Quality animal feed is the dream of every farmer dealing in animal husbandry. Trust has been an issue among different farmers and their feed suppliers. Therefore, this is the remain reason why farmers in Kenya prefer to make their own animal feeds. Trusting the quality and giving their animals the best feeds make them happy.
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What farmers across the country should understand is that at the base of every process in preparing animal feeds is a great chaff cuter. Understanding the operations of a chaff cutter and their prices will always give the farmers an opportunity to choose the best chaff cutter that will better serve them as they plan to make the best quality feeds for their animals. Here we present the farmers with knowledge about operations of chaff cutters in Kenya, their prices, the differences between the chaff cutter and maintenance of chaff cutters for farmers who have and are planning to purchase their own chaff cutters.
The operation of a chaff cutter begins with knowing what it is. In simple terms, a chaff cutter is a machine that can be used to cut straw or hay into small pieces so that the animals can find it easy to digest. Chaff cutters are known to be efficient, easy to and durable. When handling chaff cutters in Kenya, farmers and ranch owners should understand that they have a range of features including adjustable blade settings, multiple cutting speeds and safety guards to protect the operator using the cutter.
Chaff Cutter Prices in Kenya
| Product | Specification | Production/ hour in Kgs | Prices (Ksh.) |
| Electric Chaff Cutter | 3 blade, 2 hp electric motor | 1000-1250 | 46,000 |
| Electric Chaff Cutter | 3 blade, 3 hp electric motor | 1250-1500 | 49,000 |
| Petrol Chaff Cutter | 3 blade, 7.5 hp Petrol Engine Unit | 2000-2500 | 45,000 |
| Petrol Feed Chopper | 7.5 hp Petrol Engine Unit | 2000-2500 | 38,000 |
| Electric Feed Chopper | 3 hp electric motor | 1000-1200 | 40,000 |
| Electric Feed Chopper | 5 hp electric motor | 1300-1750 | 45,000 |
| High-Speed Feed Chopper | 3 hp electric motor | 1000-1250 | 48,000 |
| High-Speed Feed Chopper | 7.5 hp Petrol Engine | 1000-1300 | 45,000 |
| Diesel Feed Chopper | 7.5 hp Diesel Engine | 2500-4500 | 65,000 |
| Diesel Silage Chopper | 18 hp Diesel Engine | 5000-7500 | 175,000 |
The Difference Between Chaff Cutters
There are three main chaff cutters which are available in the Kenyan market today. They majorly include electric chaff cutters and feed choppers, diesel chaff cutter and feed choppers and lastly petrol chaff cutter and feed choppers. Apart from the powered chaff cutter and feeders that have been mentioned, there are manual cutters and choppers available for farmers. The choice of a chaff cutter depends on different reasons and any farmer or ranch owner is expected to understand these reasons so that they can always make the best choice. It is important to also note that different cutter and choppers have different number of blades and power ratings thus giving different output per hour.
The reasons which are considered by farmers and ranch owners before selecting a chaff cutter to use are the source of power where there is electric-powered, diesel- powered and petrol-powered chaff cutters and feed choppers, the performance of the machine, the durability, the size of the farm, portability, cost of purchasing the machine, the frequency of use and work to be done.
Manual Chaff Cutter in Kenya
They are manually operated machines having a flywheel. It is referred to as manual because it has a cranking level operated by hand. This machine is mostly light in weight and thus very portable. Buying this chaff cutter makes the farmer enjoy one major benefit which is durability. The capacity of a manual chaff cutter is 0.8T/hour. This chaff cutter has 3 blades with high carbon steel.
A manual chaff cutter machine with a capacity of 0.8T/hour of feed.
Diesel-Powered Chaff Cutter in Kenya
These chaff cutters operate using diesel as the source of power. They also come in different types where we have diesel feed choppers and diesel silage choppers. The choice depends of one depends on the feeding material the farmer has or wants to use. It is mostly preferred in Kenya because of its portability levels. Since it does not depend on electricity, it can be used anywhere in the country. The specifications of diesel-powered chaff cutters are based on the size which deals with the power, brand, and performance.
A diesel-powered chaff cutter of 5hp power with a capacity of 1T/hour
Petrol-Powered Chaff Cutter in Kenya
These are chaff cutters which uses petrol as the source of power. Most of these machines have either two or three blades depending on the design with either 5hp of 7.5hp power generator. The blades are made of steel with a cast iron body material. They are also preferred by most farmers because they can be used anywhere in the country since they don’t depend on electricity. Most of these machines have output capacity of 1T to 1.5T per hour.
A three blade, 5hp chaff cutter with a capacity of 1.5T/hour
Electric-Powered Chaff Cutter
An electric-powered chaff cutter has a motor of the engine with electricity as the main and the only source of power. Therefore, it can only operate where there is electricity. It is suitable for farmers with large farms and have a high-capacity requirement of feeders within the shortest-time possible. They are very powerful supporting from 5hp power generator and above. Most of them have 3 blades and with the power available, they can cut through any type of fodder quickly and within a short time. One important feature that these machines have is that they require less maintenance. The output of electric-powered chaff cutters depends on the size of the motor.
Electric-powered chaff cutter with 3 blades, 7.5hp power generator with a capacity output of 2T/hour of service.
Chaff Cutter Maintenance
Maintaining chaff cutters in Kenya is the most important thing as production and efficiency is based on how well the machine is maintained and serviced. For maintaining chaff cutter, farmers and ranch owners should consider the following:
Check if the parts which are welded are reliable enough to avoid any form of collision before the chaff cutter is used.
Regularly checking the chaff cutter and grain crusher machine parts to ascertain that the bolts and nuts are solid.
Lubricating every part of the chaff cutter and grain crusher is very important in maintaining the speed and efficiency. This should be done using lithium when cleaning and grease when lubricating. The gear box of the machine should be lubricated every season. When lubricating the chaff cutter, all the foreign materials including dust and sundries are removed.
Checking whether all the parts of the machine are worn or deformed is important during maintenance. In case of any abnormality, replacement and fixing should be done in time.
PTO Driven Chaff Cutter
PTO driven chaff cutter are currently in the market and thus it is very important for the farmers to also understand the operation of such machines. These chaff cutters are driven by tractor shafts. Therefore, a ranch owner or a farmer should have tractors to have these cutters work. They are neither diesel driven, electric driven or petrol driven. Most of these chaff cutters have 2 blades and 3 rollers and their output size ranges up to 2000kgs/hour of silage. These chaff cutters are simple to operate and maintain, they give better fodder quality, durable quality and high production in less time periods.
Buying a Chaff Cutter in Kenya
Buying a chaff cutter or feeder for the first time might be challenging for every farmer, however, there is no need to worry because there is a team off technicians and engineers who will help you make the right decisions within our firm. The technicians will take you through what is available and what can best serve you depending on the factors of use.