Poultry Feed Silo: Size the Heavy Week, Then Fill It
- A poultry feed silo beside the house is sized on 5–7 days of feed, using the heavy week, not a year's ration.
- Orders cluster at 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 tonnes. Height and diameter follow the factory drawing. Two plants will not share one set of millimetres.
- Fill by bulk truck or by pneumatic pipe. Pellets at about 0.65–0.70 t/m³ fill the stated tonnes. Mash of the same weight needs more volume and bridges sooner if it is damp or broken.
The silo holds the feed between the truck and the line. Weifang Splendid builds galvanized towers for that job, with a slide or flip lid so the truck can blow or auger in from more than one side. A 50-tonne bin is usually a grain store, not the tower standing at the house wall.
What the tonne on the plate means
Nominal tonnes are pellet capacity. At 0.65–0.70 tonnes per cubic metre, a 10-tonne tower is about 12–16 m³. The same 10 tonnes of mash will not fill that label: mash is lighter, so the tower runs out of volume first. Wet feed or fines pack and bridge. Order the volume for the feed you actually tip, and say so on the inquiry.
Finished towers in this trade run from about 2.5 to 45 tonnes. The sizes that get ordered are 3, 5, 8, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30. Past that, farms usually stand two towers rather than one very tall single. Diameter on a 5-tonne tower is often 1.8–2.2 m. A 20-tonne tower is often 3.2–3.3 m. Total height, legs included, runs roughly 4.3–5.0 m on a 5-tonne and 6.6–7.5 m on a 20-tonne. Another factory's drawing can move that height 0.3–0.5 m. Treat the range as a check, not as the part to fabricate from.
| Nominal | Volume, about | Typical diameter | Legs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 t | 4.5–5.6 m³ | 1.8–2.2 m | 4 |
| 5 t | 7–9 m³ | 1.8–2.2 m | 4 |
| 8–10 t | 12–16 m³ | about 2.75 m | 6 |
| 15 t | 21–22 m³ | about 2.75 m | 6 |
| 20 t | 29–30 m³ | 3.2–3.3 m | 6–8 |
| 25–30 t | 38–45 m³ | 3.6–3.7 m | 8 |
Days of feed, not a full year
Five to seven days is the storage to design for. A 20,000-bird layer house eating about 2.2 tonnes a day sits well on one 10–15 tonne tower. A 50,000-bird broiler house does not have one daily figure. Intake in the last week is far above the cycle average. Size that tower on the heavy week. A 15–20 tonne tower, or two 10-tonne towers used in stages, covers mid-flock days. It will not cover 5–7 days at peak unless the truck is booked for the end of the cycle. Two towers also let a ration change finish in one bin while the other is still feeding.
How the feed goes in
A bulk truck augers or tips into the lid. A pneumatic fill uses a pipe to the top and a blower on the truck. The lid then needs a fill inlet, a vent or filter so the tower is not sealed under pressure, and a sight glass so the driver stops before feed packs the roof. Pneumatic fill is the right add when the truck cannot get its auger over the lid, or when the yard wants the fill point at ground level. Either way the first feed in should be the first feed out. A centre draw, not a side pocket, is what keeps old fines from sitting in the cone.
Shells are double-sided galvanized sheet. Zinc at 275 g/m² is the usual coat for a tower that stands in weather. Fiberglass is lighter and does not rust. On a large tonne it is less stiff than steel, so the big orders stay with plate. Wall plate is often 1.0 mm through 10 tonnes and 1.2 mm from 15 tonnes up, with a thicker cone. That is a shop range, confirmed on the drawing.
What to send
Bird type, birds in the house, pellet or mash, peak tonnes per day, days you want in the tower, and whether the truck fills by auger or by air. Weifang Splendid marks nominal tonnes and the fill fitting from that, then the height on the drawing for your yard.
FAQ
How big a feed silo does a layer house need?
About 5–7 days of feed. A 20,000-bird layer house at about 2.2 tonnes a day usually takes one 10–15 tonne tower.
Why does mash not match the tonne on the plate?
The plate is pellet capacity at about 0.65–0.70 t/m³. Mash is lighter, so the same tower holds fewer tonnes.
Can the silo be filled by air?
Yes. Pneumatic fill needs a pipe to the lid, a vent or filter, and a sight glass. Auger fill from the truck is the other way.
Do two factories share one height?
No. Diameter and height move with the drawing, often by 0.3–0.5 m on the same nominal tonne.
Send peak tonnes per day and the fill method.
Birds, pellet or mash, days of storage, auger or pneumatic.