GB2040661A - Hay feeders - Google Patents

Abstract

A feeder for farm animals comprising a framework and a plurality of walls defining internal divisions (11) each capable of receiving a standard hay bale in an upright position with its smallest faces presented upwardly and downwardly. The base (21) of each division slopes downwardly and outwardly towards the peripheral wall where a feeding zone (19) is provided, covered by a metal mesh. The hay bale is inserted whole and in its binder twine into the division (11) which has a hinged lid (18). The twine can be cut which enables the hay to break away at the inclined base of the feeder and to be pulled out through the grid (20) by the animals feeding. An additional hopper may be provided for particulate food stuffs which may be gravity fed through a restricted opening to a trough (24) below the feeding zone. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Animal feeder This invention relates to an animal feeder.

It is primarily intended as a means of supplying food stuffs which are provided in the form of rectangular bales, for example hay.

Farm animals such as cattle or sheep which normally remain in thefield, need a great deal of extra food stuffs during the Winter. The amount of natural grazing is severely limited and is of poor quality, due to the cold weather but it is at this time that warm blooded animals require a large amount of food to retain their body temperature.

Farmers therefore supplement the natural grazing by food stuffs such as hay in quite large quantities.

Particularly large quantities are required during snowy periods and it may be a considerable effort for a farmer to keep up with the requirement to supply food stuffs to his animals.

Hay bales can be broken open and spread on the ground in selected locations but this is extremely wasteful since a considerable part of the hay becomes trampled underfoot and inedible. Furthermore, the hay is accessible to the weather if it is simply spread on the ground so this method of feeding is wasteful and unsatisfactory.

It has been proposed to provide feed racks into which the hay bales can be broken up but the quantity of food stuffs which can be placed in such racks has been limited and the time taken to service them has been consequently increased because the food stuff is not kept in a condensed condition but is, on the contrary, broken up from the bale form.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an animal feeder in which food stuffs provided in bale form, for example hay, can be supplied in an efficient manner which avoids excessive wastage, requires minimum servicing by the farmer and enables a large amount of food stuff to be supplied in a greatly reduced space.

According to the invention there is provided an animal feeder comprising a receptacle capable of receivng a standard bale with its smallest faces directed upwardly and downwardly, the receptacle comprising a base, an upstanding peripheral wall defining a top opening, and closure means for the top opening, the base being inclined downwardly towards a portion of the wall and said portion and/or the base being apertured to afford a feeding zone.

The feeding zone may comprise a sheet of metal wire mesh or a grid of rods for example.

The peripheral wall is preferably sized to conform closely to a single bale. Alternatively, the peripheral wall may accommodate a plurality of bales. In the latter case, one or more internal dividers or parti tions may be provided to locate the bales upright or in a plurality of divisions.

The divisions so formed may have a common closure or a plurality of individual closures forming said closure means.

The angle of the base with respect to the horizon tal may be between 20 and 50 and is preferably about 33 .

The receptacle may be provided with mounting means to raise the base thereof to an elevated position above ground levei.

The mounting means may comprise a sledge, wheels, supporting legs or a rear mounted bracket or hook arrangement adapted to be secured to a wall, fence or the like.

The receptacle may be of sufficient height to accommodate a plurality of standard bales stacked one on another and respectively presenting their smallest faces upwardly and downwardly.

The receptacle may include a separate compartment having a restricted opening in its lowermost portion, there being a shallow trough disposed there below and extending to a position adjacent, and spaced outwardly of, the peripheral wall, whereby said compartment can supply particulate food stuffs by gravity feed to the trough.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure lisa side elevational view of one form of feeder, Figure 2 is a sectional view on the lines 2-2 of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a similar sectional view of a modified feeder, Figure 4 is a similar sectional view of a further form of feeder, Figure 5 is a plan view of a still further form of feeder with certain parts removed for clarity.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a feeder 10 is of elongate rectangular shape in plan and comprises a plurality of divisions 11 divided off by internal partition walls 12 or similar internal dividers. A peripheral wall 13 encloses the feeder and comprises metal or wooden sheets, plastic sheets or any other suitable sheet material mounted on a rigid frame 14 of tubular, angle or square cross-section metal.

