Feed Shop

the division of a livestock farm that processes and prepares feeds. The layout and design of the feed shop depend on the type of farm and the feed preparation technology being employed.

A feed shop has two basic subdivisions—mechanical feed processing and cooking-mixing—which may operate as independent shops. If they operate independently the division in charge of mechanical processing of feeds is called the mixed-feed shop and the cooking and mixing division is called the feed kitchen. A mixed-feed shop can supply the feed kitchens of several livestock farms. Feed shops that perform all the operations of feed preparation have several departments, including sections for crushing, for processing coarse and succulent feeds, for mixing, cooking, and granulating, and for feed distribution, as well as laboratories, washing areas, and such auxiliary facilities as storehouses and refrigeration units. Feed shops have one, two, or more stories, depending on the method (vertical or horizontal) of transporting raw materials and finished products. Feed shops are equipped with mechanized production lines for preparing different types of feed. When a farm has several livestock sections located at a considerable distance from each other it is advisable to have one mixed-feed shop at the main farm and feed kitchens at each section.