...and that's how crumble is made!

[K0k0shka]

I don't know why, but I always thought pellets and crumble were made via different processes. The texture, I mean - the nutritional content is supposed to be the same. Maybe different machines that produce different shapes/sizes of particles... The Purina crumble I get varies a lot bag to bag - sometimes the particles are ground larger, sometimes smaller, but it always looks distinctly like crumble. Well... Until this last bag I just got, which gave me a glimpse into the process. It looks like this:

So I guess all that crumble is, is just pellets that are further ground smaller?? That is so interesting. On one hand, it seems like extra work, to first shape it like pellets only to crush them up afterwards, but on the other hand, maybe it's easier, or cheaper, or more practical, to have one packing machine that produces the pellets, and then to crush them, rather than have two different particle-shaping machines. I'm sure they've thought it out and this must be the most cost-effective method. I just thought it was interesting. If anybody was wondering

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know why, but I always thought pellets and crumble were made via different processes. The texture, I mean - the nutritional content is supposed to be the same. Maybe different machines that produce different shapes/sizes of particles... The Purina crumble I get varies a lot bag to bag - sometimes the particles are ground larger, sometimes smaller, but it always looks distinctly like crumble. Well... Until this last bag I just got, which gave me a glimpse into the process. It looks like this:

View attachment 3021669

So I guess all that crumble is, is just pellets that are further ground smaller?? That is so interesting. On one hand, it seems like extra work, to first shape it like pellets only to crush them up afterwards, but on the other hand, maybe it's easier, or cheaper, or more practical, to have one packing machine that produces the pellets, and then to crush them, rather than have two different particle-shaping machines. I'm sure they've thought it out and this must be the most cost-effective method. I just thought it was interesting. If anybody was wondering

IIRC, the feed "dough" is put through an extruder -- kind of like spaghetti. Then pellets vs crumble is how much breaking up they do once the extruded feed is solid.

 

[K0k0shka]

IIRC, the feed "dough" is put through an extruder -- kind of like spaghetti. Then pellets vs crumble is how much breaking up they do once the extruded feed is solid.

I figured that the pellets are done with an extruder, but thought that the crumble was crumbled via a different process… like how other granulated products aren’t extruded first, just granulated. But if the factory already has an extruding machine, it makes sense to reuse that.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

IIRC, the feed "dough" is put through an extruder -- kind of like spaghetti. Then pellets vs crumble is how much breaking up they do once the extruded feed is solid.

Not quite correct. The pellet mill is not an extruder, the pressures and dies are different.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not quite correct. The pellet mill is not an extruder, the pressures and dies are different.

Oh?

I guess either I didn't remember correctly or the source I read some time ago was wrong.

Do you know of a reference for how it actually does work? I'm a terrible geek for "How it's Made" kind of things.

 

[raingarden]

This will answer all your questions about making pellets and crumbles with the California Pellet Machine. There will be a test later.
https://www.cpm.net/downloads/Animal Feed Pelleting.pdf

 

[coolchentian]

The pellet for animals are different. Like fish feed dog feed, it is full cooked pellet. It is made by special designed extruder machine. The moulds make different shape pellets with one extruder.
The chicken don't need full cooked feed. So it is make by poultry pellet machine. The cutter will control the length of pellet. The mould will control the size of pellet.