GB2303774A

GB2303774A - Poultry feeder

Info

Publication number: GB2303774A
Application number: GB9515737A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Charles William Prentice
Original assignee: HENGRAVE FEEDERS Ltd
Current assignee: HENGRAVE FEEDERS Ltd
Priority date: 1995-08-01
Filing date: 1995-08-01
Publication date: 1997-03-05
Also published as: AU6467196A; GB9515737D0; WO1997004646A1

Abstract

A poultry feeder 1 for feeding granular feed, has an enclosed feed storage container 2 held above the ground by adjustable legs 3 and feed dispensers 14,15 each having an aperture (34 Figs 3 and 4). The container and the aperture are arranged so that in use feed may flow freely under its own weight to the aperture, and the extent of the aperture may be adjusted such that feed may not flow freely through the aperture under its own weight and such that poultry may feed at the aperture by pecking feed therefrom. The aperture is situated such that while poultry may feed from the aperture, vermin may not reach the aperture to get at the feed. The size of the aperture may be adjusted by sliding the dispenser (Figs 3 and 4) to open/close the aperture.

Description

Bird Feeder The present invention relates to a bird feeder for holding and dispensing bird feed.

Bird feeders are used on poultry farms for feeding chickens, pheasants or other birds. On free range farms, where the birds are free to move about outdoors, the feeders usually comprise a trough with a cover to keep out rain. The birds then feed through an elongate aperture between the cover and the trough.

Because the aperture has to be large enough for the birds to feed through and to get at the feed down to the bottom of the trough, vermin such as mice or rats can get into the feed, leading to a significant loss and wastage.

According to the invention there is provided a bird feeder for feeding granular bird feed to poultry, comprising an enclosed feed storage container and at least one feed dispenser that has a feeding aperture, the container and the aperture being arranged so that in use feed may flow freely under its own weight from the container to the aperture, the extent of the aperture being such that feed may not flow freely through the aperture under its own weight and such that poultry may feed at the dispenser by pecking feed from the aperture.

The aperture will often be in a vertical or near-vertical surface, and at an appropriate height above the ground so that the feed will be readily accessible to the poultry.

The dispenser may be directly connected to the container, or may be connected to the container by a tube or other means branching from a main part of the container, which tube can then convey the feed from the container to the aperture. However, in one preferred arrangement, the dispenser consists of an aperture in a wall of the container.

Preferably, the extent of the aperture may be altered to increase or decrease the ease with which poultry may peck feed from the aperture. As an alternative, or in addition, the orientation of the aperture with respect to a vertical plane may be altered to increase or decrease the ease with which poultry may peck feed from the aperture.

Altering the aperture may be necessary, for example, because different granular feeds may have different shapes or sizes. The dispenser may have an adjustment so that the size or orientation of the aperture may be varied over some range. Alternatively, the dispenser may be removably connected ,to the container, and the aperture may be changed to alter its characteristics.

Preferably, the dispenser is movably connected to the container, and the aperture may be altered by moving the dispenser with respect to the container.

In a preferred arrangement the dispenser is movably attached to the container and the extent of the aperture may be altered by moving the dispenser with respect to the container. For example, if the dispenser and the container each have an aperture therethrough, the alignment and overlap of these two apertures may define the feeding aperture. The size and shape of the feeding aperture may then be altered by moving the dispenser with respect to the container.

In particular, the container may have a first fixed aperture, the dispenser may have a second fixed aperture and be slidably connected to the container. By sliding the dispenser with respect to the container, the two fixed apertures can be brought into or out of alignment with each other. Once the extent of the aperture has been altered to the desired setting, the dispenser can be held or clamped to the container to fix the setting, for example by tightening a screw.

Alternatively, the orientation of the aperture with respect to a vertical plane may be altered by moving the dispenser with respect to the container, for example, by tipping the top edge of the aperture forwards or backwards.

