Executive Summary
France is the world’s second-largest duck meat producer, with 187,810 tonnes produced in 2024, and home to approximately 60% of global foie gras production. The duck feed sector—consuming roughly 950,000 tonnes of compound feed annually—demands pellet mills that can deliver consistent hardness, minimal fines, and uninterrupted production cycles. This case study examines how a duck feed mill in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France’s primary duck-raising region, achieved sustained operational stability and superior pellet quality after commissioning Hongyang HYPM ring die pellet mills for their dedicated duck feed line.
Background: The French Duck Feed Landscape
France’s duck industry is concentrated in the Southwest, with 80% of rearing capacity located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie. The sector has undergone a challenging recovery from the avian influenza outbreaks of 2021-2022, which led to the culling of millions of birds. Following the national vaccination campaign launched in October 2023—the first of its kind in Europe—duck production rebounded sharply. Foie gras output climbed from 8,000 tonnes in 2022 to 12,200 tonnes in 2024 and further to 14,500 tonnes in 2025, according to CIFOG.
This recovery has placed renewed pressure on feed mills. Duck feed formulations for foie gras production are unique: they combine a corn-soy base with added fats, vitamins, and minerals in specific ratios tailored to different growth phases—starter, grower, and the force-feeding (gavage) period. Each phase demands pellet sizes from 2.5 mm to 4.0 mm, with strict pellet durability requirements. Broken pellets and excess fines not only waste feed but can cause respiratory stress in force-fed ducks, directly affecting liver quality and final product value.
The Challenge: Pellet Consistency at Scale
Our client, a family-run feed mill operating in the Landes department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, produces approximately 35,000 tonnes of duck feed per year, supplying over 40 independent duck farms in the region. In early 2025, they identified three persistent issues with their existing pelleting line:
1. Pellet Durability Variability: The Pellet Durability Index fluctuated between 86% and 91% across batches, with fines exceeding 6% in some production runs. For duck feed delivered via pneumatic and screw conveyor systems, this translated to significant feed loss at farm level.
2. Inconsistent Throughput: Output oscillated between 4.0 and 5.0 tonnes per hour on identical formulations, making production scheduling unreliable during peak demand periods.
3. Ring Die Wear Pattern: The previous ring dies exhibited uneven wear after approximately 1,200 hours of operation, with the inlet taper eroding faster than expected—a sign of suboptimal metallurgy and heat treatment.
The mill’s management set clear targets: achieve and maintain PDI above 93%, cap fines at 3%, and reach a consistent throughput of 5.0 TPH on standard duck grower formulations.
The Solution: Hongyang HYPM508 Ring Die Pellet Mill
After evaluating multiple suppliers, the mill selected two Hongyang HYPM508 ring die pellet mills to replace their existing line. The decision was based on three technical factors:
Precision Compression Ratio Design. Duck grower feed—containing approximately 58% corn, 25% soybean meal, 8% wheat bran, and 5% added fat—requires a balanced compression approach. Fat acts as a lubricant during pelleting, reducing natural binding; fiber from wheat bran resists compaction. Hongyang’s engineering team recommended a compression ratio of 1:10 for the 3.5 mm die (grower phase) and 1:12 for the 2.5 mm die (starter phase), calculated from the client’s specific formulation data. This avoided the common pitfall of applying generic poultry ratios to duck feed.
Alloy-Grade Ring Die Material. The HYPM508 ring dies are manufactured from X46Cr13 chromium stainless steel, vacuum-hardened to 58-60 HRC. The die holes are CNC-drilled with a tolerance of ±0.05 mm and then polished to a surface roughness below Ra 0.8 μm. This combination of hardness and smoothness directly addresses the uneven wear problem the client had experienced—the polished hole surface reduces friction heat during extrusion, which in turn preserves the starch gelatinization achieved during conditioning.
Integrated Conditioning Control. The HYPM508 is paired with a dual-shaft conditioner providing 45-60 seconds of retention time at 82-86°C, with automatic steam modulation. Consistent conditioning is critical for duck feed because partial starch gelatinization must occur before the mash enters the die; otherwise, the pellets will be brittle regardless of die quality.
Results: 11 Months of Measured Performance
The two HYPM508 units were commissioned in July 2025. After 11 months of continuous operation, the mill’s production logs show:
Metric: Average PDI (%)
Before (Previous Equipment): 88.5 (range: 86-91)
After (Hongyang HYPM508): 94.8 (range: 94.1-95.6)
Metric: Fines (<1 mm)
Before (Previous Equipment): 5.8% average
After (Hongyang HYPM508): 2.1% average
Metric: Throughput Stability
Before (Previous Equipment): 4.0-5.0 TPH, fluctuating
After (Hongyang HYPM508): 5.1-5.3 TPH, consistent
Metric: Ring Die Service Life
Before (Previous Equipment): Approximately 1,200 hours
After (Hongyang HYPM508): Approximately 2,100 hours (still in service)
Metric: Unplanned Downtime
Before (Previous Equipment): 3 incidents / 12 months
After (Hongyang HYPM508): 0 incidents / 11 months
Metric: Energy Consumption
Before (Previous Equipment): 18.2 kWh/tonne
After (Hongyang HYPM508): 16.7 kWh/tonne
The most consequential improvement is pellet durability. At PDI 94.8%, fines have dropped below 3%, meaning the 40+ duck farms supplied by this mill now receive feed with virtually no dust. One farm owner reported that his pneumatic feeding system’s filter cleaning interval doubled because there was simply less particulate matter in the feed stream.
The throughput stability is equally notable. The HYPM508 maintains 5.2 TPH on duck grower pellets with no more than ±0.1 TPH variation across an 8-hour shift. This predictability allows the mill to schedule production precisely and meet delivery commitments to farms without overtime shifts.
On ring die longevity, the first set of dies reached 2,100 hours and remain in service with acceptable wear. Based on current wear rate measurements, the mill projects a total service life of 2,400-2,600 hours—roughly double their previous experience.
The Hongyang Difference
What distinguishes this case is not the specification sheet but the application engineering behind it. Hongyang did not ship a standard ring die with a generic compression ratio. The technical team reviewed the client’s five duck feed formulations, analyzed the fat and fiber content of each, and specified dies accordingly. During commissioning, a Hongyang service engineer spent three days on-site optimizing steam pressure, conditioner retention time, and roller gap adjustment to the specific mash characteristics.
This approach—treating each feed formulation as a distinct engineering problem rather than a commodity application—is how a pellet mill achieves 95% PDI on a high-fat duck feed that naturally resists binding. It is also why the mill’s production manager, when asked about the HYPM508 after six months of operation, described it as the most uneventful piece of equipment in the plant—high praise in an industry where uneventful means reliable.
Conclusion
The French duck feed sector is recovering, demanding, and quality-sensitive. A pellet mill that produces consistent, durable pellets with minimal fines is not a luxury—it is a competitive necessity when end customers measure feed quality by the dust in their silos. The Nouvelle-Aquitaine case demonstrates that the right ring die, matched to the right formulation, paired with precise conditioning, delivers measurable gains: higher PDI, lower fines, longer die life, and predictable production schedules. For duck feed producers anywhere facing similar chall{Escape}enges, the variables are the same—the solution begins with the ring die.
Post time: Jun-09-2026
