GB2048095A

GB2048095A - Preparation of Animal Fodder which can be Pumped

Info

Publication number: GB2048095A
Application number: GB8012086A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-04-11
Filing date: 1980-04-11
Publication date: 1980-12-10
Also published as: DK157973C; ATA190680A; DK141080A; DK157973B; GB2048095B; AT366240B; DE2914715C2; DE2914715A1

Abstract

The fodder components are mixed in a weighing container 1 which is initially supplied with a predetermined quantity of water through pipe 10 and shut-off valve 11 and which progressively enriched with pumped water-silage mixture during preparation of the fodder. Pipe 6 and pump 7 supply the finished fodder to the animal feeding stations. Branch pipe 27 supplies water or water-silage mixture pumped from the container 1 by pump 7 to a premixing container 19 which receives silage discharging from the silo 17. The water and silage mixture is pumped from the premixing container by pump 23 to a grinding mill 24 which discharges into the container 1 through the inlet 25. Another solid component such as flour is added at 12. The mill 24 may take the place of the premix container 19, the silage ground with the addition of the water or water-silage mixture received through pipe 27 being pumped to the container 1 by the pump 23. Pipe 6' is the return pipe portion of pipe 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus and Method for Preparing Fodder Which can be Pumped The invention relates to an apparatus and method for preparing from silage and at least one liquid, for example water, fodder which can be pumped.

In a known apparatus of this kind, a conveyor device in the form of a worm delivers silage from a silage discharge device and conveys it into a fodder mixing container. Since the silage develops lactic acid in particular, the parts of the conveyor worm coming into contact with the silage must be made of high-grade steel. Such conveyor worms are extremely expensive. Particularly high costs result if the storage container for the silage is not in the immediate vicinity of the fodder mixing container, which is frequently the case.

Furthermore, since conveyor worms cannot be produced and operated in unlimited lengths, regardless of the high costs, in the apparatus hitherto known, it is necessary to keep the spacing between the silage storage container and the fodder mixing container small enough to be bridged by a single conveyor worm.

The present invention provides, from one aspect, an apparatus for preparing from silage and at least one liquid, fodder which can be pumped, comprising a fodder mixing container, a weighing device for the container, a fodder conveying pipe having a fodder pump leading from the fodder mixing container, a liquid supply pipe having a shut off valve leading to the fodder mixing container, a storage container for silage having a silage discharge device, a premixing container to receive silage discharged from the storage container by the silage discharge device, a pipe having a flow pump leading from the premixing container to the fodder mixing container and a branch pipe having a shut-off valve connected with the fodder conveying pipe downstream of the fodder pump and leading to the premixing container.

By means of an apparatus of the invention as just defined, silage may be premixed with liquid for pumping to the fodder mixing container. Thus, the silage is converted into a state in which it can flow, and so can be pumped, by means of liquid which is to form a component of the finished fodder mixture. The flowable-liquid mixture silage can be conveyed over comparatively long distances with only comparatively small power requirements so that the site of the fodder mixing container can be selected independently of the site of the storage container for the silage.

Moreover, with the apparatus, it is possible to ensure that the finished fodder mixture comprises the desired components with precise proportioning by weight, including apart from silage and liquid, for example, water, milk, liquid brewer's yeast etc. and other solids such as flour.

Preferably, a grinding mill to be charged with silage and liquid is provided between the silage discharge device and the fodder mixing container for wet grinding the silage.

This is of particular advantage because with fine grinding the digestibility of the fodder is considerably increased. As a result of the addition of liquid, the parts of the grinding mill, for example the screens of a hammer mill, are constantly washed clean, while, at the same time, the mixing of ground silage with the liquid is effected. Also, less power is used for grinding and the mill can work with very fine screens without disturbances in its operation. The present invention also provides a method of preparing liquid fodder mixture comprising silage and liquid characterised by grinding the silage with the addition of liquid. Preferably, the liquid and the silage are supplied in a proportion of 1:2 to 1:6.

A specific embodiment of the present invention in both its method and apparatus aspects will now be described by way of example, and not by way of limitation, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing of the apparatus.

With reference now to the accompanying drawing, the apparatus comprises a fodder mixing container 1 which is constructed in the form of a weighing container which can be weighed by means of a weighing device 2.

Provided in the fodder mixing container 1, which is supported at one end by means of a knife-edge bearing 3, is an agitator 4 having a drive motor 5 for mixing fodder components introduced into the fodder mixing container 1.

