Animal feeder

An animal feeder for an aminal cage assembly formed of a plurality of animal cages arranged side-by-side in a horizontal alignment, with a feed trough extending along the front of the animal cages, the animal feeder comprising:

• carriage means movably disposed for horizontal movement along the front of the cage assembly, the carriage means including a hopper for storing feed;
• feed means carried by the carriage means for dispensing feed into the feed trough, the feed means including an auger mounted within the hopper for disfeed from the hopper into the feed trough;
• control means, carried by the carriage means, for deactivating the feed means when predetermined levels of feed are detected in the feed trough;
• and
• detector means, carried by the control means, for detecting the level of feed remaining in the feed trough as the carriage means traverses the cage assembly;
• the control means comprising an arm pivotally mounted on the carriage means, the arm having a substantially U-shape with a pair of spaced legs extending outward from a common base, the arm carrying the detector means on one of the legs and being pivotal in response to movement of the detector means as the carriage means traverses the cage assembly for selectively de-energizing the feed means;
• the feed means including:
• an electrical motor;
• a first gear co-axially attached to the auger and rotatable therewith;
• a second gear adapted to mesh with the first gear, the second gear being mounted on the other of the legs of the arm and pivotally movable therewith between lower and raised positions;
• and
• means for interconnecting the motor and the second gear so as to drive the second gear as the carriage means traverses the cage assembly, the second gear meshing with and driving the first gear and the auger attached thereto when the arm is in a lower position.