TH9634B - Poultry feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

The poultry feeder (10) consists of a vertically mounted feed tube (18) adjusted to be mounted on a horizontal feed conveyor (14) to receive feed from the feed tube. The feed tube has an upper section (26) fixed to the feed tube and a lower section (27) that moves axially with the movement of the upper section between the expanded position (as shown in Figure 5) and the collapsed position (Figure 6). The feed pan (23) is located below the lower end of the feed tube to receive feed. A non-moving connection (32) is located between the feed pan and the feed tube. The non-moving connection has a vertical rim (46) that surrounds the outer part of the feed pan and allows for relative movement between the feed pan and the feed tube between the expanded position, where the feed tube is in its expanded position and where the rim is raised above the level of the feed pan to aid in packing feed into the feed pan, and the collapsed position, where the feed pan is resting on the ground and where the rim is lowered with the collapse of the feed pan to reduce the height of the feed pan so that chicks or other animals can see the feed inside the feed pan and have access to it.

Claims (11)

1. Poultry feeder (10) which consists of a feed pan (23) to hold the feed, a feed carrier (FC), a pathway (18) to transport the feed (FC) to the feed pan (23), and a pathway (25) to hold the feed pan. The poultry feeder is directed by the characteristics of the pathways (32,317) to switch the feed pan between shallow positions, where the depth of the feed pan allows the chicks to see the contents of the feed pan, and deep positions, where the depth of the feed pan is such that older birds may be able to eat directly from the feed pan, but it will prevent them from scratching and pecking at the feed and scattering it out of the feed pan. 2. Poultry feeder (10) as specified in Claim 1, where the means (32) for changing the said feed pan consists of a non-moving connection between the said feed pan (23) and the said feed pan holder (25) to allow for the reciprocating movement of the said feed pan and the said feed pan holder under the reciprocating movement of the said feed pan and the said feed pan holder between the said deep and shallow positions. 3. Poultry feeder (10) as specified in Claim 1, with a connector (24) for mounting the feeder onto the feed conveyor (FC). The feed conveyor has a feed tube (14) and where the connector allows for immediate mounting and removal of the feeder in relation to the feed tube. The feeder has a discharge tube (18) to receive feed from the feed tube. The connector consists of a pair of separate legs (70,72) on the upper end of the discharge tube. The legs have an inner surface (74) that works in conjunction with one side of the feed tube and the upper end of the legs separated by a distance less than the cross-section of the feed tube, such that under the adhesion of the feed tube and the upper end of the legs, and under the application of force to bring the feed conveyor and legs together, the legs are separated by the feed tube, so that the feed tube passes between the legs and is supported within the inner surface of the legs and the cover (30) which is fitted over the legs. After the conveyor pipe (14) is supported in between in order to secure the connector of the conveyor pipe 4. Poultry feeders as specified in Claim 2, which are adapted to be installed on the feed conveyor (14) for receiving feed from there, where the feed holder (25) shall have a rim (46) attached to the feed pan and a non-moving connection (32) which causes the feed pan to move along with the rim between the deep and shallow positions. The feed pan holder (25) shall consist of a mesh inserted between the connection and the feed pan, where the mesh shall have a rim, and the feed pan shall have a base (34) which is supported on the floor of the cage or similar, and an outer wall (38) which extends from the base at a specified distance, in which the working height of the feed pan when in its deep position shall be equal to the height of the feed pan and the rim, and the working height of the feed pan when in its shallow position shall be equal to the height of the feed pan. 5. Poultry feeders as specified in Claim 4, where such rim (46) shall have a shoulder protruding inward from a pair (54,56), and such feed pan (23) shall have a rim protruding (40), with the rim of such feed pan (40) being held between the shoulders of such rim (54, 56) to allow the feed pan to slide inward relative to the rim between the shallow and deep positions. 6. A poultry feeder, as specified in Claim 4, with a connector (24) adjusted for connection to the conveyor (14). Such connector consists of a feed discharge pipe (18) suspended from the said feed conveyor (14), which receives feed from the conveyor and discharges it directly into the feed pan (23). Such discharge pipe (18) consists of an upper feed discharge pipe (26) fixed to each feed conveyor and a lower feed discharge pipe (27) rotatably connected to the upper feed discharge pipe for a fixed connection (29) between them. The lower feed discharge pipe has one or more discharge openings (22) in it. Such feeder is further equipped with an external control pipe (92) supported on the outside of the lower feed discharge pipe. Such control pipe has a lower edge (96) and is axially adjustable with respect to each lower feed discharge pipe to partially or partially cover or uncover the discharge openings. Or, all of it in the lower feed outlet pipe as mentioned, effectively controlling the amount of food expelled from the feeding pipe through that opening. 7. Poultry feeders as specified in Claim 2, where the said feed pan holder (25) is carried by the said feed pipe (18) in such a manner that there is jerky movement within a limited range of the said feed pan holder relative to the said feed pipe, so that not only is there movement of the said feed pan relative to the said grate between its raising and lowering positions, but also an angular movement of the said feed pan relative to the said feed pan holder and/or to the said feed pipe, such as when the feed pan is on an uneven surface, etc. 8. Poultry feeder (301) as specified in claim 1, where the means of changing the pan consists of means of increasing the working height of the pan, where the means of increasing the height consists of a ring (317) that can be fitted onto the feed assembled in the said depth. 9. Poultry feeder (10) as specified in Claim 1, where such feeder shall have a feed pipe (18) adjusted to work in conjunction with the said feed conveyor (FC) to receive feed from there. Such feed pan (23) shall have a base of the feed pan (34) and a drive wall extending straight up (38) and a screen (25) supported on the said feed pipe. Such screen shall form a holder for the feed pan and such screen shall have a collar (44) to receive the said feed pipe (18) and a number of screen bars (48) extending straight down from the collar and having a rim (46) held by the lower ends of the screen bars. The feed pipe shall have an upper feed pipe (26) and a lower feed pipe (27) that rotates in relation to each other. The lower feed pipe shall have an opening (22) in there to convey feed from the conveyor. Breakfast food is fed into the aforementioned food pan by a rotating connection between the upper and lower feed tubes. This creates a first stationary connection (29) to allow for the food pan to move inward and outward, and a second stationary connection (32) between the food pan and the grate to allow for the relative vertical movement of the food pan and the grate between the raised and lowered positions, and a third stationary connection (52) between the collar and the feed tube to allow for vertical and jerky movement between the collar and the feed tube to accommodate any unevenness in the floor of the cage. 10. Method of placing chicks in cages (H) and feeding them directly from a pile of feed in a number of feeders (10), where each feeder has a feed pan (23) dispensing feed from an overhead feed conveyor (FC) which can be raised or lowered as needed and asynchronously with the feed level on the floor (F) of the cage. This method is governed by the following steps: Positioning the feeders (10) on the floor of the cage with the feed pans (23) in a shallow position so that the chicks can see the feed in the pan and eat it immediately from the pan. As the chicks grow, the height of the feed pan is changed from a shallow position to a deep position in such a way that the depth of the feed pan is sufficient to prevent the chicks from spilling or licking the feed from the pan. 11. The method specified in claim 10, in which the procedure for positioning the food pan (23) in its shallow position, involves lowering the height of the sides (46, 317) of the food pan to such a height that, in this shallow position, the chicks can see the food piled in the pan. This procedure is further accomplished by providing an access route for the chicks to enter the food pan when it is in its shallow position so that they can eat the food directly from the pan. And the procedure for changing the height of the food pan is accomplished by raising the sides of the food pan so that larger birds can still access the food while standing on the ground and prevent larger birds from competing for food from the pan.