In order to prevent feed from flowing freely through the aperture under its own weight, the maximum dimension of the aperture should generally be no more than 25 mm, and preferably should be no more than 16 mm. However, it is possible to have an elongate aperture with a maximum dimension greater than this, and in particular a horizontally elongate aperture, as long as the transverse dimension is reduced accordingly to help hold back the granular feed.

It is advantageous if the location of the aperture on the bird feeder is arranged to prevent vermin from reaching the feed. The aperture should therefore preferably be about 200 mm above the ground, with no nearby ledges or other features which a mouse or other pest could use to gain access to the feed at the dispenser.

It may be most convenient if the container is supported above the ground by legs. In a preferred embodiment the legs are adjustable to vary the height of the container above the ground. The height of the bird feeder may then be adjusted for different types or ages of poultry.

The container may have a hopper to provide increased storage capacity. The hopper will have at least one inwardly tapering side that overhangs a dispenser. The hopper can then additionally provide some protection against the elements.

In a preferred embodiment, the container comprises a trough below the hopper, and the trough has feed dispensers arranged externally at regular intervals around the periphery of the trough. Substantially all the feed may therefore be channelled to the dispensers as the container is emptied by the feeding poultry.

The container may conveniently be opened and filled if it has a hinged lid. The lid may also be used to provide a roof to the container, and this may be pitched at an angle to prevent rainfall or other moisture from collecting on the roof or getting into the feed, either around the lid or at the dispensers. To provide further protection from dampness, the lid may extend beyond the sides of the container, and be provided with downwardly projecting lips that act as drip barriers, preventing water from running down the outside of the container.

The dispenser may also be provided with a projecting feature to act as a shield about the aperture and protect the feed from dampness. Such a shield will usually be most effective if it extends around the left and right sides and top of the aperture. The shield must not be so protective that it interferes with a feeding bird, but it may be advantageous if the shield restricts access to the aperture sufficiently so that only one bird at a time may feed at a dispenser. This will encourage the birds to distribute themselves amongst the dispensers and help prevent conflict between birds.

Also according to the invention there is provided a method of feeding poultry from a bird feeder that has an enclosed feed storage container and at least one feed dispenser that has a feeding aperture, comprising the steps of: introducing into the container through an opening in the container an amount of granular bird feed at least sufficient for the feed to flow freely under its own weight to the aperture; and altering either the extent or the orientation of the aperture so that the feed may not flow freely through the aperture under its own weight, but so that poultry may peck feed from the aperture.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a bird feeder according to the invention with a feed storage container and feed dispensers; Figure 2 is a front view of the bird feeder of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front view of a feed dispenser according to the invention; Figure 4 is a side view of the feed dispenser of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a front view of the feed dispenser mounted on the storage container.

Figures 1 and 2 show respectively side and front views of a bird feeder 1 having a feed storage container 2 formed from galvanised sheet steel and supported by four legs 3.

The top of the container 2 has a lid 4 which slopes downwards from a hinged end 5 and through which the container may be filled with feed. The lower edge and adjacent sides of the lid have a downwardly projecting lip 6 which overhangs three sides 7,7' of the container. Any rain or other moisture which collects on the lid will flow down the sloping lid and drip off the overhanging lips 6, which will help to keep the corresponding sides of the container dry.

The hinged end 5 of the lid 4 projects over a fourth side 8 of the container and also over a hinge 9. The projecting end 5 will therefore help to keep the hinge and the fourth side 8 of the container dry. This projection will also limit how far the lid may be opened, which can protect the hinge 9 from overextension.

The front lip 6 of the lid has an aperture 10 which aligns with a similar aperture (not shown) in the front side 7' of the container so that the lid may be secured closed with a pad lock (not shown).

The container 2 has rectangular walls as viewed through a horizontal cross-section. The upper half of the container has four vertical walls. Below this, the front and rear walls 7',8 taper inwards like a hopper to an elongate trough 11 at the bottom of the container. The trough 11 has six identical feed dispensers 12-17 spaced around the four external walls of the trough.

