CN115720860A - Poultry feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a poultry feeding apparatus (100), the feeding apparatus (100) comprising a top support, a feeding body with a discharger (3) and a skirt (2), and a feeding tray (5). The top bracket comprises a top cover lock (11), a bracket main body (13) and a bottom cover lock (15). The holder body (13) comprises a recess for mounting onto the feed tube (7) and for accommodating the cutting device (8) and the sensor (9). The skirt (2) comprises tabs (21) extending from the base and the feeding tray (5) comprises slots (51) for receiving the tabs (21) to lock the central drop and to receive feed. The feeding tray (5) is slidably engaged with the bottom of the discharger (3). The feeding device (100) is extendable as the feeding tray (5) slides downward when it is raised, and retractable as the feeding tray (5) slides upward when it is placed on the ground.

Description

Poultry feeding device

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a feeding apparatus and, more particularly, to a feeding apparatus having an adjustable feed height feature to accommodate the height of poultry.

Background

The poultry industry is an attractive and rapidly growing agricultural industry in many countries of the world. The increasing demand for poultry meat strongly requires industry-oriented breeding systems to achieve more efficient, superior poultry meat production. Therefore, adequate feeding becomes a challenge for the artificial feeding technique in poultry farming, which consumes a lot of time and effort in labor costs, thereby increasing production costs.

Automated poultry and livestock feeding systems have been used very successfully in modern animal husbandry operations. These systems can provide feed mixtures to large groups of birds with minimal effort on the part of the poultry grower. The amount of feed delivered and the ratio of the feed ingredients can be adjusted so that the flock is raised from chicks to mature, commercially valuable birds in a relatively short period of time at low cost.

The use of feeding devices for automatic feeding systems has become increasingly popular over the last years, examples of which follow.

US10827728B2 discloses an adjustable feed tray system for feeding poultry. The feed tray system includes a cone portion, a discharge portion including a plurality of anti-rake and radially disposed fins, a skirt portion, a feed tray, a lid, and an optional feed severing member. The cone includes a pair of stops that can be selectively engaged with a corresponding pair of the different depth pairs of slots on the discharge section to provide a variety of feed heights depending on the size and age of the birds being fed and the need. However, the design of the feed tray system is complex and cleaning and maintenance is cumbersome.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved poultry feeding apparatus designed to overcome the disadvantages of existing feeding apparatus, and which is simple in construction for easy cleaning and maintenance. At the same time, there is a need to provide a feeding apparatus which is removable for thorough and effective cleaning thereof.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it is intended to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The object of the present invention is to provide a telescopic feeding device for feeding poultry of different heights.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feeding apparatus having a dual barrier to prevent spillage of feed during feeding.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a feeding apparatus which includes a feed sensor integrated with the operation for controlling the feed height within the feeding apparatus.

Accordingly, these objects can be accomplished by following the teachings of the present invention. The present invention relates to a poultry feeding apparatus comprising a top support, a feeding body with a discharger and a skirt, and a feeding tray; the top support comprises a top cover lock, a support main body and a bottom cover lock; the holder body includes a recess for mounting to a feed tube and for receiving a cutting device and a sensor; the skirt including a tab extending from a bottom, the feeding tray including a slot for receiving the tab to lock the center drop and contain feed; said feeding tray slidably engaging a bottom portion of said discharger; the device is extendable as the feeding tray slides down when raised and retractable as the feeding tray slides up when placed on the ground.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be better understood upon a careful reading of the detailed description provided below in connection with appropriate drawings.

Drawings

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Some embodiments are shown in the drawings, it is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

These and other features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like structures throughout the views, and wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a feeding apparatus (100) according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B shows a front view of the feeding apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C shows a left side view of the feeding apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1D shows a right side view of the feeding apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1E shows a top view of the feeding apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1F shows a bottom view of the feeding apparatus (100) of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A shows a side perspective view of a feeding pan (5) according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2B shows a side view of the feeding tray (5) of fig. 2A;

fig. 2C shows a top view of the feeding tray (5) of fig. 2A;

fig. 2D shows a bottom view of the feeding tray (5) of fig. 2A;

fig. 3A shows a side perspective view of a skirt (2) according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3B shows a side view of the skirt (2) of fig. 3A;

fig. 3C shows a top view of the skirt (2) of fig. 3A;

fig. 3D shows a bottom view of the skirt (2) of fig. 3A;

FIG. 4A shows a side perspective view of a discharger (3) according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4B shows a side view of the discharger (3) of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C shows a top view of the discharger (3) of FIG. 4A;

fig. 4D shows an enlarged view of a portion a of the discharger (3);

FIG. 5A shows a side perspective view of a roof lock (11) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B shows a side view of the top cover lock (11) of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5C shows a front view of the top cover lock (11) of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5D shows a top view of the top cover lock (11) of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 5E shows a bottom view of the top cover lock (11) of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6A shows a side perspective view of the bracket body (13) installed in the bottom cover lock (15) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B shows a side view of the stent body (13) of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6C shows a front view of the stent body (13) of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6D shows a top view of the stent body (13) of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 6E shows a bottom view of the holder body (13) of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A shows a cross-sectional view of the feeding apparatus (100) in a ground position, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B shows a cross-sectional view of the feeding apparatus (100) in a raised position in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 8A shows the feeding apparatus (100) with the sensor (9) housed in the recess of the top rack;

