AU2007100238A4 - Livestock feeding device - Google Patents

Description

23/03/2007 15:21 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 03/14 1 SLIVESTOCK FEEDING DEVICE Field of the Invention

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F The present invention relates to livestock feeding devices and in particular to Mc, livestock feeding devices that supply grain under gravity for controlled consumption by N 5 livestock.

00 M Background of the Invention o There exist a variety of situations where grain and other such food may be fed to Slivestock, such as cattle, sheep and the like. These situations may include: periods of So drought, where grain is used as a feed ration; supplementation, wherein grain is fed as a supplemntto grazing soastoimproveanimal performance and/or pasture performance; and lot-feeding, where livestock are prepared for slaughter.

Irrespective of the situation, when feeding grain to livestock it is important that the level or amount of grain being fed per head of livestock is controlled as accurately as possible. Typically, when livestock are first introduced to grain, it is important that their digestive system is allowed to gradually adapt to the gain. Typically, if an animal is unaccustomed to grain feeding and eats a large quantity of grain, grain sickness can result (lactic acid poisoning, acidosis, grain overload etc), which, in some circumstances, can be fatal to the animal. To avoid this, it is recommended that livestock should be fed small quantities of grain at first, with the amount gradually increasing over time.

Such controlled feeding of grain to livestock is often difficult to achieve. This is typically due to the fact that in a group-feeding situation, some animals eat grain more readily than other 'shy-feeders". For this reason, the method of dispensing food is important as it affects how much each animal eats and has a significant bearing on the feeding costs, in particular, food wastage.

A variety of dispensing methods are typically employed to feed grain and the like to livestock. Trailing of grain is a common procedure whereby the grain is poured from a vehicle in a long trail to give the animals an opportunity to forage. However, this method has been found to generate significant grain wastage as not all the grain is consumed, thereby increasing feeding costs. Also, animal dominance can result in not all animals receiving the same amount of grain. Placing the grain in troughs is also a common procedure for presenting the food to the animals. However, troughs are typically open and provide limited feeding space, which can increase animal dominance. In such COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 23/3/007 1521 61-3-92901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 41 PAGE 04/14 o arrangements the grain can also be easily soiled by rain and or animal urine, contaminating the grain and resulting in grain wastage.

Ct in order to address these issues, various types of self feeder bins have been proposed which typically employ a hopper to store the grain which is delivered to a trough, under gravity, through a controlled food flow mechanism. The controlled food flow mechanism is typically in the form of a mnoveable gate that is manually controlled to 00 vary the size of the discharge opening, thereby regulatinig the flow of grain from the c-I hopper into the trough. The mechanism may also include a variety of additional features o to prevent rain and moisture from contamrinating the grain following delivery to the trough.

o Whilst most self-feeder bins are directed at controlling/regulating the flow of CA grain to the animals, they are typically not concerned about restricting or making animal access to the grain difficult. Restricting access of the animals to the grain is an important measure to ensure that food is continually available to the animals such that they can continually feed on the grain throughout the day, whilst not spend long periods of time at the feeder gorging on the food. This enables a feeder the ability to accommodate greater animal numbers, thereby regulating the intake of grain among the animals in a manner that is not possible when the animals bave unrestricted access to the grain.

There is a need to provide a feeding device that restricts animal access to the grain in a simple and efficient manner.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim, of this application.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect, the present invention is a feeding device for supplying food to an animal comprising: a hopper for storing said food; COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 05/14 3 Sa tray for receiving said food from the hopper, the tray being positioned such that there is a gap formed between the hopper and a surface of the tray through which the Sanimal accesses the food present on the surface of the tray; and one or more slide members mounted to the tray, each slide member being slidable cn C 5 between a first position and a second position, wherein, the one or more slide members comprises a ridge portion that extends 00 above the surface of the tray such that when the slide member is in the first position the ridge portion is located remote from said gap to allow the animal access to the food, and Swhen the slide member is in the second position the ridge portion closes said gap S o preventing the animal from accessing the 'food.

o In one embodiment, the ridge portion has a substantially triangular cross-section

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I comprising a pair of angled surfaces meeting at an apex. The height of the apex may be greater than or equal to the size of the gap formed between the hopper and the surface of the tray. The ridge portion may be provided at a distal end of the slide member. The proximal end of the slide member may have a gripping means for gripping the slide member to slide the slide member between the first and second position.

A locking member may be provided to retain the slide member in position. The locking member may include a bolt that passes through the slide member and the tray. A nut may also be provided to secure the slide member in position against the tray. A slot may be formed through the slide member to receive the bolt such that the slide member can be slid between the first and second position upon loosening of the nut.

In another embodiment, two slide members may be mounted on opposing sides of the tray to facilitate feeding of animals from opposing sides of the device.

Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply die inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Brief Description of the Drawings By way of example only, the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a feeding device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 06/14 4 o FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional end view of the feeding device of FIG. 1, with the lid

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removed; C FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional end view of the feeding device of FIGS. 1 Sand 2, with the slider member in the closed position; FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional end view of the feeding device of FIGS. 1 and 2, with the slider member in the open position.

00 Ci Detailed Description of an Exemplary Embodiment of the Invention SWith reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a livestock feeder 10 is shown for use in S0 dispensing food to livestock, such as sheep and cattle. Whilst the feeder 10 will be O described below in relation to its application to dispense grain to the livestock, it will be appreciated that the type of food dispensed by the feeder 10 could also include pelleted food and grain mixtures.

The livestock feeder 10 has a hopper 12 for receiving and storing grain to be dispensed to the livestock. The hopper 12 is positioned above a feeding tray 18 such that grain can flow from the hopper 12 to the tray 18. The feeding tray 18 is arranged below the hopper 12 in a generally horizontal manner to form a surface from which the livestock can consume the grain in the manner to be described below.

The hopper 12 has a pair of side walls 13 and a pair of end walls 14 that form a receptacle having an open top 12a and an open bottom 12b. A lid 1 1 closes the open top of the hopper 12 so as to form a seal around the open top that prevent the ingress of liquid, such as rain and the like, into the hopper 12. Liquid entering the hopper 12 and coming into contact with the grain contained therein can contaminate the grain and/or significantly reduce the ability of the grain to flow from the hopper 12 under gravity.

The lid 11 can also be readily removed from the hopper 12 to facilitate filling of the hopper 12 with grain as required.

The side walls 13 are arranged such that they each converge at the open bottom 12b of the hopper 12 to provide a narrow opening 15 through which the grain passes to the tray 18. In this regard, the internal surfaces of the side walls 13 are angled towards the open bottom 12b so as to act as a funnel that guides the grain, under gravity, towards and through the opening 15. The lower ends of the side walls 13 are substantially parallel and act as a chute, through which the food is delivered to the tray 18. As is more clearly evident in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distal ends 13a of the side walls 13 are angled COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 23/3/007 1521 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 71 PAGE 07/14 o inwardly to -facilitate closing and/or narrowing of the opening 15 in the maimer to be 0 discussed in more detail below.

As previously described, the feeding tray 18 extends horizontally across the opening 15 and comprises a distributor portion 19 that extends through the opening and into the hopper 12. The distributor portion 19 is in the forn of a triangular projection having an apex 17. The feeding tray 18 is positioned such that the apex 17 of the distributor portion 19 is located at the centre of the opening 15 of the hopper 12. In 00 Mn this arrangement, as the grain flows, under gravity, from the hopper 12 and through the S opening 15, it is distributed substautially evenly to either side of the tray 18 as the grain t0 contacts, the distributor portion 19. The grain then gathers on the substantially horizontal surfaces 16 of the tray 18, where it can be consumed by the livestock in the manner to be discussed below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the feeder 10 has a pair of flaps 22 pivotally mounted to an external surface of the side wals& 13 of the hopper 12. The flaps 22 can be manually pivoted to extend away from the external surface of the side walls 13 so as to act as a shield for the feeding tray 18. Such a shield acts to direct rain and the like away from the feeding tray 18 such that the grain does not come into direct contact with rain and other such moisture. The flaps 22 also act to offer shade to the feeding tray 18 to reduce the likelihood of the tray 18 becoming excessively hot due to exposure to the sun, which can injlure the livestock and reduce the effectiveness of the feeder As shown in FIG. 4, the feeding tray 18 is positioned such that there is a vertical gap 20 formed between the distal. ends 1 3a of the side walls 13 and the feeding tray 18.

The gap 20 provides a sufficient clearance between the tray 1.8 and the hopper 12 such that the mouth, or more particularly the lips and/or tongue, of the livestock can enter the sap 20 to access and consume the grain, present on the surface 16 of the tray 18 in a swieeping motion. The gap 20 has a width X ranging from between 30 50 nmm. In a preferred embodiment, the gap 20 has a width X of around 33 nmm. Such a gap width is sufflicient such that the animal can access the grain to consume small portions of the grain at a time, rather than have unrestricted access to the grain as is the case with open troughs.

The hopper 12 and the feeding tray 18 are assembled together such that the size of the gap 20 is constant. This gap 20 can be further narrowed to further restrict animal access to the grain by movement of slide members 30. Slide members 30 are slidingly COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 61-3-98901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PAGE 08/14 I.I

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6 8 mounted to the feeding tray 18 such that they can be slid along the substantially horizontal surface of the tray 18. In this regard, the slide members 30 can be slid t between an open position, which is remote from the gap 20, and a closed position, which s closes the gap 20. Equally, the slide members 30 can be positioned anywhere between N' 5 the open and closed positions to reduce the opening of the gap 20 as required.

