To farm healthy chickens, you need to feed them good quality poultry food and plenty of potable water. You can buy commercial chicken feed for chicks, layers, and broilers, or you can mix your own. The question is not so much what to feed, but rather how to feed your poultry, and if you want to mix your own feed, what sort of feed mixer or mill to use.

Anyone who decides to keep a few chickens for their own use can feed them daily, by hand. But as soon as you start farming on a commercial basis, this method will become much too time-consuming.

This is why chicken farms generally need to have their own chicken feed machines.

Types of Chicken Feed Machines

There is a remarkably wide range of machines suitable for feeding chickens. These include both automatic and semi-automatic feeding machines. There are also various machines that can be used to process fodder, including poultry feed granulators, poultry feed mills, and fodder grinder-mixer two-in-one machines.

Hightop Poultry Equipment stocks a comprehensive range of feed-related equipment including:

Semi-Automatic Poultry Feeding Machine

Ideal for small- and medium-scale poultry farming, the Hightop semi-automatic feeding machine was designed using car chassis technology to ensure that it runs smoothly, can turn on a small radius, and is flexible when it comes to changing direction. The machine has power, travel, and lifting systems, and operates with a low voltage battery. The moving parts incorporate a drive shaft, wheel and steering wheel, and various other components. It is easy to operate, consumes very little power, and is a very popular option for both broilers and layers.

The design of the lifting element of the semi-automatic feeding machine features an efficient spiral device that enables simultaneous feeding of three to four cage tiers at one time. It may be used for powder and pellet feed, and the quantity of food may be adjusted.

There are two basic designs, one intended for use with chicken cages for egg production, and the other, designed for vertical-type cages that are normally used for broilers.

Automatic Gantry Chicken Feeding Machine

Hightop automatic gantry chicken feeding machines are made of good quality rectangular steel that is professionally welded to form a frame with a large carrying capacity. They are designed to feed chickens in one to four rows, which makes them a particularly cost-effective option. They also feature a galvanized steel hopper that uses a gravity-feed system via a feeding tube to distribute the food evenly, which also avoids waste.

The lifting system comprises two conveyors, one flat and one vertical, feeding from the ground to the hoppers. A photoelectric switch receives a signal to disconnect the motor‘s control circuit when feeding is complete, improving work and operational efficiency.

Automatic gantry-type machines take up more vertical space than ladder-type machines, so require a reasonably high roof for installation. They are energy efficient and can do the work of more than a dozen people, also reducing labor costs.

Automatic Ladder Chicken Feeding Machine

Hightop automatic ladder chicken feeding machines are also designed to reduce wastage of food, save on labor costs, and generally improve the efficiency of large-scale farming operations.

Like the Hightop gantry machines, ladder-type machines have a high quality welded steel frame with a large carrying capacity. The moving system incorporates a drive chain with a high-quality cast iron wheel and anti-corrosive shock absorbers. The operation of the machine is smooth and it is able to move continuously at 12 meters per minute.
Automatic ladder-type machines take up more horizontal space than gantry machines and require at least 1.2 m between the chicken cage rows in the poultry house. Each machine can only operate along one row at a time.

Poultry Feed Granulator

The Hightop poultry feed granulator is the perfect tool for manufacturing pellets on the farm, making feeding of chickens (and other animals) cleaner and considerably easier. Pellet size can be adjusted from about 2 to 10 mm, enabling a protein feed to be delivered as a concentrate, also helping to prevent acidosis.

Small and lightweight, the poultry feed granulator can handle a range of different materials including rice husks, straw, and plant waste. It can also be used to make pellets from sawdust.

Ideal for small-scale production, Hightop‘s feed granulators are easy to operate and boast very low energy consumption. They are therefore perfect for small farms, particularly where there tends to be a shortage of electricity.

Poultry Feed Mill

Hightop feed mills are suitable for all types of farms, including chicken farms, as well as factories where commercial feed is processed. They are ideal for small- and medium-sized processing and combine both a grinding and mixing function.

The advantage of having your own feed mill on a chicken farm is largely economic because it negates the need to buy expensive chicken feed and fodder. It also reduces labor costs and ultimately cuts the cost of rearing the flock.

Both horizontal and vertical feed mills are available in a variety of sizes that cater for different capacities.

Fodder Grinder Mixer

A two-in-one machine, the Hightop fodder grinder-mixer can be used to make fodder for the full range of farm animals, including poultry. Perfect for small- and medium-sized operations, it can handle grains, corn, soybeans, and other foodstuffs used for making fodder. Like the Hightop poultry feed mill, it combines grinding and mixing functions.

There are many advantages to having your own fodder grinder-mixer on a chicken farm. These include the ability to choose what you combine to create a balanced diet for your chicks and hens. They enable you to reduce manual labor costs and ultimately lower the costs of rearing chickens.

The fodder grinder-mixer two-in-one poultry feed machines are available in both a vertical or horizontal format, both of which are available in three different sizes. The capacity each feed machine can produce depends on size; either half a ton, one ton, or two tons.

Owning Your Own Chicken Feed Machine

There is no doubt that owning your own chicken feed machines has many advantages. The question is which type of feed machine or machines will suit your farm the best. Contact us to discuss your needs.