Assessment of a Novel Pelleting Throughput Aid, AZOMITE®, a Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate

Megan Alderman*, Tim Boltz and Joe Moritz, Department of Agriculture, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Field (Broad Category): Agriculture (Agricultural & Environmental Sciences) 

Student’s Major: Animal Science 

Poultry is the number one consumed animal protein in the United States. All meat type poultry, broiler chickens and turkeys, are fed pelleted diets due to production advantages such as decreased ingredient segregation, selective feeding, and feed wastage as well as increased productive energy associated with the prehension of feed. Due to high poultry production volume, feed mills necessitate a high degree of throughput in order to meet pelleted feed demand within a given shift. The objective of the study was to access the effect of AZOMITE®, a hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate on pellet mill throughput and subsequent pellet quality in broiler diets containing ingredients notorious for decreasing throughput and varying in inorganic feed phosphate source. Treatments were arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial within a Latin Square Design. Day of manufacture was the blocking criterion. Diets were of corn, soybean meal, and corn distillers dried grains and solubles with dicalcium phosphate or tricalcium phosphate. Each diet formulation either contained Azomite at 0.25% inclusion or was devoid of Azomite. The pellet mill motor load was set to a constant amperage of 40% for all treatments. Measured variables included pellet throughput, hot pellet temperature, and pellet durability. Results: interaction, main effects, multiple comparisons, and contrasts (TBD).  Conclusion: TBD 

Funding: Azomite Mineral Products, Inc 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course