Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FEEDER FOR ANIMALS
This invention relates to a feeder for animals, of the type for feeding
dry feed in particulate form, which includes a substantially horizontal
surface
beneath a hopper so that the feed from the hopper is discharged onto the
surface
from which the feed can be transferred by the animal to a trough for mixing
with
water.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An example of a feeder of this type is shown in US Patents No.
4,660,508 and 4,790,266 of the present inventor and this type of feeder has
become
very successful and is widely known as a wet/dry feeder in view of the fact
that the
animal can take dry feed from the shelf of the feeder or can apply water into
feed
discharged into the trough to take the feed in the trough in wet condition.
The intention is that the animals themselves control the amount of
water supply by providing nipples in the trough which can be actuated by the
animal
to discharge water into the trough to mix with the feed. One advantage of this
type
of feeder is that the animals can mix the feed to the consistency they prefer
so that
they are encouraged to eat as much as possible by ensuring that they are not
discouraged from eating by the feed being too dry or too wet. It has been
found that
this type of feeder has considerable increase in weight gain for the animals
over
conventional dry feeders.
Feeders of this type can either be double sided that is the feeder has
two sides each of which can be accessed by a different set of animals so that
generally the feeder is placed in a fence line to supply feed to animals in
two
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separate panic. Other type of feeders are however single sided so that they
have
generally a vertical rear wall with the trough presented forwardly of that
rear wall and
the animals accessing the feeder only from the trough side of the rear wall.
In US patent no. 5,640,926 of the present inventor issued June 24,
1997 is disclosed a feeder of the above type. In this feeder, the height of
the shelf
from the trough is adjustable so as to accommodate a change in size of the
animals
from a smaller size up to a larger size as the animals grow.
In US patent no. 5,967,083 of the present inventor issued October 19,
1999 is disclosed a feeder of the above type. In this feeder, the height of
the side
wall of the trough from the base of the trough is adjustable so as to
accommodate a
change in size of the animals from a smaller size up to a larger size as the
animals
grow.
Feeders of this type are designed and manufactured for hogs from
weanlings up to finishers and the above adjustable types can be used in some
circumstances to accommodate growth or different feeders of fixed dimensions
for
different sizes of animal may be provided.
One problem which has existed since the invention of this type of
feeder is that very young weanlings have a tendency to play with or activate
the
water nipples due to their recent suckling and hence they release too much
water
into the trough so that the feeder becomes overwhelmed with consequent
blocking
of the feed supply to the shelf. Of course the presence of the excess water
also
inhibits the feed intake of the animals. It has been noted that after a few
days or
weeks the animals lose this tendency and manage the water supply by activating
the
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nipples only when they require as do older animals. However the difficulties
during
the first days or weeks have dramatically reduced the acceptability of the
feeder for
weanlings despite its known feed uptake advantages. Many operators will
therefore
not use this type of feeder for weanlings due to the repeated attention and
maintenance which is required during this initial stage.
Many attempts have been made to overcome this problem during the
past twenty years by controlling the water supply to the nipples so that the
amount
dispensed is reduced. Up to now all of these attempts have been unsuccessful
and
a significantly reduced percentage of feeders of this type are used for
weanlings.
