By: Bram Evers
Poultry Specialist
Grand Valley Fortifiers
For more than 60 years, Grand Valley Fortifiers has been at the forefront of on-farm feed manufacturing innovation and in the last years, this includes the poultry industry. Our mission has always been to empower poultry farmers to manufacture high-quality feed on their farms, using their own grains. This approach not only transforms poultry operations, but also contributes to greater sustainability and financial efficiency. Let’s look at some of the benefits of using locally sourced or your own grains for your poultry feed and discover how Grand Valley Fortifiers can guide you in this process:
One of the most immediate advantages of using your own or local grains for poultry feed is the potential for substantial cost savings. By producing your own feed, you can eliminate some of the middlemen and reduce transportation costs typically associated with commercial feed. This direct approach allows you to invest more of your budget into other critical areas of your operation, thereby boosting overall profitability. Grand Valley Fortifiers provides the expertise and tools needed to optimize your feed production process, ensuring you make the most of these financial benefits.
A Range Of Just Two Ingredients To Many More
More and more poultry farmers are interested in the opportunities of using their own or local grains for feed. While one group of producers has the (future) scale to invest in a larger mill including storage for different ingredients, there is also a group that doesn’t have this scale or the capacity yet. This is one of the reasons why we continue to innovatively look at our products. At Grand Valley Fortifiers we don’t just supply premixes; we offer a comprehensive range of supplements that make on-farm feed production feasible at any scale.
Assign Value To Your Corn
Our corn supplements are designed to integrate seamlessly with pre-ground corn, allowing you to create customized feed blends that meet your flock’s specific needs. When your bird’s feed ration consists of more than 50% corn, you can save more than 50% on your transportation cost.
Our team of experts provides guidance on formulating and adjusting your feed to include various ingredients, ensuring that your poultry receive optimal nutrition tailored to their requirements. Whether you’re running a small operation or managing a large farm, our flexible solutions make it easy to implement local grains and supplements effectively.
We Are Here To Help You Find Answers
At Grand Valley Fortifiers we will not only help you with your nutrition-related questions, but we also specialize in optimizing the process of feed production:
Particle size/grinding: Just as with pellet/crumb quality, the particle size of the mash feed has a big impact on the feed consumption of poultry. Birds are selective pickers, so we have to make sure that we cater to the different ages and beak sizes to ensure flock uniformity. Additionally, feeder management can play an important role. For example, in broiler barns we advise that the birds empty out the feeders regularly throughout the flock.
Mixing: I once heard “the feed will be as good as you are able to mix it”. Just like we need to pay attention to the mixing when making the feed, we need to pay attention to potential segregation when storing or feeding into the barn. Also, feeder management can play a role, as mentioned before.
Mill-in-a-box design: Together with a partner in the industry, we are exploring ways to start making feed-on farm as accessible as possible. We have a design which includes a small (corn)grinder and batch mixer that is pre-wired and easy to install. In the future, if feed needs to be made in a different way, this mill-in-a-box might be saleable to another producer. This is really a plug-and-play design that enables you to start with making feed on-farm.
Our nutrition team can customize rations to your needs, including an option of providing a supplement, that requires the producer to only need to add corn. With this solution, making fresh feed on-farm and saving on the largest ingredient is within reach of many more producers. For more information about designs and rations please reach out to me at bramevers@grandvalley.com or 905-329-6103.
This article was written for the Fall/Winter 2024 Poultry Grist. To read the whole Poultry Grist, click the button below.