A more useful starting point is daily feed demand. Farms with predictable feed consumption throughout the year generally have a stronger basis for evaluating internal production than operations with very low or irregular demand.
Raw material availability is also important. A farm that grows grain itself or can purchase major ingredients competitively may have a different economic case from one that must source every ingredient in small quantities.
Capacity should be based on the farm’s actual production requirement rather than selecting a machine size first.
A simplified initial calculation is: Required hourly production = Daily feed requirement ÷ Available production hours per day
For example, if a farm requires 6 tonnes of feed per day and plans to operate the system for approximately 3 hours: 6 tonnes ÷ 3 hours = approximately 2 tonnes/hour
This provides an initial reference, not the final equipment selection.
The final capacity should also consider batch size, number of recipes, grinding requirements, mixing cycle time, material handling time, mash or pellet production, operating hours, available electrical power and expected future growth.
An oversized system can increase initial investment unnecessarily, while an undersized system may create production bottlenecks later.
The following examples provide a simple planning reference. Final machine capacities and layouts should always be determined according to the specific project.
| Farm Requirement | Production Approach | Possible System Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Low to moderate daily feed demand | Mash feed production | Grinding + weighing + mixing |
| Several recipes or more ingredients | Controlled batch production | Grinding + automatic weighing/dosing + mixing |
| Higher and continuous demand | More automated production | Raw material silos + dosing + grinding + mixing + finished-feed storage |
| Pellet feed required | Pellet production | Grinding + dosing + mixing + conditioning + pellet mill + cooling + screening |
| Future expansion expected | Modular design | Layout and conveying prepared for additional storage or process equipment |
Two farms with similar tonnes-per-hour requirements may still need very different systems depending on raw materials, building dimensions, feed form and operating schedule.
The required equipment depends mainly on the feed formulation, production capacity and required final product.
Raw materials can be stored in silos, day bins, bunkers, big bags or dedicated bag storage areas depending on the scale of the installation.
Storage should protect ingredients against moisture and contamination while preventing unwanted mixing between materials. Required storage capacity should also reflect purchasing frequency and expected consumption.
Grains and other ingredients that require particle-size reduction are generally processed using a hammer mill.
Screen size, hammer configuration, raw material characteristics, rotor speed and aspiration all influence grinding capacity and final particle size.
Grinding requirements should therefore be determined according to the animal group and feed formulation rather than selecting the hammer mill only by motor power.
Each ingredient must enter the batch according to the formulation.
Major raw materials can be automatically weighed and dosed, while smaller quantities may require separate dosing systems.
Accuracy becomes especially important for low-inclusion ingredients such as premixes, vitamins, minerals and additives.
After weighing and grinding, ingredients are transferred to the feed mixer.
The purpose of mixing is to distribute the ingredients throughout the batch as uniformly as possible.
Mixer type, batch capacity, filling level, mixing time and ingredient characteristics all affect the result. The mixer should therefore be selected as part of the complete production system rather than as an independent machine.
Oil, molasses or other liquid ingredients may be included in certain formulations.
When liquids are required, the dosing, pumping and spraying system should be selected according to the required quantity, liquid characteristics, mixer configuration and dosing accuracy.
Many farm feed units are designed mainly for mash feed production.
When pellet feed is required, the system may also include a conditioner, pellet mill, cooler, crumbler and vibrating sieve.
Pellet production requires additional process stages, energy, maintenance and investment. It should therefore be included only when it matches the farm’s feeding strategy and production needs.
Materials must be transferred between storage bins and process machines.
Depending on the plant layout, screw conveyors, chain conveyors, bucket elevators, pneumatic transfer or gravity chutes may be used.
The conveying concept should be developed together with the plant layout because reducing unnecessary transfers can also reduce equipment and maintenance requirements.
Finished feed can be transferred to storage bins, connected to an automatic feeding system, loaded into a vehicle or packed into bags.
The appropriate solution depends on how the feed will be stored and distributed within the farm.
This is one of the main decisions when planning a farm feed mill.
A mash feed system normally requires fewer process stages and can therefore remain relatively compact and simple.
A pellet feed system requires additional equipment and generally involves higher energy consumption, maintenance requirements and initial investment.
The correct choice depends on animal type, nutritional strategy, required feed characteristics, production volume and available investment budget.
The required feed form should therefore be determined before the plant layout and equipment configuration are finalized.
Not every farm requires the same level of automation.
A smaller operation producing only a few recipes may use a simple control concept. As production volume, ingredient variety, recipe complexity and required dosing accuracy increase, automation becomes more valuable.
Automation may include recipe management, weighing, dosing, batch sequencing, mixer control, liquid dosing, material transfer and production monitoring.
The objective should be to use the level of automation that fits the operation rather than automating every process unnecessarily.
A farm feed mill can often be designed more compactly than a large commercial feed plant, but the layout should not simply place machines in the smallest possible area.
The design should allow sufficient space for raw material receiving, storage, machine access, maintenance, electrical panels, finished-feed handling, cleaning and possible future expansion.
Building width, length and especially clear internal height can directly affect the process layout. Where technically appropriate, gravity can be used between production stages to reduce unnecessary conveying equipment.
If an existing building will be used, providing its dimensions or a basic layout drawing during the initial engineering stage can significantly improve the plant design.
Before selecting individual machines, the following questions should be answered:
Answering these questions before equipment selection helps avoid unnecessary investment and reduces the risk of future production limitations.
KARDEV designs feed production systems according to the production requirements and physical conditions of each project.
For an on-farm feed production project, the engineering process begins by evaluating the farm’s daily feed demand, raw materials, required feed type, production capacity, available installation area, automation requirements and future expansion plans.
Based on these parameters, the process flow and equipment configuration can be determined before the final plant layout is prepared.
Depending on project requirements, a KARDEV farm feed mill can integrate raw material storage, grinding, weighing and dosing, mixing, liquid addition, conveying, pelletizing, cooling, screening and finished-feed handling within a coordinated production system.
The objective is not to use the maximum number of machines. It is to design a system around the farm’s actual production requirements while considering operational efficiency, dosing accuracy, maintenance accessibility and future expansion.
For detailed machine configurations and complete solutions, see our Farm Type Feed Units page.
If you are considering producing feed on your own farm, you can send KARDEV:
If you already have an existing building, you can also provide its layout drawing, dimensions or basic project sketch.
Based on this information, our engineering team can evaluate the process requirements and determine an appropriate equipment configuration and plant layout for your project.
Contact KARDEV to discuss your on-farm feed production project and request a technical and commercial proposal.
It can be, but the result depends on raw material prices, production volume, energy consumption, labor, equipment investment, storage and logistics. A project-specific cost calculation should be made before investment rather than assuming a fixed saving percentage.
Capacity should be calculated according to daily feed demand and planned production hours. Batch cycle time, number of recipes, grinding requirements, required feed form and future growth should also be considered before final machine selection.
There is no single standard area requirement. Required space depends on production capacity, storage, feed form, automation level, conveying concept and building height.
Yes. When pellet production is required, the system can include equipment such as a conditioner, pellet mill, cooler and vibrating sieve.
The main information includes daily feed requirement, animal type, required feed form, raw materials, desired capacity, available building dimensions and automation requirements.
