100-1000 kg/h Small Animal Feed Pellet Machine

Mikim builds the BH flat die series from 100 kg/h to 1,000 kg/h with two drive options - a single-phase or three-phase electric motor, or a diesel engine - so the same machine family covers a backyard poultry flock and a 200-head beef operation.

 

Where a 5 t/h Ring Die feed pellet maker machine belongs to a compound feed plant, a small farm mill is a single machine with a feeder, a conditioner (optional) and a bagging station that two people can run.

 

A small animal feed pellet machine is a compact machine that converts farm-grown grain, oilseed meal and roughage into uniform feed pellets on the farm itself. Mikim's BH flat die range runs 100 to 1,000 kg/h and is built for the realities of farm use: simple to start and stop, tolerant of mixed recipes, and operable by one or two people. The result is feed you control - the recipe, the freshness and the cost - instead of a bagged product whose price moves with the market.

 

Working Principle: Rollers, Die Plate and Starch Gelatinisation

Feed is metered into the centre of a rotating die plate and pushed through the bores by a set of rollers. Friction and light steam conditioning (optional) raise the mash temperature enough to gelatinise surface starch, which binds the pellet as it cools. An adjustable knife cuts the extruded strand to length. Because the die is flat and the roller gap is simple to set, a farmer can change pellet size by swapping the die plate in minutes - no specialist tooling required.

 

Main Components of the BH Series

The BH series keeps the machine count to one: a hopper and screw feeder, the flat die plate, two rollers, a length-cutting knife and the drive. Electric models run the die through a belt and gearbox from a 3 to 30 kW motor; diesel models use a 4 to 50 HP engine on the same frame. Dies and rollers are identical across both drives, so pellet quality does not depend on which power source you choose.

 

Seven models cover the whole on-farm range. Below about 4 kW, a single-phase 220 V motor is available; above it, choose three-phase or diesel:

 

Model	Capacity	Power options	Die diameter	Weight
BH-125	80–100 kg/h	3 kW / 4–6 HP diesel	125 mm	95 kg
BH-150	110–150 kg/h	4 kW / 6–8 HP diesel	150 mm	110 kg
BH-200	150–200 kg/h	7.5 kW / 10–12 HP diesel	200 mm	180 kg
BH-230	200–300 kg/h	11 kW / 15–18 HP diesel	230 mm	250 kg
BH-260	300–400 kg/h	15 kW / 20–25 HP diesel	260 mm	320 kg
BH-300	400–600 kg/h	18.5 kW / 30–35 HP diesel	300 mm	430 kg
BH-400	600–1,000 kg/h	30 kW / 40–50 HP diesel	400 mm	680 kg

 

 

Electric or Diesel Drive

An electric motor is cheapest to run and simplest to maintain, but needs a stable three-phase supply - common on grid-connected farms. A diesel engine suits remote pasture land or single-phase-only sites; the trade-off is that diesel at about USD 1 per litre adds USD 5 to 8 per tonne to conversion cost. Both use the same die and roller assembly, so pellet quality is identical whichever drive you choose.

 

Factor	Electric drive	Diesel drive
Power supply	3-phase 380 V (1-phase to 4 kW)	No grid needed
Running cost	USD 1.5–2.5 /t electricity	USD 5–8 /t fuel
Best for	Grid-connected farms	Remote / unreliable grid
Maintenance	Lower	Higher (engine service)
Noise	Lower	Higher

 

 

Matching Capacity to Your Herd

Pick the mill that finishes the day's feed in two to four hours, not the biggest you can afford. A 50-head beef herd eating 8 kg finished feed per day needs about 1.2 t per month - a BH-150 at 150 kg/h run two hours a day, three days a week. A 5,000-bird broiler farm needs 5 to 7 t per week and should look at a BH-260 or BH-300, run daily. Most first-time buyers over-size; six months in they wish they had bought the smaller, simpler model.

 

Pellet Diameter by Animal Stage

The standard die set covers 2 to 12 mm. For broilers and layers, 3 to 4 mm is the working range; for beef cattle and small ruminants, 6 to 8 mm; for horses and adult cattle on roughage diets, 10 to 12 mm. Mikim ships the mill with one die of your choice and recommends keeping a second die (one size up or down) so you can switch between animal stages without waiting for a re-grind.

 

Flat Die vs. Ring Die poultry feed making machine for On-Farm Use

Below 1 t/h, a flat die mill is almost always the right answer. It is simpler, cheaper, accepts a wider range of recipes (including high-fibre roughage), starts and stops in minutes, and is far less sensitive to steam supply than a ring die mill. A ring die mill needs a steam boiler, a longer building and more disciplined operation - it pays back only above 2,000 hours a year with a tight pellet durability target. For the farm, flat die wins on total cost of ownership.

 

Recipe Handling, Batching and Mixing

A small chicken feed pellet machine does not need a PLC batching system. A hand scale, a written recipe card and an hour's weighing is enough for three or four formulas on a 100 to 300 kg/h mill. If you run six or more formulas or change recipes weekly, a small PLC panel with a single batch scale is a sensible upgrade. Above 1 t/h, semi-automatic batching pays for the panel within about twelve months through labour saving.

 

Operating Cost per Tonne

A small feed granulator machine runs at 14 to 22 kWh per tonne on electric drive, and 18 to 28 kWh-equivalent on diesel. Wear parts - die and rollers - cost USD 1.5 to 4 per tonne depending on recipe. Labour on a two-person operation is USD 4 to 8 per tonne at typical rural wages. Total conversion cost is USD 10 to 25 per tonne, well below the cost of buying bagged feed and the reason most farms see payback inside a year.

 

Cost item	Typical range	Notes
Electricity	USD 1.5–2.5 / t	14–22 kWh/t at 0.10–0.12 USD/kWh
Die wear	USD 1.0–3.0 / t	Depends on recipe; high-fibre diets wear faster
Roller wear	USD 0.4–0.8 / t	Replace every second die
Labour (2 operators)	USD 4–8 / t	Two people, manual bagging
Maintenance and grease	USD 0.3–0.8 / t	Daily grease, monthly oil check
Conversion cost total	USD 8–18 / t	Excludes raw material and capital recovery

 

Maintenance and Spare Parts

A small feed making machine runs for years with little planned work: a daily grease on the roller bearings, a weekly V-belt tension check, a monthly gearbox oil check, and a die change every 200 to 800 hours depending on diet. Mikim's commissioning visit covers all of this, and operator training is included in the BH equipment price. We keep BH dies and rollers in stock for fast shipment.

First-time farm mill buyers ask the same questions. The seven below cover the smallest worthwhile size, drive choice, die life, moisture, manpower, cooling and payback.

 

 

Tell us your herd size, the feed recipes you want to run, your power supply (single-phase, three-phase or diesel) and your daily batching target, and we will recommend the right BH model, a matching die set and a delivered price within 2 working days. Mikim supplies the mill with commissioning, operator training and a 12-month warranty, and keeps BH dies and rollers in stock. Use the inquiry button on this page, or email info@mikimz.com

 

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