Leading from the lower region of the fodder mixing container 1 is a fodder conveying pipe 6 having a fodder pump 7 in its pipe run. The pipe 6 supplies a series of animal feeding stations (not shown) and a portion 6' of the pipe leads back to the container 1 so that fodder is circulated back to the container at 8.

A water supply pipe 10, having a shut-off valve 11, leads into the fodder mixing container at 9. At 12, the fodder mixing container 1 has an inlet communicating with the discharge end of a conveyor worm 14 having a drive motor 1 5 and which, in the example illustrated, serves to supply flour from a flour silo or the like storage container 1 6. A tower silo 1 7 or the like storage container, from which silage can be removed by means of a discharge device 18, for example, a milling worm, serves to store silage.For the further conveying of the silage discharged by the silage discharge device 1 8 to the fodder mixing container 1, a pump conveying device is provided which comprises a premixing container 1 9 which is arranged to receive the discharge from the silage discharge device 18:An agitator 20 having a drive motor 21 may be provided in the container 19. Leading from the premixing container 19, which needs only to have a comparatively small capacity, is a flow pipe 22 including a flow pump 23. The flow pipe 22 leads via a grinding mill 24, for example a hammer mill into the fodder mixing container 1 through an inlet 25. The grinding mill 24 may alternatively be disposed immediately following the discharge device 1 8 if desired.In the example illustrated, the grinding mill 24 is charged with a mixture of silage and liquid and if necessary, unmixed liquid or liquid already more or less treated with ground silage may be added separately. If the grinding mill is disposed immediately following the silage discharge device, silage and liquid can be supplied separately, for which purpose the supply of liquid through a branch pipe 27 described in more detail below, may be considered.

Connected to the fodder conveying pipe 6 downstream of the fodder pump 7, at 26, is a branch pipe 27 having a shut-off valve 28. The pipe 27 leads into the premixing container 19.

Immediately downstream of the branch point 26, in the pipe 6, is a further shut-off valve 29. The valve 29 is followed by a flow measuring device 30 having a pick-up or sensor for signalling the flQw in the pipe 6.

In the premixing container 19 there is a level pick-up or sensor 31 which, in a manner to be described below, forms an additional control device by means of which the silage discharge device 18 and/or the flow pump 23 can be controlled. The weighing device 2 is in turn provided with a pick-up 32 which, like the pick-up 31 signals to a central control device 33 from which the motor 5, the pump 7, the valve 11 , the motor 15, the discharge device 18, the motor 21, the pump 23, the valve 28 and the valve 29 are controlled in accordance with a predetermined program and in a specific sequence.

To operate the device, the valve 11 in the water supply pipe 10 is first opened and water allowed to flow into the container 1 until it contains an amount of water such as should be present in the finished fodder. This amount of water is determined by weight, as measured by the weighing device 2. When the predetermined weight of water is reached, the central control device 33 closes the valve 11 on receipt of a corresponding signal from the pick-up 32. Then the valve 29 is closed, the valve 28 is opened and the fodder pump 7 is started and conveys water through the pipe 6 and the branch pipe 27 into the premixing container 1 9 or possibly the grinding mill 24.As soon as the water level in the container 1 9 has reached a level which is above the lower limiting level and below the upper limiting level of the pick-up 31, the flow pump 23 is started and water is pumped out of the premixing container 19 through pipe 22 back into the fodder mixing container 1. At the same time, the silage discharge device 1 8 is started and comminuted silage is conveyed out of the storage container 17 into the container 19 or the grinding mill 24 and is mixed with the water in the container or the mill by the agitator 20 which has likewise been started. As will be understood from what has previously been said, the grinding mill 24 can replace the premixing container in some circumstances.

The water cycled through the fodder mixing container 1 becomes more and more enriched with silage which is also pumped round with the water during this enriching operation. As a result of this enriching of the mixture of water and silage with silage, the weight of the mixture contained in the fodder mixing container 1, which now consists of the two components, water and silage, is increased, until a predetermined weight of the mixture is reached which corresponds to the required weight of water and silage in the finished fodder mixture. As soon as this predetermined weight of mixture is determined by the weighing device 2 and has been signalled to the central control device 33 by the pick-up 32, the control device 33 switches off the silage discharge device 1 8.Immediately afterwards or after a delay which serves to improve the thorough mixing of water and silage in the whole circuit, the flow pump 23 is also switched off, the valve 28 is closed and the fodder pump 7 is likewise shut down. At the same time, the motor 1 5 is started to drive the conveyor worm 14 and flour or the like additive is conveyed into the fodder mixing container 1 until a predetermined amount of flour has been added which is again determined by the weighing device 2 and signalled to the central control device 33 by the pick-up 32. The central control device 33 then stops the motor and interrupts the further supply of flour. The fodder components provided for the finished fodder mixture are now present in the fodder mixing container 1 in precisely determined proportions by weight.Now, if not beforehand, the drive motor 5 for the agitator 4 is started to mix all the fodder components into a homogeneous mixture. The drive motor 5 may be started when the silage discharge device 1 8 is set in operation.

