Why Pellet feed so good for commercial broiler chicken ?

 

Why is Pellet feed so good for commercial broiler chicken?

It is now a well-established commercial activity to manufacture and offer pellet feed in commercial broilers for the following reasons feed homogeneity is improved because feed separation is greatly reduced Less feed is wasted when pellets are fed Pelleting should slightly improve the energy value through the chemical changes brought about by heat moisture and pressure Much of the improvement in the measured energy value of pellets results from the fact that birds spend less time eating them so their energy requirement for eating and digestion is reduced. Although pellet size may play a role in feed intake.

The Best suitable methods for measuring pellet quality
Apart from proximate values of feed ingredients, some other physical qualities like abrasiveness, pellet quality factor, color and density impact on pellet quality and durability. Pellet quality factor (PQF) has a score from 0 to 10 where o predicts poor quality and 10 indicates good pellet binding quality. Abrasiveness factor of the ingredient is just opposite to the pellet quality factor. Lower the factor value higher is the binding capacity.

Young (1962) used the technique consisting of an inclined screw, a hopper, and bucket elevator conveyor to measure pellet durability. 23 kg of pellets were continuously passed through this system for a period of 10 min. At the end of the test, the pellets were separated and the fines were removed. Calculation of the Pellet Durability Index (PDI) was the percentage of the mass of surviving pellets over the total mass of pellets
Several laboratory methods developed different technique to measure the durability of pellets like:

Tumbling box method: A commonly used method and a recognized standard in the feed industry in North America(Winowiski, 1998). The tumbling box technique uses 500 g of pellets, from which the fines have been separated. The pellets are placed in a box that revolves for the time frame of 10 min at a speed of 100 rpm. After this process, the pellets are screened on a mechanical sieve shaker. The PDI is calculated as the weight of the pellets retained on the screen divided by the total weight of the pellets. (ASAE Standards, 2003)

Holmen durability tester: It is a pneumatic method of measuring the durability of the pellets. A sample size of 100 g of pellets is placed through tubes with high-velocity air for 30 to 120 seconds, replicating the handling process. Breakage occurs when pellets strike the right-angle corners of the tester. The PDI is calculated as the weight of the pellets retained on the screen divided by the total weight of the pellets. (ASAE Standards, 2003)

The Stokes hardness tester: The tester comprises a calibrated spring, a cone with a tip, and a plate supporting the opposite side of the cone. The cone tip applies pressure on the cylindrical surface of the pellet during testing. Pressure is controlled by a screw turned by hand to compress the spring. Only 10 pellets are placed in the tester, and pellet hardness is expressed in psi (Young, 1962).

Conclusion: During processing reduction of particle size is a significant influencing factor for better pellet quality and positively influences the performance of the birds. Formulation especially in terms of inclusion of certain feed ingredients are to be considered judiciously. Similarly standardization of processing equipment and process flow are equally important for pellet quality consistency.