FIG. 8B shows the sensor (9) being removed from the feeding apparatus (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 9A shows the separation of the roof lock (11) from the bracket body (13) by the slide mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9B shows the feeding apparatus (100) rotated at the discharger (3) to separate the feeder body from the top support mounted on the feed tube;

FIG. 9C shows the feeding set removed from the bottom cap lock (15) by the slide mechanism after rotation as shown in FIG. 9B; and

fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary automated feeding system including a feeding apparatus (100) according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. "may (may)" as used in this application means allowed (i.e., meaning possible), not mandatory (i.e., meaning necessary). Similarly, the words "include", "includes" and "including" mean including but not limited to. In addition, "a" or "an" means "at least one" and "a plurality" means one or more unless otherwise specified. Abbreviations or technical terms used herein have the meaning commonly accepted in the art.

The present invention is described below in terms of various embodiments in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. The invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the following detailed description, values and ranges are provided for various aspects of the described embodiments. These values and ranges are to be considered as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. In addition, many materials are identified as suitable for use in various aspects of the embodiments. These materials are considered exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1A to 1F, the present invention relates to a poultry feeding apparatus (100), the feeding apparatus (100) comprising a top support, a feeding body comprising a discharger (3) and a skirt (2), and a feeding tray (5). The top support is characterized by comprising a top cover lock (11), a support main body (13) and a bottom cover lock (15). The skirt (2) comprises tabs (21) extending from the bottom, the feeding tray (5) having slots (51) for receiving the tabs (21) to lock the central drop and to receive feed.

Referring to fig. 2A to 2D of the present embodiment, the feeding plate (5) is a circular plate having a tapered portion protruding from the center of the feeding plate (5). Furthermore, the bottom of the feeding tray (5) comprises a plurality of holes (52) for draining water. As shown in fig. 2A, 2C and 2D, the feeding tray (5) has a plurality of grooves (51) at the bottom. The position and number of the slots (51) correspond to the position and number of the lugs (21) of the skirt for locking the lowering of the centre.

Referring to fig. 3A to 3D, the skirt (2) has a tapered body with a narrow cylindrical portion extending from the top of the body. The skirt (2) also has a tab (21) extending from the bottom, whereby the tab is inserted into a slot (51) of the feeding plate (5) for locking the center down and containing feed. Each tab (21) may include a spring clip (22) having a thicker width whereby when the tab (21) is inserted into the slot (51), the spring clip (22) squeezes into the slot (51) and is retained in the slot (51) by the thicker width portion to lock the skirt (2) to the feeding tray (5).

Referring to fig. 4A to 4D, the discharger (3) has a cylindrical upper part and a wider conical lower part. The upper part of the discharger (3) comprises a plurality of gripping holes (34) for cleaning. The inner wall of the upper part comprises a hinge (35) for locking the discharger (3) to the top support. More specifically, the discharger (3) is coupled to the bottom cover lock (15) of the top support by engaging the upper hinge (35) to the slot of the bottom cover lock (15). The discharger (3) further comprises a plurality of inclined fins (31) extending from a lower portion thereof, and divides the discharger (3) into a plurality of chambers. Furthermore, the discharger (3) comprises an inner edge (32) at the bottom around the periphery to prevent the feed from spilling over. The inner edge (32) forms a U-shaped curved edge at each chamber of the discharger (3), wherein the lower curve allows the birds to easily access the feed and the higher curve forms a barrier to prevent the feed from spilling. The discharger (3) comprises an outer edge (33) for receiving the outer edge (53) of the feeding tray (5).

Referring to fig. 5A to 5E, the top cover lock (11) is pyramid-shaped with a protrusion on the top surface provided with an opening to fit in the feed line catenary. The bottom of the top cover lock (11) includes a latch (12) for coupling the top cover lock (11) to the stand body (13). Referring to fig. 6A to 6E, the holder body (13) includes a recess for mounting to the feed tube (7) and for receiving the cutting device (8) and sensor (9). More preferably, a first groove (71) for receiving the feed tube (7) is formed at the top of the stand body (13) and then attached to the top cover lock (11) by a latch (12). A latch (12) of the roof lock (11) is engaged with the bracket main body (13) through a sliding mechanism. A second groove (72) for accommodating the sensor is formed on the side surface of the holder main body (13). A third groove (73) for accommodating the cutting device (8) is formed below the first groove (71) of the bracket main body (13). The bottom cover lock (15) has an annular shape, and the discharger (3) is attached to the bottom cover lock (15) by a slide mechanism. The top cover lock (11), the bracket main body (13) and the bottom cover lock (15) are integrated through a sliding mechanism.