After a predetermined period of time to allow for the thorough mixing of the fodder components, the valve 29 in the fodder conveying pipe 6 is opened and the fodder pump 7 is again started so that finished fodder is conveyed through the pipe 6 to the individual feeding stations disposed, for example, in a livestock shed.

When the amount of fodder in the fodder mixing container 1 is used up, a fresh amount is prepared in the manner described above.

When the apparatus being described is first taken into service, a slight variation in the required proportions of the water and silage fodder components may occur in the finished fodder because some of the water first weighedout is used as a carrier medium for the silage and some is used in the premixing container 19 or in the flow pipe 22, and possibly also in the branch 27. The proportion of silage in the final mixture is greater due to this lack of water in the preparation of the first batch of fodder. This can easily be compensated for, however, by presetting the program for the weight of water in the first batch of fodder, taking into account the volume of water which will otherwise be used to fill the apparatus.

No such variation occurs once the apparatus has been used and subsequent batches of fodder are being prepared.

Although the preferred apparatus, as described, works automatically, nevertheless, it will be understood that the various switching operations and valve actuations etc. may be manually controlled or performed.

As can readily be seen, existing apparatus of the known kind referred to previously can be converted into apparatus according to the invention with comparatively little expense.

The problems which arise in the supply of silage, generally do not occur in the supply of any further fodder components to the fodder mixing container 1. It can be seen, however, that, fundamentally, such further fodder components could be premixed with water in an external circuit and supplied to the fodder mixing container 1 in the same manner as has been described above for the silage.

Instead of water, a supply of milk, liquid brewer's yeast or other liquid could be provided. If necessary, a plurality of supplies of different liquid could be provided. Furthermore, further inlets for the extra or alternative addition of other components may be provided in the fodder mixing container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for preparing from silage and at least one liquid, fodder which can be pumped, comprising a fodder mixing container, a weighing device for the container, a fodder conveying pipe having a fodder pump leading from the fodder mixing container, a liquid supply pipe having a shut-off valve leading to the fodder mixing container, a storage container for silage having a silage discharge device, a premixing container to receive silage discharged from the storage container by the silage discharge device, a pipe having a flow pump leading from the premixing container to the fodder mixing container and a branch pipe having a shut-off valve connected with the fodder conveying pipe downstream of the fodder pump and leading to the premixing container.

2. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 in which the premixing container is provided with a level pick-up arranged to control the flow pump and/or the silage discharge device.

3. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 in which a fodder shut-off valve is provided in the fodder conveying pipe downstream of the branch pipe.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which the weighing device is provided with a pick-up arranged to control the fodder pump, the liquid supply shut-off valve and the silage discharge device, and the weighing device pick-up is also arranged to control the flow pump and the shut-off valves in the branch pipe and the fodder conveying pipe.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any precedirig Claim in which a grinding mill to be charged with silage and liquid is provided between the silage discharge device and the fodder mixing container.

6. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 in which the grinding mill is positioned immediately above the fodder mixing container.

7. An apparatus as claimed in Claim 5 in which the grinding mill is positioned to receive the discharge of the silage discharge device.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 5, 6 or 7 in which a supply pipe is arranged to supply liquid or a mixture of silage and liquid to the grinding mill.

9. A method of preparing a liquid fodder mixture comprising silage and liquid characterised by grinding the silage with the addition of liquid.

10. A method as claimed in Claim 9 in which the silage and liquid is supplied premixed to a grinding mill.

11. A method as claimed in Claim 9 in which the silage and liquid are supplied separately to a grinding mill.

12. A method as claimed in Claim 9 in which a mixture of already ground silage and liquid, and liquid, are supplied separately to a grinding mill.

13. A method as claimed in any preceding Claim 9 to 12 in which the liquid and silage are supplied in a proportion of 1:2 to 1:6.

14. An apparatus for preparing from silage and at least one liquid fodder which can be pumped, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

1 5. A method for preparing from silage and at least one liquid, fodder which can be pumped substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

1 6. Fodder when prepared by a method as claimed in any one of Claims 9 to 13 or

1 5.