Liquid feeding nipple having two-stage trigger pin

Abstract

A liquid feeding nipple is disclosed for feeding liquids to fowl having a hollow housing, a valve seat insert located in the housing, the valve seat insert having a first liquid passage, a housing cap on a second end of the housing, the housing cap having a second liquid passage, and a valve member movably located within the housing so as to be movable between a closed position, in which liquid communication between the first and second liquid passages is prevented, and an open position which enables liquid communication between the first and second liquid passages. The liquid feeding nipple also has a trigger pin with a head in contact with the valve member and a stem extending from the housing. The stem has a first flow control portion adjacent to the head and a second flow control portion adjacent to the first flow control portion such that the cross-sectional area of the second flow control portion is less than that of the first flow control portion. As the younger chicks contact the distal end of the trigger pin extending below the nipple housing at the aforementioned angle of between 30 degrees and 45 degrees, the trigger pin will be displaced such that the valve member is opened and the first flow control portion controls the amount of liquid flowing out of the nipple. As the size of the bird increases, the angle at which the trigger pin is contacted also increases, such contact causing increasing displacement of the trigger pin in a vertical direction. Such displacement of the trigger pin enables the second flow control portion to assume control of the amount of liquid passing through the nipple. Since the cross-sectional area of the second flow control portion is less than that of the first flow control portion, a greater amount of liquid may flow from the nipple.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.