NZ526117A - Livestock feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A livestock feeding apparatus including; an open topped container (1) to receive a charge of feed (5), a substantially planar lid (4) having a dimension less than the interior dimension between opposing walls of the container, the lid (4) being adapted to be located within the container (1) to rest on the charge of feed (5) within the container (1) and to move substantially vertically within the container (1) to always rest on the upper surface of the feed (5) within the container (1), the said lid (4) being constructed with openings to allow an animal access to the feed (5) within the container (1) through the lid (4) and to restrict the rate at which feed (5) can be accessed by the animal.

Description

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z 2 8 MAY 2004 RECEIVED Patents Form No 5 Patents Act 1953 Number 526117 Date 26 May 2003 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION 25 Livestock feeding apparatus I, Allan Michael Bell, a New Zealand citizen of Highway 5, RD2, Reporoa, New Zealand, hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the 30 following statement; 1 TITLE Livestock feeding apparatus BACKGROUND A known problem with feeding livestock and in particular, but not necessarily horses, is to limit the amount of feed, such as hay, the animal can eat at one time and so spread the feeding of a given amount of hay over a more or less controlled period. This control encourages chewing and the production of saliva. For instance, a horse has to 10 produce up to twelve litres of saliva a day to enable good digestion. If the horse is able to gulp the feed then the production of saliva and hence good digestion is inhibited.

In addition, if a horse spends a considerable amount of time in a stable box, the horse tends to become bored, and it is desirable that the feeding time be expanded to 15 result in a happier and more contented horse.

A further problem arises when the animal is fed products other than or in supplement to hay and in such a case the length of the hay has often been shortened to allow mechanization in the factory process. It then become even more important to be 20 able to ration the amount of feed an animal is able to access so the feeding time is stretched to a desirable limit.

PRIOR ART One known method of feeding horses is to pack hay into a hay net which helps to 25 ration the amount of hay. A hay net is only partly satisfactory in that it is cumbersome to use and the net tends to interfere with the feeding process. In addition, if the hay is short chopped for mechanization, it tends to pass through the mesh of the hay net and fall onto the ground causing wastage. 2 US Patent specification 5,465,684 (Dyson) discloses a feeder for livestock which is made from resilient plastic material having partly open sides. The feed is placed inside the feeder which is able to deform when stressed but can resiliently resume its original shape.

US Patent specification 5,000,122 (Smith) discloses a feeder which has a ground supported frame with a basket portion which holds the hay pivotally mounted on the frame. The basket has forward and rearward walls made of racks so a horse can pull hay through the rack for feeding.

US Patent specification 4,976,222 (Cooke) discloses a horse feeder that has a receptacle that can be mounted on a wall. The receptacle can receive a charge of hay and is open at the front with a grill being located on the front of the receptacle so a horse can feed on the hay in the receptacle.

US Patent specification 6,497,195 (Beyers) discloses a case made of a plastic material having two parts which are hinged together to form a shape similar to a suitcase. The sides of the case have a number of slots to enable an animal to access hay loaded within the case.

US Patent specification 6,273,024 discloses a feeding system which is able to limit access to the feed contained in the apparatus by operator selected positions which allow the operator to control the amount of feed available and the timing of the availability.

US Patent specification 5,947,055 (Cross) discloses a livestock feeder which has a trough into which a hay bale is positioned. The feeder has an inner cage and an outer frame which define the livestock feeding region. 3 US Patent specification 5,899,170 (Muckler) discloses a collapsible feeder for livestock which has a number of feed sections pivotally connected together. Each feed section has a feed retainer and a hold back with the arrangement being that when the feed in the retainer has been eaten, the animal can move the hold back to access additional feed.

US Patent specification 4,294,197 (Snel) discloses a hay box for feeding horses. The box includes a frame with a spring loaded base which will press the hay against a rack positioned at the bop of the box. The box is made so it can be fitted to a wall.