Only those operators who are willing to accept the repeated maintenance to
remove
excess water and to clean the resulting mess and blockage problems are able to
use
this type successfully.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one object of the present invention to provide an improved feeder
for animals which allows the use of the above type of feeder by very young
weanlings.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method
of feeding pigs as they grow from weaning to an older stage comprising:
providing for the pigs access to a feeder;
providing in the feeder an elongate trough having a base anda
sidewall for receiving and containing feed and water and arranged such that
the
head of the pig can reach over an upper front edge of the sidewall to the base
for
eating the feed and water;
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providing in the feeder an elongate shelf providing a substantially
horizontal surface for receiving feed;
the horizontal surface of said shelf being arranged at a height above
and rearwardly of said front edge so as to allow access by the head of the pig
to said
shelf for direct feeding therefrom, and between said shelf and said front edge
to the
base;
providing in the feeder a hopper for continually depositing feed onto
said shelf arranged such that deposited feed on the shelf remains on said
shelf but
can be removed to the trough by the pig;
during a first stage of growth starting immediately after weaning from a
mother sow:
providing a first water supply line for dispensing water into the trough
arranged such that it avoids dispensing water onto the shelf;
providing in the first water supply line a water level control valve for
shutting off water supply through the first water supply line when the water
reaches a
predetermined level in the trough;
providing in the first water supply line a timed valve arranged for
periodically opening and closing water flow through first water supply line;
periodically operating the timed valve to open the timed valve so as to
supply water into the trough in sufficient quantity such that the water level
control
valve controls filling of the trough up to the predetermined level of the
trough;
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and periodically causing the pigs to clean up the trough by operating
the timed valve to close the timed valve so as to halt supply of water for a
time
period sufficient for the water to be wholly consumed;
and during a second stage after the first stage when the animals have
5 become older:
providing a second water supply line for dispensing water into the
trough arranged such that it avoids dispensing water onto the shelf;
managing the water supply to the trough by providing at least one
nipple on the second water supply line actuable by the pigs for control by the
pigs of
the dispensing of the water into the trough.
Preferably the nipple of the first water supply line is arranged beneath
the shelf and arranged to direct water downwardly therefrom into the trough.
Preferably the nipple is arranged such that the animal is not intended
to drink directly from it.
Preferably the second water supply line has a discharge mouth
arranged beneath the shelf and arranged to direct water into the trough.
Preferably the water level control is arranged in the second supply line
above a discharge mouth of the second supply line and arranged to close off
the
supply of water to the second supply line when the discharge mouth is covered
by
the water in the trough.
Preferably the trough has a flat bottom such that the depth of water in
the trough is substantially constant.
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According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a
method of feeding pigs as they grow from weaning to an older stage comprising:
providing for the pigs access to a feeder;
providing in the feeder an elongate trough having a base and a
sidewall for receiving and containing feed and water and arranged such that
the
head of the pig can reach over an upper front edge of the sidewall to the base
for
eating the feed and water;
providing in the feeder an elongate shelf providing a substantially
horizontal surface for receiving feed;
the horizontal surface of said shelf being arranged at a height above
and rearwardly of said front edge so as to allow access by the head of the pig
to said
shelf for direct feeding therefrom, and between said shelf and said front edge
to the
base;
providing in the feeder a hopper for continually depositing feed onto
said shelf arranged such that deposited feed on the shelf remains on said
shelf but
can be removed to the trough by the pig;
providing in the feeder a water supply for dispensing water into the
trough;
during a first stage of growth starting immediately after weaning from a
mother sow:
periodically, independently of the pigs, controlling the water supply to
the trough so as to supply water in sufficient quantity into the trough to
control filling
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of the trough up to a predetermined level of the trough arranged such that it
avoids
dispensing water onto the shelf;
and periodically causing the pigs to clean up the trough by halting the
water supply into the trough for a time period sufficient for the water to be
wholly
consumed;
and during a second stage after the first stage when the animals have
become older:
managing the water supply to the trough by providing at least one
nipple actuable by the pigs for control by the pigs of the dispensing of the
water into
the trough arranged such that said at least one nipple avoids dispensing water
onto
the shelf.
However as an alternative the feeder at the first stage is a first feeder
which has the supply line arranged to be managed by a person and the feeder at
the
second stage is a second feeder which has the supply line arranged controlled
by
said at least one nipple and the pigs are arranged after they have grown to
the
second stage to have access to the second feeder rather than the first.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view through an embodiment of
feeder according to the present invention. The embodiment is partly disclosed
in US
patent no. 5,967,083 of the present inventor issued October 19, 1999, the
disclosure
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of which may be referred to by the reader for further details required by the
reader,
bearing in mind that such feeders are well known to a person skilled in this
art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiment shown in Figure 1 is of the type shown a wet and dry
feeder or shelf-type feeder in which the feed is deposited onto a shelf 10
positioned
above a trough 11 so that the feed is available in dry condition on the shelf
10
accessible by the animal and can be moved by the animal to the trough for
mixing
with water for taking in wet condition. A hopper 13 is located above the shelf
for
depositing the feed on the shelf. This type of feeder is well known and
further details
are shown in the above three patents of the present inventor, the disclosures
of
which are incorporated herein by reference.