Each division 11 is generally rectangular in plan and of such a size as to receive and retain loosely a standard hay bale, one of which is shown at 15.

The upright walls 12 and 13 are sufficiently tall to accommodate the bale standing on one of its smallest faces with the other smallest face directed upwardly. In this way, the maximum number of bales can be accommodated in a limited floor area.

The frame 14 extends downwardly to provide a sledge 16, reinforced with steel gussets 17 as required. The feeder can be towed on the sledge 16 to a suitable position in a field by means of a tractor.

Each division 11 of the feeder has an individual hinged lid 18, hinged art a central region of the feeder so that bales can be inserted in the respective divisions by raising the lids and dropping the bales inside. The bale is inserted whole and without removing the binder twine which is cut once the bale is in position and pulled out through the lid opening.

The lid can then be dropped back into place and will protect the hay bale from the effects of the weather.

Once the binder twine has been released from the bale, the hay is enabled to spring apart somewhat and access is gained to it at a feeding zone 19 at the bottom of the feeder. The zone 19 provides one or more apertures through which the hay can be pulled by the animals for feeding purposes. For example, a grid 20 of metal rods or wire can be provided so as to prevent quantities of hay falling out of the bottom of the feeder but to enable the animals to pull the hay readily through the grid.

The height at which the feeder is mounted and the size and nature of the feeding zone 19 will be determined by the type of animal to be fed. It will generally be found that a grid having approximately ten centimetre spaced wires will be suitable for the feeding zone and the feeder will be mounted at a height which is convenient for cattle or for sheep for example.

An important factor in the construction of the feeder is that each division 11 is provided with a base 21 which slopes downwardly towards the feeding zone. The inclination of the base may be between 20 and 50 but it is preferred that the base should slope downwardly with respect to the horizontal at about 33 . When a complete hay bale is placed into the division 11, and the binder twine is released, the lowermost portion of the bale is supported only towards its rear edge and the forward portion adjacent the feeding zone tends to collapse downwardly, enabling the animals to start feeding from this loosened hay. Continued feeding tends to pull the hay downwardly and forwardly through the feeding zone until the bale has been completely used. If a flat base is provided in the division, there is a reduced tendency for the hay bale to start to break up without some assistance from the farmer and hence the animals will find more difficulty in extracting the hay. Furthermore, quantities of loose hay may remain in the feeder or to the rear thereof, when the bale has been almost completely eaten.

It will be appreciated that the feeding zone 19 is provided at the lowermost part of the division to enable the animals to continue feeding until the bale is finished. However, the feeding zone can be extended partly under the base by forming part of the forward edge of the base of mesh and/or can be extended upwardly to cover a larger proportion of the front of the feeder.

It will be seen from Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings that two rows of divisions are provided back to back so that animals can feed from both sides. If desired, additional feeders can be incorporated at the ends of the feeder unit shown.

In a modification shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the base 21 of each division is perpendicular to the internal partition wall 12 but the divisions of each side of the feeder are tilted forwardly so that the correct base angle is maintained.

Between the two rows of divisions 11, there exists a downwardly and inwardly tapering space which forms a hopper 22. A restricted opening 23 is provided at the base of the hopper and, disposed beneath this opening, and extending outwardly of the peripheral wall 13, there is provided a shallow trough 24. In the example shown, a single lid 18 covers both a division 11 and a portion of the hopper 22 but, if desired, the hopper could have a separate closure.

The hopper is intended to receive particulate food stuffs such as oats, bran or cow cake for example, which is gravity fed through the opening 23 and into the trough 24. Removal of this material from the trough 24 as the animals eat tends to allowfurther material to come down from the hopper until the supply is exhausted. It will be seen that the trough 24 is immediately adjacent the feeding zone 19 so that the animals can select their food at will.

In a further alternative construction shown at Figure 4, a single unit feeder capable of containing one hay bale 15 is provided with mounting hooks 25 which enable it to be hooked onto a fence or gate.

