I have a hobby,,actually it's an obsession when it comes to designing,fabricating,tinkering and welding. Having been raised on a farm I know fixing it yourself saves huge amounts of cash just on labor alone. Then when I see simple pieces of equipment selling for 3-4 times more than what it's worth,my hamster cage really starts spinning.
My latest homemade project still in the development stage is making my own pellet mill. We raise peacocks and I have my own ration custom mixed and ground but the finer ingredients are always left in the bottom of the feed bowl.Mainly the soybean meal and alfalfa meal,both key ingredients needed for Vitamin B and protein. My ration protein levels changes all year long,from 16-18% for adults about 8 months of the year,the balance being upwards of 24-26% protein. Newly hatched peachicks gets a gamebird 22% ration with medication added. Since nothing offered by commercial feed companies carries the ingredients mine has,it's very beneficial and cost effective to make my own.Problem is I have finicky eaters who prefers eating the larger pieces of cracked corn and sunflower seeds first.Sooooo,,if all ingredients are mixed and ground first,I could then pelletize it and each piece would have everything in it,insuring each bite would be balanced as the next.
I've been researching pellet mills used to make wood pellets for wood stoves.Most are made in China and start around $1500 without shipping.Many say their pellet mills can make feed pellets as well. So we all know if it's Made in the USA (how long has it been since you read that on something you purchased?) it has to be better.
I have a friend that owns his own milling shop,easily capable of making me a some parts if needed.But I'm thinking of making this with a small gasoline engine,car or truck diffrential as the vertical gearbox,and designing it myself. I've never been around a smallpellet mill or seen pieces of it upclose.But what I see so far is NOT worth $1500 made in China.
So do we have any other do-it-youself-ers out here? Anyone else who likes to build things themselves? Trial and error people who gets satisfaction when what they build works as good,if not better than whats on the market now? I've built probably over 100 cars-trucks for demolition derbies,and fabricating putting a Chevrolet motor into a F-250 pickup is something I love to do and design,then to see how well my work holds up in a hostile enviornment. So,is there any other homebuilders out there? Anyone else consider making pelletized feed?
My latest homemade project still in the development stage is making my own pellet mill. We raise peacocks and I have my own ration custom mixed and ground but the finer ingredients are always left in the bottom of the feed bowl.Mainly the soybean meal and alfalfa meal,both key ingredients needed for Vitamin B and protein. My ration protein levels changes all year long,from 16-18% for adults about 8 months of the year,the balance being upwards of 24-26% protein. Newly hatched peachicks gets a gamebird 22% ration with medication added. Since nothing offered by commercial feed companies carries the ingredients mine has,it's very beneficial and cost effective to make my own.Problem is I have finicky eaters who prefers eating the larger pieces of cracked corn and sunflower seeds first.Sooooo,,if all ingredients are mixed and ground first,I could then pelletize it and each piece would have everything in it,insuring each bite would be balanced as the next.
I've been researching pellet mills used to make wood pellets for wood stoves.Most are made in China and start around $1500 without shipping.Many say their pellet mills can make feed pellets as well. So we all know if it's Made in the USA (how long has it been since you read that on something you purchased?) it has to be better.
I have a friend that owns his own milling shop,easily capable of making me a some parts if needed.But I'm thinking of making this with a small gasoline engine,car or truck diffrential as the vertical gearbox,and designing it myself. I've never been around a smallpellet mill or seen pieces of it upclose.But what I see so far is NOT worth $1500 made in China.
So do we have any other do-it-youself-ers out here? Anyone else who likes to build things themselves? Trial and error people who gets satisfaction when what they build works as good,if not better than whats on the market now? I've built probably over 100 cars-trucks for demolition derbies,and fabricating putting a Chevrolet motor into a F-250 pickup is something I love to do and design,then to see how well my work holds up in a hostile enviornment. So,is there any other homebuilders out there? Anyone else consider making pelletized feed?
