GB2155749A

GB2155749A - Measuring the feeding of animals

Info

Publication number: GB2155749A
Application number: GB08407349A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Raymond Granville Crane
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-03-21
Filing date: 1984-03-21
Publication date: 1985-10-02
Also published as: GB8407349D0

Abstract

For measuring the amount of food, in the form of powdered milk in water, taken by a calf over a period, the liquid food is pumped by a peristaltic pump 11 from a receptacle 23 to a reservoir 24 via tubing 21, 14 and 22, the calf using a teat 26, connected to reservoir 24 by tubing 25, to suck the food from the reservoir 24. A liquid-level-sensing system 27 drives the peristaltic pump 11 as necessary to maintain the level in reservoir 24 sensibly constant. The amount that the pump 11 is driven, that is, the number of revolutions of its rotor 15, according to measuring means 12, is a measure of the amount of milk taken by the calf. All of the tubing 21, 14, 22 and 25 is easily removable and replaceable for cleaning purposes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to feeding of animals This invention relates to feeding of animals, a particular application being the feeding of calves with fluid food such as powdered milk mixed with water.

It is known to use calf-feeding units wherein powdered milk is mixed with water to give a percentage mix. It has been found that no known method of flow measurement is suitable for measuring this mix. The milk powder is aggressive in that it tends to thicken. Furthermore, in the feeding of calves, access by insects such as flies is hard to control. It is necessary that any measuring device in such a situation should be easily accessible for daily washing and milk must not be allowed to precipitate out. It will be apparent that this flow cannot be measured by any known mechanical flow meter. Furthermore, the size of tubes used in such calf feeding units prohibits the use of either known types of flow measuring apparatus.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of measuring fluid food being given to an animal, comprising the step of supplying the food to the animal via a positive-displacement pump which is driven on demand and measuring the amount that the pump is driven as a measure of the food supplied.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for use in feeding an animal, comprising a positive-displacement pump adapted and arranged to be driven on demand to deliver fluid food to the animal, and means for measuring how much the pump is driven in any given period as a measure of the food taken over that period.

Preferably, the pump is a peristaltic pump and supplies a reservoir from which the animal - for example, a calf-- (directly or indirectly) takes the food and the pump is driven so as to maintain, or tend to maintain, a given quantity of food in the reservoir.

Preferably the animal takes the food - for example, powdered milk in water-from a teat which is supplied with the food by the pump.

The invention may be applied both to bucketfeeding and to automatic feeding of calves. The invention may enable the amount of milk/water mix to be measured to feed each calf where, for instance, a plurality of calves are fed from one automatic feeding machine.

By means of electronic circuitry to control the pump, the amount of fluid food given to each animal may be micro processor-controlled. Data on the feeding of each animal may be displayed and/stored by some such method as a visual display unit, paper tape unit and/or magnetic tape unit. This may give the owner of the feeding unit a better control than hitherto over the amount of food each calf may take at any one time or over a period. It may also show if a particular calf has not been feeding.

Each calf may be identified by a transponder method, in which a micro processor identifies each calf and controls and records the volume of milk taken by the particular calf. This may help to prevent a high mortality rate such as may be encountered in calf-rearing where a calf may die due to over feeding.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic illustration of an apparatus embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated apparatus 10 is adapted for use in feeding an animal, more particularly, a calf, not shown, and for measuring the fluid food being given to the calf. The apparatus 10 comprises a positive-displacement pump 11, more particularly, a peristaltic pump, adapted and arranged (in a manner to be described) to be driven on demand to deliver fluid food, more particularly, powdered milk mixed with water, to the calf. The apparatus 10 also comprises means 12 for measuring how much the pump 11 is driven in any given period as a measure of the food taken over that period.

