Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K39/00—Feeding or drinking appliances for poultry or other birds
  • A01K39/01—Feeding devices, e.g. chainfeeders
  • A01K39/012—Feeding devices, e.g. chainfeeders filling automatically, e.g. by gravity from a reserve
  • A01K39/0125—Panfeeding systems; Feeding pans therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
  • A01K39/00—Feeding or drinking appliances for poultry or other birds

Definitions

• Modern poultry farms are commonly equipped with a system for distributing and delivering granular feed in a plurality of mangers for feeding poultry.
• the feed distributing system commonly comprises at least a distribution manifold tube for each line of mangers, normally sustained horizontally at a certain level from the floor.
• Each distribution manifold has a certain number of T-shaped joints at more or less regular intervals each connecting vertical tube through which the granular feed may fall by gravity.
• each tube sustains the dish of the relative manger and the tube is provided with an opening through which the granular feed is released onto the dish of the manger.
• the outlet aperture through which the granular feed is released onto the manger is regulated, typically by a conic or other type of shutter, that is lowered or raised for increasing or reducing the rate at which the feed is outlet from the regulated aperture at the end of the down fall tube onto the dish of the manger when the pushing devices of the granular feed along the distribution manifold are activated.
• the large number of mangers to be managed impose the use of devices having a relatively high degree of uniformity of effect when adjusted through unified control means for regulating the rate of gravity feeding of granular feed onto the mangers such avoid having to intervene repeatingly on each manger.
• the device of the present invention provides means for anchoring the two opposite ends of a command rope that may be fixed directly on an existing manifold tube for distributing the granular feed, respectively at one side and at the opposite side of a plurality of mangers hanging down at intervals from horizontally distribution manifold tube.
• Each conic sleeve or similar shutter of the opening at the base of the vertical tube that sustains the manger is held by a suspension rope.
• This rope is threaded through the same hole through which passes the command rope of a eyelet holder fixed onto the horizontal distribution tube in correspondence of each manger, and runs for an adjustable length parallel to the command rope and its end is eventually fixed to the command rope.
• the devices for anchoring the command rope at its two ends comprise a tensioning spring and a screw mechanism for shifting in one direction or in the opposite direction the point of anchorage of one end of the command rope in order to cause a corresponding lowering or lifting of the conic sleeves or of the equivalent shutters of all the mangers disposed along the tube.
• All the organs of the unified regulation device for all the mangers feed through the distribution tube may be conveniently fixed directly on the tube itself by the use of simple straps that may be screw-tightened in an extremely easy manner.
• the installation of the unified regulation devices of the present invention is surprisingly easy and economic because it does not require the realization of dedicated supporting structures.
• Figure 1 is a schematic view of a complete assembly of the unified regulating device of the present invention.
• Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a single manger.
• Figure 3 is a detail side view of the screw mechanism for modifying the position of the shutters of all the mangers by a unified maneuver.
• Figure 4 is a detailed view of the keyed bearing sleeve of the screw.
• Fig. 1 depicts a feed distribution manifold tube 1 for a plurality of mangers M for poultry.
• each manger M is realized in a classic manner using a T- shaped coupling for a vertical tube 2, that in the depicted example is closed at its lower extremity by the dish 3 of the relative manger suspended therefrom.
• each vertical tube is provided with openings 4 through which the granular feed may fall by gravity onto the dish 3 of the manger.
• the release aperture of the granular feed through the openings 4 present at the base of the vertical tube 2 may be regulated and eventually closed by lowering completely the conical sleeve 5 that is telescopically lowerable and liftable along the tube 2.
• the shutter sleeve 5 hangs at the end of a relatively thin rope 10.
• the unified device for regulating the release of feed onto all the mangers fed through the tube 1, is maneuvered through the tensioned command rope 8 running above the distribution tube 1.
• the rope 8 has one end anchored to a hook 7, fixed on the distribution tube 1 by means of two straps 6 that may be of the common screw-tightened type, by interposing a spring 11 for maintaining tension.
• the opposite end of the rope 8 is anchored to a threaded stem 13 slidingly passing through a supporting sleeve 14 provided with a longitudinal projection or key 14b, as depicted in the detail view of Fig. 4, engaging with a longitudinal groove 13b of the treaded stem 13 for preventing rotation of the treaded stem 13.
• the rear face of the supporting sleeve 14 is provided with a plurality of projections 15 at uniform angular distances around a circumference coaxial with the hole through which the threaded body 13 passes, as depicted in Fig. 3.
• a threaded regulating stop wheel 12 screwed on the threaded body 13 has a face abutting against the terminal face with the angularly spaced projections 15 of the supporting sleeve 14, provided with indentations 16 at the same uniform angular distances around the circumference such to determine, in cooperation with the projections 15 present on the terminal face of the supporting sleeve 14, a plurality of angular stop positions of the rotation of the regulation wheel 12 on the threaded body 13. These stop positions may be overcome by simply exercising a sufficient torque on the wheel such to overcome the resistance caused by the tension on the mechanism provided by the tensioning spring 11.
• the supporting sleeve 14 screw-mechanism may be conveniently fixed directly to the tube 1 by means of two screw-tightened straps 6.
• the thin suspension rope 10 of each conic shutter 5 is threaded through the same eyelet through which is threaded the unified command rope 8 of a respective support bracket 9 mounted onto the relative T-shaped joint and runs for a certain adjustable length parallel to the rope 8.
• the fastening of the end of the shutter suspension rope 10 to the command rope 8 is done by using a spring-clamp 17 adjustably slidable along the command rope 8 by pressing the release buttons 18 of the spring clamps onto which the end of thin rope 10 is fastened.
• a spring clamp instead of a spring clamp, common screw clamp may be employed for fastening the end of the rope 10, to the unified command rope 8.
• the spring 11 ensures, for the whole operative shift distance of the fastening point of one end of the command rope 8, which may generally be of several centimeters, an adequate tensioning of the rope 8. Moreover, its tensioning action is instrumental in detecting the useful plurality of angular stop positions of the rotation of the regulation wheel 12, as described above. This further enhances stability of the regulation and provides to the operator an useful tool for more easily and precisely regulate the feed rate, because it is possible to establish from time to time how many angular positions should be overcome in turning the regulation wheel 12 in a direction or in the opposite direction to achieve a certain increment or decrement of the rate of feed release in the mangers.
• both the support sleeve 14 as well as the hook terminal 7 may have a conveniently saddle-shaped base, such to facilitate their fastening onto the cylindrical surface of the feed distribution tube 1.
• All components, except the ropes 8 and 10 and the spring 11 and eventually the straps 6 may be conveniently and economically made of injection molded plastic avoiding any machining.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Birds (AREA)
• Animal Husbandry (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Feeding And Watering For Cattle Raising And Animal Husbandry (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11460834

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (6)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (5)

• 2001
  • 2001-01-17 IT ITVA20010001 patent/ITVA20010001U1/it unknown
• 2002
  • 2002-01-15 WO PCT/IT2002/000017 patent/WO2002056675A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

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