0.7-1/H Ryegrass Hammer Mill Machine in Denmark

Why a Mixed Farm in the Jutland Lake District Needed a Grinder

Denmark's climate is ideal for perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). It is the most common pasture grass, known for its fine stems, high digestibility, and good regrowth. The farm we worked with cuts the grass twice per year for hay, drying it in the field and baling at 12-14% moisture.

The challenge: even fine-stemmed ryegrass has stems that horses and goats will waste if the hay is long. The farm owner estimated that horses wasted about 15% of the ryegrass hay, and goats wasted about 20%.

He looked at a Swedish-made hammer mill offered by a dealer in Copenhagen. The price was 85,000 Danish kroner ($12,500 USD) for a 30kW machine. He looked at a German mill – 95,000 kroner for a 37kW machine. He found us through a reference from a farm in northern Germany. Our price, delivered to the port of Esbjerg, was 72,000 kroner ($4,500 USD) for the SFSP56*40 with 37kW motor. That included the mill, the cyclone, and the starter screen set.

Setting Up for Ryegrass Grinding

The farm has a small bale breaker for the ryegrass bales. The broken material is fed into the mill by hand through a hopper with a magnetic grate. The mill came with three screens. The owner tested all three on the ryegrass (12% moisture):

• 10mm screen: Throughput of 1.0 tons per hour. Particle size: 80% between 2mm and 10mm, 12% below 2mm, 8% above 10mm. The horses ate most of it, but some longer pieces over 12mm remained. The goats wasted about 5%.
• 8mm screen: Throughput dropped to 0.9 tons per hour. Particle size: 85% between 1.5mm and 8mm, 10% below 1.5mm, 5% above 8mm. The horses ate everything. The goats ate everything. No visible waste. The owner chose the 8mm screen as the standard for both species.
• 6mm screen: Throughput dropped to 0.7 tons per hour. Particle size: 85% between 1mm and 6mm. More dust. The goats ate it, but the horses coughed slightly. Not ideal for horses.

The 8mm screen is the sweet spot for both horses and goats. The 10mm screen leaves some waste for goats. The 6mm screen creates dust that bothers horses.

The mill discharges into a cyclone. The cyclone vent goes into a fabric filter bag. Ryegrass produces low dust – one of the least dusty grasses. The bag captures about 90% of what is there.

What the Ground Ryegrass Is Used For

The farm produces separate rations for their horses and goats:

Horse ration (maintenance for riding horses):

• 60% ground ryegrass (8mm screen)
• 20% ground oats
• 10% beet pulp
• 10% minerals

Goat ration (lactating does):

• 50% ground ryegrass (8mm screen)
• 20% ground barley
• 15% soybean meal
• 10% alfalfa pellets
• 5% minerals

The owner reported that feed waste has dropped from 15-20% to under 3% for both species. The horses have better coat condition, and the goats are producing more milk.

What the Customer Said After One Year

We spoke with the farm owner about a year after delivery. Here is what he told us:

The mill runs about two hours per day, four days per week. We have put about 400 hours on it. We changed the hammers at 300 hours – flipped them to the unused side. The 8mm screen is still the original – no holes.

Ryegrass grinds easily. The 8mm screen is perfect for both our horses and goats. Everyone eats everything. No waste.

The only issue was the manual feeding. Breaking the bales by hand is slow. I am planning to buy a small bale breaker.

Would I buy from RICHI again? Yes. The mill has saved us money.

Logistics: Shipping from Qingdao to Esbjerg

Denmark's main seaport for the Jutland peninsula is Esbjerg on the North Sea. The ryegrass hammer mill machine was shipped from Qingdao to Esbjerg – about 35 days at sea. From Esbjerg, the customer arranged truck transport to Silkeborg, about 100 kilometers inland. Total transit time was about 42 days.

Pre-sale services that built their confidence

• Material testing: He sent us 20kg of ryegrass hay by air freight. We ran it through an SFSP56*40 in Qingdao using 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm screens. The 8mm screen produced the best balance for both horses and goats. We sent him the particle size analysis and a video.
• Species advice: We explained that horses need coarser grind than goats but finer than cattle. The 8mm screen works for both.
• Reference from a customer in Germany: We put him in touch with a farm in Schleswig-Holstein that had bought an SFSP56*40 from us for ryegrass. They confirmed that the 8mm screen worked well for their horses and goats.
• English manual with photos: The photos helped his staff.

A Note on Grinding Ryegrass

• Ryegrass grinds easily. The fine stems produce good throughput – 0.9 tons per hour on the 8mm screen.
• The 8mm screen works for both horses and goats. The owner does not need to change screens. One setting for both species.
• Dust is low. Ryegrass is one of the least dusty grasses. A cyclone with a fabric bag is sufficient. No baghouse needed.
• Hammer wear is low. The owner got 300 hours from the first set and expects 400+ from the second.
• The magnetic grate caught several pieces of wire from the bales. Essential.

Global Reach of RICHI Hammer Mills

This project in Denmark is one example. RICHI has exported hammer mills for ryegrass and other fine-stemmed grasses to over 80 countries. The SFSP56*40 ryegrass hammer mill machine is popular for small to medium horse and goat operations because it is affordable and can produce the 8mm grind that works well for both species.

If You Are Grinding Ryegrass for Horses or Goats

What screen size do your animals need? For horses, 8mm works well. For goats, 6-8mm. For dairy goats in lactation, 6mm may be better. For beef cattle, 8-10mm. Test a few sizes.

What is your moisture? Ryegrass should be below 14% moisture. Higher moisture can cause mold.

How will you handle the dust? Ryegrass is low dust. A cyclone with a fabric filter bag is sufficient.

What is your throughput requirement? The SFSP56*40 with a 37kW motor can handle 0.7-1.0 tons per hour on an 8mm screen.

Do you have a bale breaker? Recommended for consistent feeding, even for small volumes.

If you have ryegrass and mixed livestock (horses and goats), a hammer mill with an 8mm screen can serve both species with one setting. Send us a sample of your ryegrass. We will test it with different screens and send you the particle size analysis. You can see the results before you decide. That is the best way to know. RICHI Machinery has exported hammer mills for forage processing to over 80 countries worldwide.