Selecting A Fully Automatic Chicken Feeding Pan Line

1. Core Technology of Fully Automatic Feeding Pan Lines

1.1 Fully automatic chicken feeding systems achieve precise feed replenishment. Their core value lies in reducing labor costs, minimizing feed waste (ideally keeping it within 5%), and ensuring uniform feeding among the flock. Based on their structure, they can be categorized into three types: disc, strip trough, and hanging bucket.

1.2 The disc type is suitable for flat farming, the strip trough type is suitable for intensive farming, and the hanging bucket type, with its flexible height adjustment, is the mainstream choice for large-scale farms. Made primarily of food-grade engineered polypropylene (over 60%), it's wear-resistant and easy to clean.

2. Feeder Pan and Feeder Line Parameter Standards by Age

2.1. Chick Stage (0-4 weeks old)

- Core Requirements: Anti-scraping, anti-slip, and easy feeding to prevent chicks from getting stuck or scratched.

- Feeder Pan Parameters:

- Construction: Shallow round pan (no deep grooves, allowing chicks to lower their heads to feed).

- Dimensions: 39.5-40cm diameter, 8-12cm height (adapts to chick height, eliminating the need to lift their heads excessively).

- Feeding Port: 2-3cm wide (allows only the chick's head to fit in, preventing the chick's body from getting stuck).

- Detailed Design: Anti-slip protrusions or ridges on the bottom (prevent the pan from sliding and causing chicks to fall).

- Suitable Breeds: Layers (such as White Leghorn chicks) and broilers (such as white-feathered broilers), among other breeds. Each pan accommodates 15-20 chicks feeding simultaneously.

2.2. Chick Stage (5-12 Weeks)

- Core Requirements: Increase feed capacity, reduce competition for feed, and adapt to the growth rate of chicks.

- Feeder Pan Parameters:

- Structure: Deep-mouthed circular disc or trough-style (deep mouth increases single-time feed storage capacity, troughs reduce lateral competition).

- Dimensions: 45cm diameter disc (30% higher capacity than chick trays), or 53x35cm single-section trough (modularly adaptable to different breeding areas).

- Height: 15-20cm (increases as chicks grow to prevent feed spillage).

- Detailed Design: 10° bottom angle (directs feed toward the feeding opening, reducing residual feed). Some troughs feature 15mm anti-spill baffles (reducing feed leakage).

- Suitable Breeds: Layers (e.g., Roman Brown) and broilers (e.g., yellow broiler). Each tray/meter of trough accommodates 8-12 chicks.

2.3.1 Layer and Broiler Stage: Differentiated Parameters

2.3.1 Layer (13 weeks to culling)

- Core Requirements: Ensure uniform feeding (stable egg production) and prevent feed contamination (avoiding fecal contamination that affects egg quality)

- Feeder Pan Parameters:

- Structure: Bucket-type (hangable and adjustable to accommodate the standing feeding habits of laying hens)

- Dimensions: 50cm diameter, 30-40cm height (adjustable to suit the height of laying hens)

- Feeding Ports: 4-5cm width, 8cm spacing (each laying hen has its own feeding port to avoid competition)

- Key Design: 1.5cm high perch line (prevents laying hens from standing on the pan opening and defecating, potentially contaminating feed)

- Suitable breeds: Bantam layers (such as White Leghorn layers, choose a 30cm high feeder pan), medium-tall layers (such as Isa Brown layers, choose a 35-40cm high feeder pan). Each pan accommodates 6-8 layers, helping to increase egg production by 5%-8%.

2.3.2 Broiler Finishers (13 weeks to market)

- Core Requirements: Efficient feed intake (shortening the market cycle), large feed storage capacity (reducing refeeding frequency)

- Feeder Pan Parameters:

- Structure: Wide-mouthed circular disc or trough-type (unobstructed design, increasing feeding speed)

- Dimensions: Disc diameter 50-55 cm (allowing 20% more feed per feed than layer pans), trough length 60 cm per section (suitable for intensive feeding of broilers)

- Feeding Port: Width 5-6 cm (allowing broilers to peck quickly without having to repeatedly adjust their heads)

- Key Design: No perch line (maximizing feeding space and preventing standing broilers from obstructing the feed)

- Suitable Breeds: Fast-growing broilers (e.g., white-feathered broilers, 8-10 birds per tray), slow-growing broilers (e.g., yellow-feathered broilers, 6-8 birds per tray). Combined with a 24-hour feeding system, this can shorten the market cycle by 3-5 days.

3. Key Points for Breed Selection

3.1 Based on Body Size:

- For short-legged breeds (such as White Leghorn laying hens and short-legged yellow-feathered broilers): Choose low-height feeder pans (30-35 cm for mature birds) with a 4-5 cm wide feeding opening to avoid neck fatigue caused by bending down too much to feed.

- For tall-legged breeds (such as Brahmans and large broilers): Choose high-height feeder pans (35-40 cm for mature birds) with a 5-6 cm wide feeding opening to accommodate their larger size and ensure smooth feeding.

3.2. Based on Breeding Purpose:

- For laying hens (such as Roman Brown and Hy-Line Brown laying hens): Prefer bucket-style feeder pans with perches to ensure feed cleanliness and prevent feed contamination that affects egg production quality.

- For broilers (such as white-feathered broilers and fast-growing yellow-feathered broilers): Choose wide-mouthed feeder pans without perches to improve feed efficiency and promote rapid weight gain.

4. Key Selection Principles

4.1 Parameter Compatibility: Feeder pan height should be adjusted in sync with the age and height of the chicks (8-12cm for chicks → 15-20cm for mid-sized chicks → 30-40cm for mature chicks). The width of the feeding opening should increase with the size of the chick's head (2-3cm for chicks → 3-4cm for mid-sized chicks → 4-6cm for mature chicks).

4.2 Scenario Suitability: For flat-bed farming, choose circular feeder pans; for intensive cage or net farming, choose trough feeder pans; for large-scale farms, choose bucket feeder lines (which can be linked to intelligent feeding systems for precise feed control).

4.3 Cost-Effectiveness: For generally dry areas, choose food-grade polypropylene feeder pans (which offer high cost-effectiveness); for humid or high-temperature areas, choose stainless steel feeder pans (which are corrosion-resistant and require less frequent replacement).