1–1.5 T/H Quail Feed Pellet Machine for Small Poultry Species in Nigeria

Why the Project Needs More Than a 150–250 kg/h Farm Pelletizer

The customer's own flock does not by itself justify a 1–1.5 T/H commercial ring die machine operating continuously. The equipment selection becomes practical because the farm also manufactures feed for nearby quail producers and maintains production reserve for seasonal orders.

The project targets approximately 1,200 tonnes of quail feed per year. At an actual planning rate of around 1.0–1.2 T/H for small-diameter pellets, this requires roughly 1,000–1,200 effective pelleting hours annually. Across 250 production days, the machine operates around four to five effective hours per day on average.

This gives the customer enough capacity for its own feed program while allowing batch production for outside buyers without forcing a much larger commercial feed line into a relatively specialized market.

SZLH250 Project Configuration

The smaller pellet diameter is important when evaluating practical output. A 2.5 mm die generally creates more resistance than a larger poultry-feed die, so the customer does not simply assume that every quail formula will continuously reach the upper 1.5 T/H reference value. Formula composition, oil level, mash moisture, die specification and conditioning all influence actual production.

Why Quail Feed Needs Finer Physical Preparation

Quail consume much smaller feed particles than conventional finishing chickens, particularly during early growth. This does not mean every age group should receive one fixed 2.5 mm intact pellet. Starter feed may be produced as a small parent pellet followed by crumbling or otherwise prepared into a particle size that young birds can consume easily.

For the customer's main laying-quail product, the project uses approximately 2.5–3.0 mm pellets. Major cereal and protein ingredients are ground to approximately 0.8–2 mm before mixing so coarse particles do not dominate a very small finished pellet.

Research on quail feed physical form has also used processed feed subsequently reduced to a small particle size acceptable to quail, reinforcing the need to match finished feed form to the bird rather than copying normal broiler pellet dimensions.

Nigerian Ingredients Are Selected by Formulation, Not a Fixed Recipe

The Ogun producer uses ingredients commonly available through the Nigerian poultry-feed market. Maize provides an important energy source, while soybean meal and properly tested groundnut cake can contribute protein. Wheat offal, vegetable oil, limestone, phosphate, salt, amino acids and vitamin-mineral premixes are added according to the nutrient specification of the laying-quail formula.

The plant does not use one permanent recipe such as 45% maize, 25% soybean meal and 10% fishmeal. Ingredient quality and prices change, and laying quail have specific protein, amino-acid, calcium, phosphorus and energy requirements. A feed nutritionist therefore formulates the complete diet before it reaches the poultry feed pellet machine.

The SZLH250 controls feed form. It does not compensate for a formula with incorrect nutrient balance.

Micro-Ingredients Need Accurate Mixing Before Pelleting

One reason the customer moved beyond loosely mixed mash feed was the need to distribute small-dose ingredients consistently. Vitamins, trace minerals, amino acids and other micro-components represent only a small percentage of a batch but can be nutritionally important.

These ingredients are weighed separately and, where necessary, first blended with a suitable carrier before entering the main mixer machine. Major ingredients are then combined until the required mixing uniformity is achieved.

Pelleting can reduce physical segregation after mixing, but it cannot correct poor batching accuracy. If a premix is unevenly distributed before conditioning, pressing the mash through a ring die does not automatically make the formula correct.

The Conditioner Prepares Mash for Small-Pellet Formation

The 1.5 kW conditioner introduces steam before the mash reaches the ring die. This changes the physical condition of the feed and helps prepare the mixture for compression through the small die openings.

The project does not use one universal conditioning temperature, moisture level or steam percentage. A 2.5 mm quail feed formula can behave differently from a larger broiler pellet because the die resistance is higher and the formula may contain different levels of oil, minerals and protein meals.

Operators therefore establish the working condition from mash moisture, steam quality, pellet-mill amperage and finished pellet quality rather than using a fixed 80–85°C value for every production batch.

Small Pellet Diameter Changes Die Selection

The customer uses approximately 2.5–3.0 mm holes for the main quail product. Hole diameter alone, however, does not define the complete ring die specification. Effective compression length also needs to match the feed formulation and required pellet characteristics.

The project therefore does not assign a permanent 1:10 compression ratio to a 2.5 mm die or promise a fixed die life in operating hours. Small holes can create higher resistance, and actual wear depends on mineral contamination, formula abrasiveness, roller adjustment, production rate and die metallurgy.

When another feed form is required, die selection is reviewed against the actual product rather than assuming that one small-poultry species automatically requires one universal diameter.

Raw-Material Quality Is Especially Important in Ogun

Maize, groundnut-derived materials and other protein ingredients are checked before entering production for moisture, mold and storage condition. This matters because poultry-feed raw materials in southwestern Nigeria can face significant mycotoxin risk under poor handling and storage conditions.

The pellet mill is not a substitute for raw-material control. Feed ingredients that fail the customer's acceptance criteria are not made suitable merely by heating and compressing them into pellets.

Sampling and supplier control therefore sit upstream of grinding, mixing and pelleting.

Cooling and Screening Complete the Small-Pellet Process

Hot pellets leaving the SZLH250 move into the existing cooling section. After cooling, screening removes excessive fines before the finished feed enters storage or packaging.

This downstream stage is particularly important for small pellets because excessive conveying impact can create fines even when the feed pellet mill initially forms a satisfactory product. The customer therefore checks transfer heights, cooler capacity and screen settings together with the pellet machine.

The complete process is ingredient inspection → grinding to approximately 0.8–2 mm → batching → mixing → steam conditioning → SZLH250 pelletizing → cooling → screening → finished quail-feed handling.

Why the Ogun Location Fits a Quail Feed Project

Quail farming has an established, although much smaller, presence within southwestern Nigeria's poultry sector. Research conducted specifically in Ogun State has documented commercial Japanese-quail farmers, while broader surveys across southwestern Nigeria have found quail production focused on egg and table-bird markets.

This makes a specialty feed producer serving a regional quail customer base more realistic than presenting the SZLH250 as equipment purchased solely for a small household flock.

Shipping the SZLH250 through Apapa

The Quail Feed Pellet Machine for Small Poultry Species in Nigeria is prepared for export from Qingdao, China, with Lagos Port Complex at Apapa used as the container gateway before inland delivery to Ogun State.

Before shipment, RICHI reviews the customer's grinder output, mixer capacity, steam supply, electrical system, mash-bin elevation, cooler throughput and maintenance space. These checks confirm that the existing preparation equipment can support the approximately 1.0–1.2 T/H project operating rate.

A 1.0–1.2 T/H Quail Feed Pellet Machine for Small Poultry Species in Nigeria

This Quail Feed Pellet Machine for Small Poultry Species in Nigeria project uses one RICHI SZLH250 with a 22 kW main motor to produce approximately 2.5–3.0 mm laying-quail pellets in Ogun State. Feed ingredients are ground to approximately 0.8–2 mm before batching and mixing, while the project plans around approximately 1.0–1.2 T/H of small-diameter pellet production.

For another quail or specialty-poultry feed producer, RICHI Machinery needs the bird type and age, annual feed tonnage, formula, ground particle size, required pellet or crumble form, daily operating hours, steam availability and capacities of the existing grinder, mixer and cooler. These parameters determine whether an SZLH250 is justified or whether a smaller production system would be more economical.