The feeder can be double sided or single sided as is well known. The
feeder can be adjustable as described in the second and third above patents or
may
be a fixed size feeder as disclosed in the first above patent.
Beneath the shelf is a first water line 30 and a second water line 20
with the water line 20 having a series of animal controlled nipples 21 at
spaced
positions along the length of the water line which can be actuated by the
animal to
discharge water into the trough from the second water line. The nipples can be
bite
nipples which are not intended to drink from but discharge into the trough or
they
may be drinking nipples. When actuated water runs freely from the water supply
line
20 into the trough 11.
Alongside and generally parallel to the second Ãicst water line 20 is the
first water line 30 with a discharge spout 31 which is free to discharge
openly into
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the trough with no animal control. One or more spouts may be provided at
positions
along the trough. The spout 31 has a bottom discharge mouth 32 spaced from the
flat bottom 4-5 of the trough by a distance 33.
The second water line is controlled by a valve 22 actuable manually
and the first water line is controlled by a valve 34 actuated manually or by a
timer 35.
The first water line 30 also includes an automatic water level control 36 of
the type
which halts flow of water when the mouth 32 is covered by water due to
pressure
changes detected by the sensor. This provides a level of water 33 which is
constant
over the flat base of the trough.
Immediately after the animals are weaned, in a first stage of growth,
while the animals are too young to control the nipple to properly manage water
supply, the second water line is closed using the valve 22 to prevent supply
of water
through the nipples and the first water line is periodically opened by the
timer to
supply water on a managed basis. The water supply to the trough through the
supply line is controlled by providing the water level control 36 for shutting
off water
supply when the water reaches a predetermined level and the timed valve 35
arranged for periodically opening so as to allow supply into the trough of a
dose of
water up to the predetermined level. After the dose the timed valve is closed.
The
water level control is arranged in the supply line above a discharge mouth of
the
supply line and arranged to close off the supply of water to the supply line
when the
discharge mouth is covered by the water in the trough. The intention is that
the
timing of the valve 34 is relatively infrequent and relatively short so that
the dose of
water is supplied periodically. Thus a dose might be sufficient for the number
of
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animals having access to the feeder to last a number of hours. No further
water is
then supplied until the timer is again turned on despite the fact that the
water may be
wholly or partly consumed exposing the mouth 32. In this way the pigs being
fed liy
feeder cannot dispense additional water into the trough which can otherwise
flood
5 and cause the dry feed on the shelf to become wetted and block. At the same
time
when the animals become short of water they will tend to clean around the
trough in
the attempt to take up any remaining moisture thus consuming all of the
remaining
feed with the high weight gain required and removing any unused feed material
to
provide an effective clean up.
10 When the animals have become older, in a second stage of growth,
thus reducing their tendency to play with the nipples and they have become old
enough to understand how the system can be used to manage the wetness of their
feed, the first water line is closed and the second water line is opened to
allow the
animals to control the supply of water through the nipples. The feeder then
operates
in the conventional wet/dry mode well known in the industry.
In many cases the feeder at the first stage and the feeder at the
second stage are the same feeder which has a second supply line controlled by
the
nipples and a first supply line controlled by the water supply control
arranged to be
managed by a person.
However the feeder at the first stage may be a first feeder which has
the supply line arranged to be managed by a person and the feeder at the
second
stage is a different second feeder which has the supply line arranged
controlled by
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said at least one nipple. Thus the first feeder has only the supply line 30
and its
associated components and not the supply line 20 or the nipples 21.
The management of the water supply through the line 30 can be wholly
controlled by the timer 35 and valve 34 without the level sensor 36 using
timing of
flow at a known flow rate to dispense the required dose of water at an amount
sufficient to last several hours without being sufficient to flood the trough
to a level
where the amount of water interferes with the conventional feed supply to the
shelf
and trough as well known in wet/dry feeder.
