500 KG Feed Mixer Machine for Livestock Feed Quality Improvement in Myanmar

Before contacting us, the cooperative manager had tried using a manual mixing method on a concrete floor with shovels. That was labor-intensive (three workers for two hours per batch) and still resulted in uneven distribution of trace minerals.

The cooperative had been quoted by a Thai supplier for a ribbon mixer machine, but the price was too high for their budget.

A livestock development project officer recommended RICHI as a reliable manufacturer with experience in Southeast Asian conditions. The cooperative already had a hammer mill for grinding maize and rice bran, and a small grinder for oilseed cakes.

What they lacked was a proper batch mixer to produce a complete concentrate mix that could be sold to member farmers with confidence.

After sending samples of their ingredients—ground maize (2.5mm particle size), rice bran (1.0mm), ground peanut cake (3.0mm), urea molasses block crumbles, dicalcium phosphate, limestone, salt, and a premix of vitamins and trace minerals—we tested the mixture at our Qingdao facility.

The results showed that a single-shaft paddle mixer with stainless steel construction could achieve a coefficient of variation (CV) of under 5% in four minutes. We recommended the SLHJ1B stainless steel paddle mixer with an 11kW motor and a batch capacity of 500 kg.

The stainless steel construction was essential because the cooperative uses urea in their mix, which is mildly corrosive to carbon steel. The cooperative purchased one unit as a standalone mixer to serve all member farms.

Why Mixing Uniformity Directly Affects Livestock Health and Productivity

In a smallholder dairy system, the concentrate mix is the primary vehicle for delivering minerals, vitamins, and protein supplements. If the mix is not uniform, some cows receive excess minerals while others receive deficient amounts.

The cooperative's veterinarian had documented cases of milk fever (calcium deficiency) in herds that had received poorly mixed feed, as well as cases of urinary calculi (mineral stones) in male calves that had received excess calcium.

These health issues reduced milk production, increased veterinary costs, and in some cases, caused animal deaths.

The SLHJ1B uses a counter-rotating paddle design with specially angled paddles. Unlike a vertical mixer, which relies on gravity and can leave dead zones at the bottom, the paddle mixer creates a fluidized mixing zone that keeps all particles in suspension.

The cooperative's quality team tested the first 50 batches from the new mixer and found a CV of 4.5% on average, well within the industry standard for dairy concentrates and a dramatic improvement from the old mixer's CV of 18-22%.

Machine Selection and Mixing Parameters for Dairy Concentrate

The cooperative selected the SLHJ1B from our SLHJ series, choosing stainless steel for all contact surfaces.

The 500 kg per batch capacity is well-suited to their production volume of about 3,000 tons of concentrate per year (six batches per day, 250 operating days per year).

The 11kW motor is direct-coupled to the paddle shaft, which eliminates the need for chain or belt maintenance—important in a cooperative setting where skilled mechanics may not always be available.

The mixing parameters developed during commissioning were:

• Mixing time per batch: 4 minutes (validated by sampling at 1-minute intervals)
• Loading sequence: Half of the ground maize and rice bran first, then all of the peanut cake and mineral ingredients, then the remaining grains, and finally the urea molasses crumbles on top (added last to prevent crushing)
• Filling level: 75% of the effective volume (0.75 cubic meters of material in the 1.0 cubic meter mixer). The cooperative found that filling above 80% reduced mixing quality.
• Discharge: Manual slide gate (the cooperative chose the less expensive manual discharge option; the mixer can also be ordered with pneumatic discharge)

One challenge they encountered was the addition of molasses, which is sometimes included in the concentrate at up to 5%. The liquid molasses would create sticky balls with the ground maize.

The solution was to pre-mix the molasses with rice bran (which absorbs moisture) before adding it to the main batch. After this adjustment, the molasses-based mix was uniformly distributed.

What the Mixed Concentrate Is Used For

The cooperative produces a dairy concentrate that member farmers mix with their own forage (rice straw, Napier grass, corn stover). The concentrate formulation is:

• 35% ground maize (energy)
• 25% rice bran (fiber and energy)
• 15% ground peanut cake (protein)
• 8% urea molasses block crumbles (non-protein nitrogen and energy)
• 5% dicalcium phosphate and limestone (calcium and phosphorus)
• 4% salt
• 3% urea (carefully mixed to avoid toxicity)
• 5% vitamin and trace mineral premix

The concentrate is sold to member farmers in 50 kg bags. The cooperative manager reported that after switching to the SLHJ1B, complaints from farmers about poor animal performance dropped significantly.

