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US 4,541,361 AGranted
Method and apparatus for automatically feeding great numbers of animals, especially pigs
AssigneeLohmann Apparatebau GmbH
InventorWalter Holter
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AssigneeLohmann Apparatebau GmbH
InventorWalter Holter
Estimating the term…
A method of automatically feeding animals, especially pigs, in which a predetermined stream of a pumpable feed pulp is conveyed through a pipeline from a preparation zone to a feeding zone remote therefrom, the cross sectional area of the pipeline being dimensioned corresponding to the conveying output required in view of the consistency of the feed pulp and the feed requirement to be met with the feeding zone occupied by grown up animals, wherein the feeding times and amounts of feed are preferably predetermined automatically and for feeding with the feed requirement strongly reduced, especially when feeding young animals, a feed pulp strand of limited length is conveyed through the pipeline to at least one dispensing station in the feeding zone by means of a nourishing-physiologically unobjectionable filling liquid introduced into the pipeline, and the length of the strand is dimensioned such that the strand is fed within a period of time sufficiently short to keep it fresh.
A method of automatically feeding animals, especially pigs, in which a predetermined stream of a pumpable feed pulp is conveyed via a pipeline from a preparation zone to a feeding zone remote therefrom, the cross-sectional area of said pipeline being dimensioned corresponding to a power demand for the conveying in view of the consistency of the feed pulp and the feed requirement to be met when the feeding zone is occupied by grown up animals, with the feeding times and amounts of feed being preferably predetermined automatically, characterized in that for feeding with the feed requirement reduced or the feed composition changed, especially when feeding young animals which are perhaps present only in selected portions of the feeding zone, a feed pulp strand of limited length is conveyed through the pipeline to at least one dispensing station in the feeding zone by means of a filling liquid introduced into the pipeline, which is unobjectionable from a nourishing physiological viewpoint, and in that the length of the strand is dimensioned to be such that said strand is fed within a time interval sufficiently short to keep it fresh.
An apparatus for automatically feeding animals comprising preparation means (19, 21, 23, 25) for preparing a pumpable feed pulp (41) from several components, a pipeline (17) for establishing a connection between the preparation means and a feeding zone (9) comprising at least one group of dispensing stations having controllable discharge valves (61), a conveying means (45) for conveying pumpable media present in the pipeline, means (53) for determining the flow in the pipeline (17), and control means (33) for controlling the apparatus, with the free cross sectional area of the pipeline (17) being selected corresponding to the viscosity of the feed pulp so that a flow of feed pulp sufficient to feed grown up animals may be established at a reasonable expenditure in terms of energy for the conveying means, and with the pipeline beyond the dispensing stations preferably being connected to an outlet line (69) via a controllable outlet valve (55-7), characterized in that means are provided for the selective metered introduction of a nourishing-physiologically unobjectionable filling liquid, preferably water, into the pipeline (17) instead of feed pulp, and in that the control means (33) comprises means for detecting the position of a feed pulp strand (79, 81) of limited length charged into the pipeline (17) and adapted to be propelled by means of a filling liquid and is designed to control the discharge valves in dependence upon the detected position of the feed pulp strand.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.