The height of the bird feeder, and hence the height of the feed dispensers, may be adjusted for different types or ages of bird. Each of the legs 3 is connected to the container 2 by a pair of bolts 18,19. Although not illustrated in the drawings, the bolts have shafts that pass through matching pairs of holes in the legs and container to screw down to captured nuts within the container. The height of the legs may then be adjusted by removing the bolts and connecting each leg to the container through another pair of holes 20,21 in each leg spaced from the first pair.

Enlarged views of the dispenser may be seen in Figures 3 and 4. Each dispenser 30 is formed from galvanised sheet steel that has been punched with apertures 'and then folded along crease lines. A rectangular back plane 31 has two apertures, namely a horizontal slot 33 and below this a U-shaped aperture 34. Extending forwards perpendicularly from three edges of the back plane 31 are two side plates 32,32' and between these a top plate 35. From the lowermost fourth edge of the back plane, extending backwards perpendicularly, is a short locating tab 36.

In Figure 5, the feed dispenser 31 is depicted as it would be in use, mounted on one of the sides of the trough 11, only a section of which is visible in the drawing. The dispenser is secured to the trough by a bolt 36 through the slot 33. Although not shown in the drawings, a shaft of the bolt passes through a hole in the side of the trough to connect to a threaded nut that has been welded to the inner surface of the trough. When the bolt 36 is tightened, the head of the bolt will press the sides of the slot 33 securely against the trough 11. When the bolt is loosened, the dispenser 30 may be moved laterally with respect to the trough. The dispenser is prevented from rotating about the bolt by the locating tab 36, which seats against the bottom surface of the container, along a lower side edge 39 of the trough.

At each feeding point, the trough 11 has an aperture 37 which has the same size and shape as the U-shaped aperture 34 in the dispenser back plane 31. The overlap of these two apertures 34,37 defines a feeding aperture 38. When the bolt 36 is near the middle of the slot 33, the two apertures 34,37 can be aligned to maximise the size of the feeding aperture 38. The size of the feeding aperture may then adjusted, if desired, to a smaller size by moving the dispenser 30 laterally before tightening the bolt 36 to secure the dispenser to the trough 11.

Figure 5 depicts some granular feed 40 present at the feeding aperture 38. Some of the granules 40 will be in contact with the inner edges of the feeding aperture 38, and as long as the extent of the aperture is not too large, these granules will interfere with other granules of feed nearer the centre of the aperture to prevent the feed from flowing freely through the aperture. Of course, some feed may at times be forced through the aperture owing to the pressure within the container from the feed above the dispenser, but the extent of the aperture may be set to limit this effect.

When a bird pecks at the feed visible at the aperture, it may pull out some of the granules. This action will, in general, disrupt the arrangement of the granules at the aperture, and cause other granules to fall through the aperture onto the ground, where the bird may peck them up.

After this rearrangement, however, granules will again stop flowing through the aperture, as some of the feed sticks at the edges of the feeding aperture.

In general, the range over which the size and shape of the feeding aperture may be set will depend the orientation of the feeding aperture with respect to the vertical. If the aperture is in a surface with an overhang, then a smaller aperture may be needed to hold back the feed.

Conversely, if the aperture faces slightly upwards, then a larger aperture may be optimal. Indeed, the flow of feed through the aperture may adjusted, not by adjusting the size and shape of the feeding aperture, but by altering the orientation of the aperture instead.

In use, the container may be filled nearly to the top with granular feed. The sides taper outwards towards the top in the manner of a hopper mainly to maximise the storage volume. There is, however, no advantage,in having a large storage volume within the container at the level of the dispensers; indeed, if the container is too wide at this point, then feed near the bottom of the container may never find,its way to a feeding aperture, and may degrade as it ages.

Typical dimensions for the bird feeder illustrated in the drawings would be a height of about 1000 mm from the ground to the top of the lid, with the container itself having a maximum height of 750 mm, a width of 750 mm, and a maximum depth of 500 mm, and the trough having a depth of 200 mm. The usable volume of such a storage container would be about 130 litres.