The slide members 30 are shown more clearly in FIGS. 2- 4. Each slide member 00 30 has a substantially flat portion 32, which is received on the substantially horizontal surface of the feeding tray 18 so as to slide along the surface of the feeding tray 18. The o flat portion 32 terminates in a ridge portion 34 at a distal end. The ridge portion 34 has a io substantially triangular cross section comprising an apex 35 and a pair of angled surfaces o 36a and 36b. Each of the slide members 30 are mounted to the feeding tray 18 such that the ridged portion 34 is located adjacent the gap A plurality of elongate slots 31 are formed through the flat portion 32 of the slide members 30, as shown more clearly in FIG. 1. Each slot 31 extends substantially the length of the flat portion 32 and hlas a width sufficient to receive a stem of a bolt 40 as shown in FIGS. 2 4. The bolt 40 is provided to extend through the horizontal surface of the tray 18 and through the slot 31 of the slide members 30 such that its distal end extends beyond the surface of the flat portion 32 of the slide member 30. A nut (not shown), such as a wing nut, is received on the distal end of the bolt 40 so as to secure the slide member in position. In this arrangement, when the nut is loosened, the slide member 30 is able to slide in the direction of arrow A so as to either open the gap partly close the gap 20, or fully close the gap 20, as desired. Once the slide member has been moved to a desired position, it can be locked in place by tightening the nut about the bolt FIG. 3 shows the slide member 30 in the closed position. In this position, the slide member 30 is positioned such that the apex 35 of the ridge portion 34 contacts the angled distal end 13a of the side wall 13 of the hopper 12, closing the gap 20. The outer angled surface 36a of the slide member 30 extends across the gap 20 presenting a smooth surface to the animal should the animal attempt to access the grain. In this regard the animal is unable to access grain however there is little risk of injury to the animal as there are no sharp or movable surfaces presented to the animal which could cut or pinch the animals mouth and or tongue.

COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23 23/03/2007 15:21 23/3/007 1521 61-3-9e901337 PATENT ATTORNEY SERV PG 91 PAGE 09/14 7 O) FIG. 4 shows the slide member 30 in the open position.. I this position, the ridge 0) Cl portion 34 is slid away from the gap 20 to provide the animal with access to the grain Ct present on the tray 18. Due to the width X of the gap) 20, the animal is able to position their mouth adjacent the gap 20 such that their tongue can sweep the grain from the tray s 18 for consumption. The inner angled surface 36b of the ridge portion 34 and the apex provide a smooth surface against which the animal's mouth can contact while feeding, 00 thereby reducing the likelihood of injury occurring to the animal during feeding, which can occur when abrupt and sharp surfaces are present. It will be appreciated that the slide O member 30 can also be moved into an intermediate position that partially reduces the width of the gap 20. This can be used to fuirther restrict animal access to the gain.

O The feeding arrangement of the present invention differs considerably from 0 conventional trough arrangements, whereby the animal has clear view and access to the grain within the trough. in the present feeding arrangement the animal can only view a portion of the available grain supply and Whilst the animal is able to access the grain, it ISI requires effiort. After time, the animal will typically sense that the amount of effort required accessing the grain is disproportionate to the amount of grain obtained and will move on allowing another animal access to the grain. In open trough arrangements, this is not the case and animals are prone to overfeed and animal dominance can prevent shy feeders from, accessing a sufficient amount of grain.

By presenting the grain to the livestock in the manner of the present invention, the animals are less likely to remain at the feeder and eat amounts of grain that are surplus to their requirements in a single feed, as it is physically difficult to access the grain.

Instead, the animals are more likely to consumer smaller amounts of grain in single sittings and return to the feeder 10 at regular intervals to consume the grain. The feeder is then able to accommodate greater animal numbers and reduces animal dominance at the feeder.

it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, Therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by P1 Australia: Time 15:23 Date 2007-03-23

Claims (4)

1. A feeding device for supplying food to an animal comprising: a hopper for storing said food; a fray for receiving said food from the hopper, the tray being positioned such that there is a gp between the hopper and a surface of the tray through which the animnal accesses the food present on the surface of the fray;, and 00 en one or more slide moembers m-ounted to the tray, each slide member being slidable between a first position and a second position, wherein, the one or more slide members comprises a ridge portion that extends above the surface of the tray such that when the slide member is in the o first position the ridge portion is located remnote from said gap to allow the animal 0 access to the food, and wheni the slide member is in the second position the ridge portion closes said gap preventing the anima) from accessing the food.

2. A feeding device according to claim 1, wberein the ridge portion has a substantially triangular cross-section comprising a pair of angled surfaces meeting at an apex.

3. A feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the height of the apex is greater than or equal to the size of the gap formed between the hopper and the surface of the tray.

4- A feeding device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein two slide members are mounted on opposing sides of the tray to facilitate feeding of animals from opposing sides of the device. A feeding device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying Figures. COMS ID No: SBMI-06732997 Received by IP Australia: Time (I-tm) 15:23 Date 2007-03-23