The purpose of the research is to substantiate the structural and technological parameters of the small-sized fodder expander experimentally. The use of expanders is necessary in the production of feed and food products, as these technical means allow to improve the quality and nutritional characteristics of the final product. Thanks to their high productivity and the ability to adjust pressure, expanders provide effective processing of materials, while preserving their useful properties. Therefore, the optimization of technological parameters for the formation of expanders remains an urgent task in the engineering of expanders. As a result of experimental studies of a small-sized fodder expander, the dependences of the change in the productivity of the expander Q, its consumed power N, the specific energy capacity of the expansion process q and the density of the obtained expanders ρ on the moisture content of the compound feed W, the gap between the cone and the nut δс, and the frequency of rotation of the screw n were established. Having found in the Wolfram Cloud software package the value of the research factors in which the minimum value of the specific energy intensity of the expansion process q = 30.7 kWh/t is observed, it was established that W = 27.1 %, δс = 3.7 mm, n = 54.4 rpm. At the same time, the productivity was Q = 28.8 kg/h, the power consumption N = 879 W, and the density of the expanders ρ = 336 kg/m3.