Suitable dimensions for the dispenser illustrated in the drawings would be a height, width and depth of 90x55x45 mm, with the height of the aperture above the ground being set to a level of between 150 mm to 350 mm.

A bird feeder similar to that described above may, of course, be used with any sort of granular feed, which will typically have dimensions ranging from 3 mm to 15 mm, and the size and shape of the aperture may be varied or adjusted accordingly depending on the characteristics of the feed.

Examples and, in parentheses, typical dimensions of suitable bird feed are, for cereal grains: wheat (3 mm diameter x 7 mm), barley (3 mm diameter x 7 mm), maize (3 mm x 7 mm x 9 mm). For manufactured cereal pellets, typical dimensions are: small pellet (3 mm diameter x 12 mm), large pellet (5 mm diameter x 12 mm).

Aperture adjustment mechanisms different from that described above may, of course, be employed. For example, the aperture in the container does not need to be the same size and shape as the aperture in the dispenser, but could be a horizontally elongate aperture with a varying height.

Quite different adjustment mechanisms may also be devised.

For example, the aperture in the dispenser may be adapted to rotate about a point with respect to a fixed aperture in the container.

A bird feeder according to the invention may be used outdoors in a wide range of weather conditions to provide feed to any variety of poultry. The birds will be free to move about in the open air to get exercise whilst feeding, and vermin will be prevented from getting at and destroying any significant amount of feed. Compared with an open feeding trough, the size of the hopper is also such that it will not require topping up at frequent intervals, thereby providing an additional saving in terms of the labour needed to feed the birds.

Claims

1. A bird feeder for feeding granular bird feed to poultry, comprising an enclosed feed storage container and at least one feed dispenser that has a feeding aperture, the container and the aperture being arranged so that in use feed may flow freely under its own weight from the container to the aperture, the extent of the aperture being such that feed may not flow freely through the aperture under its own weight and such that poultry may feed at the dispenser by pecking feed from the aperture.

2. A bird feeder according to Claim 1, in which the extent of the aperture may be altered to increase or decrease the ease with which poultry may peck feed from the aperture.

3. A bird feeder according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the orientation of the aperture with respect to a vertical plane may be altered to increase or decrease the ease with which poultry may peck feed from the aperture.

4. A bird feeder according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which the dispenser is movably connected to the container, and the aperture may be altered by moving the dispenser with respect to the container.

5. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the maximum dimension of the aperture is no more than 25 mm.

6. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the location of the aperture is arranged to prevent vermin from reaching the feed.

7. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the container is held above the ground by legs.

8. A bird feeder according to Claim 7, in which the legs are adjustable to vary the height of the container above the ground.

9. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the container has a hopper with at least one inwardly tapering side which overhangs a dispenser.

10. A bird feeder according to Claim 9, in which the container has a trough below the hopper.

11. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which a number of dispensers are arranged around the periphery of the container.

12. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the container has a lid which may be opened to fill the container with feed.

13. A bird feeder according to Claim 12, in which the lid when closed forms a roof to the container which is pitched at an angle to prevent moisture from collecting on the roof.

14. A bird feeder according to any preceding claim, in which the dispenser has a projecting shield arranged about the aperture.

15. A bird feeder according to Claim 14, in which the shield has left and right sides which are bridged by a top side.

16. A method of feeding poultry from a bird feeder that has an enclosed feed storage container and at least one feed dispenser that has a feeding aperture, comprising the steps of: a) introducing into the container through an opening in the container an amount of granular bird feed at least sufficient for the feed to flow freely under its own weight to the aperture; and b) altering either the extent or the orientation of the aperture so that the feed may not flow freely through the aperture under its own weight, but so that poultry may peck feed from the aperture.

17. A method of feeding poultry from a bird feeder substantially as described herein, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

18. A bird feeder substantially as described herein, with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.