US Patent specification 4,488,510 (Lundgren) discloses a hay feeder which is particularly formed so it can be hung on a wall in a corner of a stall. The feeder includes a front wall which has access openings so the animal can access feed placed within the feeder.

US Patent specification 3,362,382 (Frasier) Discloses a portable feeder which is formed to be hung on a wall. The feeder is in the shape of a bin and has open sides to allow the animal to access the hay stored within the feeder.

US Patent specification 5,509,377 (Franklin) discloses a hay feeder in the form of a box having a hinged lid to provide access to the hay. A wire mesh float rests on the top of the hay to allow the animal to reach the hay but prevent the animal from rooting in the hay.

It is apparent that known hay feeders all suffer from the disadvantage of being either too complicated or not sufficiently versatile and what is required is a simple effective hay feeder that is portable, easy to manufacture and use and which is reliable. A further disadvantage with known hay feeders is that when hay is stacked into a vertical type feeder, the hay will tend to compress downwards, which is undesirable. A yet further disadvantage is that on many occasions it is more difficult for a horse to access short chopped hay when it is stacked in a vertical type of feeder.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved livestock feeding apparatus which exhibits advantages over the previously known forms of feeders and which is simple to manufacture and efficient in operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly the invention may be said to comprise a livestock feeding apparatus including: an open topped container to receive a supply of feed, a substantially planar lid having a dimension less than the interior dimension between opposing walls of the container, the lid being adapted to be located within the container to rest on a supply of feed within the container and to move substantially vertically within the container to always rest on the upper surface of the feed within the container., the said lid being constructed with openings to allow the animal access to the feed within the container through the lid and to restrict the rate at which feed can be accessed by the animal.

Preferably the lid is formed of an open mesh which provides the openings to allow access to the feed within the container below the lid..

Preferably the lid includes a perimeter frame and preferably spaced apart bars extend between two opposing ends of the frame.

Preferably the lid is positioned within the container on top of the charge of feed in the container in a manner that when feed is being consumed from the container, the bars will extend from the back to the front of the container.

Preferably means are provided to retain the lid within the container.

Preferably the means to retain the lid within the container comprises a lip extending inwardly from a wall or walls of the container.

Preferably the lip is adjacent the top of the container.

Preferably the lid is formed with lateral extensions which when the lid is raised within the container, will contact the underside of the lip and so prevent removal of the lid from the container.

Preferably the lip includes a gap or gaps which can register with the lateral extensions of the lid to enable the lid to be withdrawn from or inserted into the container.

Preferably the container is formed of a plastics material.

Preferably the apparatus includes means to support the container on a wall or on an upright.

Preferably the container includes legs to enable the container to be placed on the ground and be distanced above the ground.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a three quarter view from the front illustrating one form of the apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a three quarter view from the front illustrating another form of the apparatus according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view from the front of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 but depicting a container almost fully charged with feed.

Figure 4 is a similar sectional view from the front as that illustrated in Figure 3 15 but depicting the container with the charge of feed in a partially depleted condition.

Figure 5 is a view of a detail.

BEST MODE OF PERFORMING THE INVENTION As illustrated in the drawings, the apparatus essentially comprises a box like container 1 which can be rectangular as illustrated at 1 in Figure 1, or it may be shaped as illustrated at 2 in Figure 2. It is to be emphasized that the shape of the box can vary as required and is not to be restricted to the particular shapes depicted in Figures 1 and 2 which are given for illustrative purposes only. The container can be formed so it can 25 rest on the ground or on a shelf. In another form, the container may be provided with legs, (not shown in the drawings) so it can be supported on but located at a desired distance above the ground. In another form the container may include means so it can be hung on a wall, such as a wall of the stable. 7 The container will preferably be made from a suitable plastics material but other materials are contemplated which will provide adequate strength during usage and adequate service life in the environmental conditions in which it will be located. The base 3 of the container may be solid, or may include drainage holes, or have suitable 5 openings as required to enable moisture to drain away. While the container as illustrated has solid walls, it is to be understood the walls can be perforated, made of slats or have any other construction as desired.

