Is it required to smash the raw materials before utilizing a pellet mill to make animal and poultry feed?

Nov 14, 2025

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Whether or not raw materials need to be crushed when making livestock feed depends on what you're raising and what raw materials you're using. Simply put: for chicks and piglets, raw materials must be crushed; for adult cattle, sheep, and chickens, some coarse raw materials can be handled more leniently, but very hard materials still need to be processed.

For example, for newly hatched chicks, hard grains like corn and sorghum must be ground into a fine powder, otherwise the chicks won't be able to peck at them and may even injure their digestive tract; however, for adult beef cattle, corn doesn't need to be ground too finely, just crushed into small particles (about the size of peanuts). Beef cattle have strong teeth and can chew them, and coarser raw materials can even promote intestinal peristalsis. However, it's important to note that oilseed meals like soybean meal and cottonseed meal must be crushed regardless of the type of livestock being fed. They are hard, and if not crushed, the pellet mill won't be able to form a proper pellet, and the livestock won't be able to digest it.

Another tip: if you're using a mixed feed, such as corn + soybean meal + wheat bran, if any one of the ingredients is a hard particle, it must be crushed together. This ensures a uniform mixture and prevents nutritional imbalances in the pressed feed. If you're raising a few dozen chickens or ducks at home, the dry grinding function of a food processor is sufficient for emergency use. For larger-scale farming, a medium-sized grinder is recommended for greater efficiency.