In operation, the feed tube (7) receives feed from the feed bin and the feed cut-off device (8) slides outwardly from the third recess (73) of the holder body (13) to allow feed to flow from the feed tube (7) to the feeding apparatus (100). Feed flows from the feed pipe (7) to the receiving portion between the skirt (2) and the feeding plate (5) and is evenly distributed in each chamber of the discharger (3). When the feeding apparatus (100) is not in use, the cutting device (8) slides into the third recess (73) of the holder body (13) to prevent feed from flowing from the feed tube (7) to the feeding apparatus (100).

According to one embodiment of the invention, the feeding apparatus (100) is retractable on the ground and in a raised position. Referring to fig. 7A, the feeding apparatus (100) is in a ground position with the base of the feeding tray (5) at a fixed height to match the day's size of the chicken and to provide sufficient space for the chicken legs to stand comfortably while eating. As the chicks grow, the height of the feeding base can be adjusted by raising the feeding apparatus (100). The feeder (100) is raised by pulling the top support upwards to move the discharger (3) upwards. Meanwhile, as shown in fig. 7B, the feeding tray (5) whose outer edge (53) is connected to the outer edge (33) of the discharger (3) slides downward within the outer edge (33) of the discharger (3), and the feeding tray (5) assumes different heights by extending. As the space between the feeding plate (5) and the skirt (2) increases, the raising of the feeder (100) also increases the feed rate. In a preferred embodiment, the feeding tray (5) is a folding tray that is deployable as the feeding tray (5) slides down.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the sensor (9) is a feed sensor for detecting the feed height. Referring to fig. 8A, the sensor (9) is integrated into the second recess (72) of the holder body (13) when the feeding apparatus (100) is operated to control the feeding amount. When feed is filled into the feeding apparatus (100), the sensor (9) will be detached from the feeding apparatus (100) (as shown in fig. 8B) and integrated into a subsequent feeding apparatus (100) in the pan feed line.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the top bracket is removable for cleaning and maintenance. When the feeding apparatus (100) is completely emptied of feed, a cleaning operation is performed to separate the top carrier from the feeding apparatus (100) by disengaging the top cover lock (11) from the carrier body (13). Cleaning water is sprayed onto the feeding device (100) through the piping system, and the water enters the grip holes (34) to clean the inner surface as a receiving portion. After removing the dirt and dirt, the sewage is discharged from a small hole (52) at the bottom of the feeding tray (5).

The sliding mechanism of the feeding apparatus (100) is shown in fig. 9A and 9B. Referring to fig. 9A, the cover lock (11) is connected to the holder body (13) by a slide mechanism on the top surface of the holder body (13), and is also detachable by the slide mechanism to release the feeding apparatus (100). Referring to fig. 9B, the discharger (3) is attached to the bottom cover lock (15) by rotating the discharger (3) clockwise to assemble the hinge (35) located at the inner surface of the discharger (3) and the groove of the bottom cover lock (15). Similarly, the discharger (3) is separated from the lid lock (15) by rotating the discharger (3) counterclockwise to remove the slot and the hinge (35). More preferably, the slot is an inverted L-shaped slot requiring a hinge (35) to slide up and sideways to lock the discharger (3) to the lid lock (15).

Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description and drawings. The principles associated with the various embodiments in this specification may be applied to other embodiments. Thus, the description is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown in connection with the drawings, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles, novel and inventive features disclosed or suggested herein. Accordingly, alternatives, modifications, and variations based on the present invention are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

It will be understood that any prior art publication mentioned herein does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art.

In the claims and the description of the invention, unless otherwise specified, the terms "comprises" or "comprising" or "including" or "comprising" are used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. A poultry feeding apparatus (100), the feeding apparatus (100) comprising:

a top support;

a feeding body comprising a discharger (3) and a skirt (2); and

a feeding tray (5);

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the top support comprises a top cover lock (11), a support main body (13) and a bottom cover lock (15);

the holder body (13) comprising a recess for mounting onto the feeding tube (7) and for accommodating the cutting device (8) and the sensor (9);

the skirt (2) comprises a tab (21) extending from the bottom, the feeding plate (5) comprising a slot (51) for receiving the tab (21) to lock the central descent and to receive feed;

the feeding tray (5) is slidably engaged with the bottom of the discharger (3);

the feeding device (100) is extendable when lifted as the feeding tray (5) slides down and retractable when placed on the ground as the feeding tray (5) slides up.

2. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the base of the feeding tray (5) comprises a plurality of holes (52) for draining water.

3. Poultry feeding apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the discharger (3) has a number of fins (31) with an inclined shape extending from the lower part of the discharger (3) dividing the discharger (3) into a number of chambers.

4. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the discharger (3) comprises a plurality of gripping apertures (34) for cleaning.

5. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the discharger (3) comprises an inner edge (32) at the bottom for preventing spillage of feed.

6. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the inner edge (32) forms a U-shaped curved edge at each chamber of the discharger (3).

7. Poultry feeding apparatus (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the discharger (3) is detachably attached to the bottom cover lock (15) by a sliding mechanism.

8. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the bracket body (13) is detachably connected to the top cover lock (11) by a quick release mechanism.

9. Poultry feeding arrangement (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor (9) is a feed sensor for detecting the feed height.

10. Poultry feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the feeding tray (5) is a folding tray that is unfolded as the feeding tray (5) slides downwards.

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