The apparatus also includes a lid 4. In a highly preferred form, the lid can be 10 comprised of mesh or similar and may be formed of metal, or a plastics material.

In use, the interior of the container is charged with hay or other feed as required and the lid is placed on the top of the charge so it will rest on the charge. The lid is formed to allow the animal to access hay 5 or other feed that is within the container 15 underneath the lid through the openings in the lid, but which will prevent the animal from accessing more of the hay than that deemed desirable. In another aspect, the lid is formed with a perimeter frame and spaced apart bars of metal extend between opposing ends of the perimeter frame. The lid is constructed so it can be placed in the container on the upper surface of the charge in the container, and the bars will extend between the 20 back and the front of the container. The will allow the animal to readily access the feed in the container between the bars.

The lid is dimensioned so it can freely slide up and down within the container. Consequently when the container is charged with the animal feed, the lid may be placed 25 on the top of the feed and as the feed is consumed by the animal(s), the lid will tend to gently compact the feed and will move downwardly in the container as the level of the feed is depleted.

Preferably means are also provided to resist premature removal of the lid 4 from 30 the container. This is necessary because as the animal removes feed through the 8 openings in the lid, the lid will tend to rise and therefore it is preferable that means be provided to prevent the lid from being inadvertently removed from the container during the feeding. One preferred method of accomplishing this is to form a lip 6 around the inside of the container adjacent the top of the container (see particularly Figure 5) and to form gaps 7 in the lip. The lid is provide with lateral extensions which when the lid is raised within the container, will normally contact the underside of the lip and so prevent removal of the lid from the container. However when the lid is positioned so the lateral extensions register with the gaps 7, then the lid can be withdrawn from the container. Other means of retaining the lid within the container as will be apparent to those skilled in the art can also be employed.

The advantage provided by the apparatus of the present invention is that the openings in the lid whether it be formed of mesh or bars or other construction can be so located that access to the feed below the lid is allowed but the access is restricted, thereby preventing a too rapid removal of feed from the container by the feeding animal. This partial rationing of the feed will enable an optimum rate of feed to be available to the feeding animal with the result of improved digestion and general well being of the animal. In addition because the container is in the form of a box, it is readily portable and can be utilised in a number of locations with a minimum of setting up time.

Having described preferred methods of putting the invention into effect, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, that modifications and amendments to various features and items can be effected and yet still come within the general concept of the invention. It is to be understood that all such modifications and amendments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

1. A livestock feeding apparatus including; an open topped container to receive a charge of feed, 5 a substantially planar lid having a dimension less than the interior dimension between opposing walls of the container, the lid being adapted to be located within the container to rest on the charge of feed within the container and to move substantially vertically within the container to 10 always rest on the upper surface of the feed within the container, the said lid being constructed with openings to allow an animal access to the feed within the container through the lid and to restrict the rate at which feed can be accessed by the animal. 15

2. The livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid is formed of an open mesh which provides the openings to allow access to the feed within the container below the lid. 20

3. The livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid includes a perimeter frame and wherein spaced apart bars extend between two opposing ends of the perimeter frame.

4. The livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lid is 25 positioned within the container on top of the charge of feed in the container in a manner that when feed is being consumed from the container, the bars will extend from the back to the front of the container.

5. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided 30 to retain the lid within the container. 10

6. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means to retain the lid within the container comprises a lip extending inwardly from a wall or walls of the container.

7. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lip is located adjacent the top of the container.

8. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lid is formed with lateral extensions which when the lid is raised within the container, will contact the underside of the lip and so prevent removal of the lid from the container.

9. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the lip includes a gap or gaps which can register with the lateral extensions of the lid to enable the lid to be withdrawn from or inserted into the container.

10. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is formed of a plastics material.

11. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including means to support the container on a wall.

12. A livestock feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container includes legs to enable the container to be placed on the ground and be distanced above the ground. 11