Extruded feed is gaining popularity in raising pigs and other farm animals. In the process of processing grain crops for such feed, their nutritional value and nutritional quality are significantly increased. This leads to the fact that food is better absorbed, which means that animals develop and grow more intensively.
Extruded feed
What is extruded food?
Extruded highly nutritious feed for pigs is produced by processing grain and grain waste on special equipment – extruders. Often the grain base is supplemented with various animal waste, premixes, mineral additives and other components. The main advantage of the obtained feed mass is that it is absorbed in the body of a pig by 90%. Nutrients from ordinary grains in the digestive system are absorbed only by 50%.
During extrusion, the feedstock is exposed to several types of influence at once. It is affected by high pressure, grinding mechanisms, high temperature. As a result, the very structure of the feed changes completely. Starch, which is one of the components of the grain, breaks down into monosaccharides, which are absorbed twice as efficiently as the substance in its original form. Protein and some other useful substances are also converted into an easily digestible form.
It should be noted that under the influence of a temperature of 180 degrees during the processing process, all bacteria and fungi that enter the extruder with raw materials are destroyed. At the same time, the minimum duration of such exposure does not reduce the amount of vitamins, amino acids and fats in the feed.
Extruded compositions are especially popular when feeding young pigs. In the process of processing, the feed acquires a special taste and aroma, which increase the appetite of animals. At the same time, the changed structure does not require separate energy consumption for food processing.
Extruded compounds
Features of feeding
Extruded feed can be made from any grain, but barley, corn, wheat or peas are the most suitable options for pigs. At the same time, in order to fill the animal’s need for minerals, in addition to the grain mass, bone meat or fish meal and fodder yeast are also added to the extruder. The processed composition is freely stored for 5-6 months, so it can be harvested at a time in large volumes.
As for the norms for feeding the farm with extrudate, they are formed on the basis of the farm owner’s own observations. In the diet of an adult boar, extruded feed should occupy at least 70%. At the same time, if after a certain period of feeding it became noticeable that such a mixture remains in the feeder, its daily volume is reduced.
When feeding sows, extruded feed in the diet is only 50%. If the uterus is also pregnant, it is better to abandon the extrudate and provide her with a sufficient amount of green and succulent feed.
As for piglets, more accurate calculations are needed here. For an individual weighing up to 40 kg, the daily rate of processed grain is 1,5 kg. In the future, with each weight gain of 10 kg, another 100 g of extrudate is added to the total daily allowance. You can feed young piglets with such a mixture no earlier than two weeks after the first feeding. Moreover, it is worth starting with a minimum amount and increasing it within 30 days to a full-fledged norm. Increasing the percentage of the mixture is carried out every 3 days. In the process, it should be borne in mind that when feeding piglets with extruded compositions, it is best to take wheat or barley as the basis for them.
Feeding pigs with a processed grain base feed is a dry type of fattening. Accordingly, it assumes the constant presence of a large amount of clean water in the drinkers.
Drinkers for pigs must be full
It should be noted that extruded feed is the main part of the diet only in winter. At the same time, they are supplemented with silage or root crops. In the summer and spring, the extrudate in the diet is kept in small quantities, and the basis is grass and vegetables.
Production technology
The production of feed by extrusion is carried out at the expense of a special unit – an extruder. Until recently, such equipment was used only at large grain and waste processing enterprises. Today you can find various versions of extruders for home use.
How is the processing of raw materials? A special screw is placed inside the elongated body of such a device. It is he who acts as the main working body of the equipment. The production of feed itself takes place in the following stages:
- All components are loaded into the receiver. In this case, the screw element carries them to the compression chambers.
- In the compression chambers, the screw blades press the grain mass against the walls with a force of 50 MPa. High pressure provokes a sharp increase in the temperature of the crushed raw materials up to 180 degrees. As a result, all complex nutrients partially break down into simpler forms.
- Immediately after the heat treatment, the still hot extrudate is pushed further by the screw. In the absence of external pressure, vapors of the evaporated liquid are released from the resulting mass, and a kind of explosion of the raw material structure occurs. As a result, the final breakdown of polysaccharides and other substances into easily digestible components is realized.
Such water hammer leads to the formation of large pores in the dense structure of the raw material. Due to this, the initial volume of the forage mass increases by 7 times.
Important! In general, the production procedure is identical for any composition of the components, but the recipe itself may differ depending on which animals are planned to be fed and what the purpose of fattening is.
Feed extruder: start-up and preparation for work
As already noted, all extruders are divided into industrial models and devices for home use. At the same time, the second type, although quite simple to use, still implies the observance of certain points at the initial stages of use. All work on launching and checking the device fits into the following algorithm:
Feed extruder device
- Before turning on the equipment for the first time, it is carefully checked. During the inspection, it is necessary to check whether there is enough oil in the moving mechanisms of the device (grease is poured into special grease fittings on the body). Next, the degree of tightening of the bolts and fasteners is examined, as well as the correct connection of the unit to the electrical network.
- After checking, the nut located at the end of the device body is tightened to the stop. After its maximum tightening, it is again released one turn.
- The extruder is switched on and heated up. To warm up, grain is gradually poured onto the receiver manually. The extruded feed comes out of the nozzle with a certain percentage of whole grains. In this case, it is necessary to tighten the nut on the nozzle until all the grains are processed. Further, in the grain receiving bunker, a special scoop is adjusted, which is responsible for supplying the grain mass to the auger. The supply must be such that the device does not experience a strong load.
Sometimes when buying equipment, especially from hands, careful grinding of the inside of the device case is required. In this case, a special mixture is prepared, which includes:
- Fine sand.
- Cereal bran.
- 50 ml of sunflower oil.
All components are thoroughly mixed. After mixing, 2 kg of such a composition is sent to the hopper of a heated extruder. In this case, the nut from the edge of the nozzle is completely twisted. This composition allows you to quickly grind the device to its original appearance.
Advantages of a feed extruder
According to the results of numerous studies, it was found that combinations of extrudate with conventional feed, compared with a pure product, provide more intensive growth and development of pigs. This type of compound feed differs from other options by a whole list of advantages:
- It is quickly absorbed by the digestive system of animals. The porous structure of simple carbohydrates and sugars is 90% absorbed into the blood. Due to this, the growth of piglets is significantly enhanced.
- The digestion of such food does not require special energy consumption. The main part of the energy during digestion in pigs is directed to the processing of hard shells of grain. There are no such shells in the exrudate, which means that all the energy goes to the development of tissues and vital processes of the animal organism.
- The extruded mixtures are completely free of pathogenic microorganisms. All disease-causing particles die under the influence of high temperature. This factor is especially important when feeding offspring, in which the digestive system is not yet set up to fight diseases and disorders of the body.
- Various combinations of grain base and mineral complexes can achieve the optimal balance of trace elements and vitamins. As a result, such a mixture will fully satisfy the needs of the animal.
- The food has a high taste and aromatic properties. Absolutely all pets and birds eat this mixture with pleasure. Even cats and dogs do not disdain her. The extruded feed mix stimulates the appetite of the pigs, which increases their growth.
Food increases appetite
It is also worth noting that home-made extruders are extremely easy to use. This, in turn, significantly reduces the time and effort required for feed production. In addition, the purchase of such equipment quickly pays for itself by increasing the productivity of the economy.
Conclusion
Proper diet is the key to good health, rapid growth and increase in the number of pets. Therefore, breeders in large farms are constantly looking for ways to diversify the feeding of pigs and make it more efficient. And, it should be noted that extruded food is quite a significant step in this direction.
