Pheasant and Specialty Poultry Feed Line Ordered for Game Bird Operation in France

An order has been placed for a small-scale, 2 t/h specialty poultry feed production line by a game bird breeding operation in southwestern France, focused on pheasant and partridge feed for both commercial release programs and gourmet poultry markets.

Specialty game bird feed differs from standard broiler or layer formulas in several ways — protein requirements tend to be higher, particularly during early growth stages, and some formulations include ingredients less commonly seen in mainstream poultry feed, such as insect meal (increasingly used in premium and specialty feed formulations across parts of Europe due to both nutritional profile and sustainability positioning).

The buyer’s formula for young pheasant starter feed includes a notably high protein percentage — over 28%, compared to typical broiler starter feed around 22-23% — achieved through a combination of fish meal, soybean meal, and a small percentage of dried insect meal (black soldier fly larvae meal, sourced from a European supplier).

Equipment for this line is modest in scale given the relatively small production volumes typical of specialty game bird operations: a hammer mill, batch mixer, pellet press (ring die, with a 2mm die for starter feed and a 3mm die available via die change for grower/finisher formulas), and pellet cooler. No conditioner is included — at this small scale and with this formula, the buyer’s nutritionist determined that conditioning wasn’t critical for pellet quality, keeping the equipment package simpler and reducing cost.

One thing flagged during the order process: the insect meal component has a notably different particle behavior in the hammer mill compared to standard feed ingredients — it’s more prone to clumping if not pre-screened. RICHI recommended the buyer pre-screen the insect meal before it enters the main grinding process, a simple manual step that avoids potential feed inconsistency without requiring additional equipment.

Production of the equipment is underway, with delivery anticipated within roughly 6 weeks given the relatively compact equipment list for this order.