The pump 11 comprises a support member 13, a length of flexible tubing 14 and a rotor 15. The tubing 14 is curved in a semi circle as shown and is supported by a correspondingly curved surface 16 of support member 13. The rotor 15 is a three-armed rotor with its three arms 17 equiangularly spaced and carrying at their ends three respective rollers 18, each of which squeezes the tubing 14 between itself and the support surface 16 of member 13. Since the tubing 14 tends to restore itself to its natural, generally circular, cross-section where it is not being squeezed by one or other of the rollers 18, the effect of rotation of the rotor 15 is that the contents of the tubing 14 are moved along it so as to remain between any given pair of rollers 18 which are squeezing the tube 14.Although the tubing 14 is subject to considerable wear and tear, it is fairly readily replaceable, being connected at 19 and 20 to further flexible tubing 21 and 22, respectively upstream and downstream of the pump 11. The, flexible, upstream tubing 21 is connected to a receptacle 23, which may be part of an automatic feeder or alternatively may be an ordinary bucket, to hold fluid food in the form of powdered milk mixed with water.

The, flexible, downstream tubing 22 is connected to a reservoir 24, from which flexible tubing 25 leads to a teat 26 (which may be like the teat disclosed in my co-pending patent application entitled "Improvements in or relating to a method of and means for determining the temperature of an animal", reference 230P47697). The teat 26 may be fixed to a wall (not shown) of a calf "run" (not shown).

A liquid-level-sensing system 27, comprised of electrical probes 28 and an electronic circuit 29, controls the liquid level in the reservior 24 by switching the pump 11 on and off as signals from the level probes 28 dictate (the rotor 15 being driven by an electric motor, not shown).

In use, when a calf (not shown) feeds from the teat 26, the liquid level in the reservoir 24 falls, with the result that the sensing system 27 starts up the pump 11 until the liquid level in reservoir 24 is restored to a datum level.

One of the characteristic features of a peristaltic pump is the positive-displacement nature of its pumping action, with the result that a known volume of liquid (that is, the fluid food) is conveyed along the tubing 14 between each respective pair of rollers 18 ofthe pump rotor15 asthe rotor15 rotates. Hence, by counting the number of revolutions and fractions of a revolution through which the rotor 15 is rotated, it is possible to calculate the amount of fluid food pumped into the reservoir 24 over any given period. Assuming that the sensing system 27 is operative to restore the level in reservoir 24 each time to the same, or substantially the same, it thus becomes possible to calculate how much by volume of fluid food the calf has taken, feeding at the teat 26.Accordingly, the measuring means 12, which is for measuring the amount that the pump 11 is driven, takes the form of an electronic tachometer.

All of the tubing 14,21,22 and 25 is preferably removable and replaceable for cleaning purposes.

The tubing 14 ofthe pump 11, which is subject to more severe wear than the other tubing 21,22 and 25, may be made of high quality silicon rubber.

If some means is provided for identifying the particular calf feeding from the apparatus 10, the amount of food taken by the calf over a period may be stored in memory. Furthermore, if desired, the pump 11 may be arranged to be disabled to prevent a particular calf from over-feeding, if it is determined that a particular calf has taken a maximum permitted amount of food during any period. The maximum permitted amount of food for each calf could be calculated to allow for the contents of the reservoir 24, since it will probably be possible for the calf to empty the reservoir 24 of liquid food.

A convenient way of identifying each calf is to get each calf to wear a respective transponder emitting or adapted to emit, an identification signal for detection by suitable apparatus (not shown) adjacent the teat 26.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1.A A method of measuring fluid food being given to an animal, comprising the step of supplying the food to the animal via a positive-displacement pump which is driven on demand and measuring the amount that the pump is driven as a measure of the food supplied.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the pump is a peristaltic pump.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein the pump supplies a reservoir from which the animal (directly or indirectly) takes the food and the pump is driven so as to maintain, or tent to maintain, a given quantity of food in the reservoir.

4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the animal takes the food from a teat which is supplied with the food by the pump.

5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the animal is a calf.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the food comprises powdered milk in water.

7. Apparatus for use in feeding an animal, comprising a positive-displacement pump adapted and arranged to be driven on demand to deliver fluid food to the animal, and means for measuring how much the pump is driven in any given period as a measure of the food taken over that period.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 wherein the pump is a peristaltic pump.

9. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 wherein a reservoir is arranged for the food to be taken therefrom (directly or indirectly) by the animal, and means is provided for driving the pump in response to sensing the quantity of food in the reservoir so as to maintain, or tend to maintain, a given quantity of food in the reservoir.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, 8 or 9 wherein a teat is arranged to be supplied with the food by the pump.