Alternatively, some form of brackets could be provided to secure it to a wall or fence. In this case, the frame 14 does not have a sledge extension underneath.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, a further possible modification is shown. This takes the form of a hexagonal feeder which is seen in plan view, the peripheral wall 13 being generally upright, the base 21 of each division sloping outwardly towards the feeding zone, beneath which there projects a hexagonal trough 24. Since each division 11 tapers inwardly towards the centre of the feeder, the bales will be more firmly located attheir inwardly facing parts than at the parts adjacent the peripheral wall 13 as can be seen in the example shown.

The frame 14 extends inwardly towards the centre of the feeder, where there is defined a hopper 22 for particulate food stuffs such as oats, bran, cow cake or the like.

The entire feeder is mounted on a sub-frame which forms a sledge 16. It will be appreciated that lids would be provided on the feeder to cover the divisions but these have been omitted so that the internal details of the feeder can be seen.

Various other modifications can be made to the feeder which can be made up in units of any suitable size or shapefor example. It is possible to extend upwardly each of the walls of the feeder so that two or even more hay bales of standard size can be dropped into each division. The sledge 16 could be replaced by wheels, by the mounting hooks shown in Figure 4 or mounting brackets for wall mounting or could be replaced by fixed legs if it is intended to be provided as a permanent structure in a particular place.

It will be seen that the feeder is very readily serviced by a farmer since all that is required is for the necessary number of hay bales to be dropped into the feeder divisions, the binder twine to be cut and pulled off and the hopper for particulate food to be topped up if it is provided. Very little wastage occurs since the animals have to pull the hay out of the feeding zones so that very little falls to the ground and is trampled underfoot and hence wasted. The farmer does not need to use valuable time opening out bales of hay or spreading them about. Furthermore, the amount of room taken up by the feeder is extremely small compared with the quantity of food which can be provided.

The feeder thus enables a farmer to ensure that his livestock are adequately fed with much reduced effort on his part and with substantially reduced wastage.

Claims (21)

1. An animal feeder comprising a receptacle capable of receiving a standard bale with its smallest faces directed upwardly and downwardly, the receptacle comprising a base, an upstanding peripheral wall defining a top opening and closure means for the top opening, the base being inclined downwardly towards a portion of the wall and said portion and/orthe base being apertured to afford a feeding zone.

2. Afeeder according to Claim 1 wherein the feeding zone comprises a sheet of metal wire mesh.

3. A feeder according to Claim 1 wherein the feeding zone comprises a grid of rods.

4. A feeder according to any preceding claim wherein the peripheral wall is sized to conform closely to a single bale.

5. A feeder according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the peripheral wall accommodates a plurality of bales.

6. A feeder according to Claim 5 wherein one or more internal dividers or partitions are provided to locate the bales upright in a plurality of divisions.

7. A feeder according to Claim 6 wherein the divisions have a common closure.

8. A feeder according to Claim 6 wherein a plurality of individual closures are provided for the respective divisions to form said closure means for the feeder.

9. A feeder according to any preceding claim wherein the angle of the base with respect to the horizontal is between 20 and 50 .

10. A feeder according to Claim 9 wherein the angle of the base with respect to the horizontal is approximately 33

11. A feeder according to any preceding Claim wherein the receptacle is provided with mounting means which raise the base thereof to an elevated position above ground level.

12. A feeder according to Claim 11 wherein the mounting means comprise a sledge.

13. A feeder according to Claim 11 wherein the mounting means comprise wheels.

14. A feeder according to Claim 11 wherein the mounting means comprise supporting legs.

15. A feeder according to Claim 11 wherein the mounting means comprise a rear mounted bracket or hook arrangement adapted to be secured to a wall or fence.

16. A feeder according to any preceding claim wherein the receptacle is of sufficient height to accommodate a plurality of standard bales stacked one on another and respectively presenting their smallest faces upwardly and downwardly.

17. A feeder according to any preceding claim and including a separate compartment having a restricted opening in its lowermost portion, there being a shallow trough disposed therebelow and extending to a position adjacent and spaced outwardly of the peripheral wall, whereby said compart ment can supply particular food stuffs by gravity feed to the trough.

18. An animal feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

19. An animal feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A feeder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.