Milk production across member herds increased by an average of 1.8 liters per cow per day, and the incidence of milk fever dropped by 70%.

The cooperative also noticed that the concentrate stayed fresh longer because the uniform mixing prevented localized areas of high moisture that could support mold growth.

Customer Feedback After 14 Months of Operation

We spoke with the cooperative manager about 14 months after installation. Here is what he told us:

This feed mixer machine for livestock feed quality improvement has changed everything for our cooperative. Our farmers used to complain that the mineral mix would settle at the bottom of the bag.

Now every scoop of feed has the same composition. The cows are healthier, the calves are growing faster, and we have reduced our veterinary medicine expenses significantly.

The mill runs about three batches per day, which takes about two hours of actual mixing time. We have put about 400 hours on it so far. The paddles show no visible wear. The stainless steel surface is easy to clean – we wipe it down after each batch to prevent mold growth in the tropical humidity.

The only issue we had was with the slide gate. A piece of peanut cake got stuck in the track after about six months. We cleaned it with a brush and it has worked fine since.

The cooperative has since recommended the SLHJ series to two other dairy cooperatives in the Naypyidaw region.

Other Applications of the SLHJ Stainless Mixer in Myanmar Agriculture

• Pig feed production: Small and medium pig farms mixing ground maize, rice bran, soybean meal, and premixes
• Poultry feed production: Layer and broiler operations producing custom feed from local ingredients
• Fish feed mixing: Aquafeed producers blending rice bran, fishmeal, and soybean meal before extrusion
• Mineral premix production: Small feed mills producing custom premixes for other farms
• Organic fertilizer blending: Composting operations mixing composted manure with lime and rock phosphate

The cooperative manager noted that they have also used the mixer to blend mycotoxin binders into maize during the wet harvest season, protecting the cows from aflatoxin contamination.

Logistics: Shipping from Qingdao to Yangon

The SLHJ1B was shipped from Qingdao to the Port of Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in Myanmar – about 12 days at sea. Yangon is Myanmar's largest seaport, handling the majority of the country's containerized cargo.

From Yangon, the customer arranged truck transport to Pyinmana, approximately 450 kilometers north. The total transit time was about 20 days – one of the fastest deliveries of any imported equipment for the cooperative.

Pre-Sale Services We Provided

• Ingredient testing with their samples: They sent us 10 kg of each ingredient by air freight. We tested the flowability and mixing characteristics of the complete blend at our Qingdao facility.
• Stainless steel recommendation: We explained that urea and certain minerals can corrode carbon steel over time, so the stainless steel model (SLHJ1B) was the right choice for their application.
• Mixing uniformity validation: We provided a mixing curve graph showing CV values at 30-second intervals, allowing them to select the optimal mixing time.
• Simple control panel: We provided a basic manual control panel with a timer and emergency stop – suitable for cooperative settings without specialized electricians.
• Operator training video in Myanmar language: We had the video narrated in Burmese, which the cooperative manager said was very helpful for the farmers who operate the mixer.

The cooperative manager later told us that the ingredient testing eliminated the guesswork from setting the mixing time. They knew from the first batch exactly how long to run the mixer because we had already provided the data.

Plans for a Larger Mixer

The cooperative is now planning to add a second mixer – an SLHJ3A with 1,500 kg batch capacity – to serve an expanding membership. The new mixer will be used for a different product: a calf starter feed that requires finer grinding and a different ingredient mix than the adult concentrate.

The cooperative intends to use the existing SLHJ1B for the adult concentrate and the new mixer for calf feed, avoiding any risk of cross-contamination and eliminating the need for clean-out batches between different formulas.

Across Myanmar, a feed mixer machine for livestock feed quality improvement is becoming essential as the country modernizes its livestock sector. Smallholder farmers are learning that uniform feed mixing directly improves animal health and productivity.

RICHI Machinery supplies the full range of SLHJ single-shaft paddle mixers in carbon steel or stainless steel, as well as SLHSJ twin-shaft mixers and SLHY ribbon mixers, to feed operations throughout Southeast Asia.

For more information or to schedule a material test at our facility, contact RICHI Machinery today.