Feeder for animals

A feeder unit for animals comprising an elongate trough having a base and a sidewall for receiving and containing feed and arranged such that the head of the animal can reach over an upper front edge of the sidewall to the base for eating the feed, an elongate shelf extending substantially along a full length of the trough and providing a substantially horizontal surface for receiving feed, said horizontal surface of said shelf being arranged at a height above and rearwardly of said front edge and separate from said trough such that any feed falling therefrom along the full length thereof can fall directly vertically downwardly into the trough and so as to allow access by the head of the animal to said shelf for direct feeding therefrom, and between said shelf and said front edge to said base, and hopper means for directly and continuously depositing feed onto said shelf, said hopper means including an elongate lowermost edge, means mounting said lowermost edge and said shelf such that the lowermost edge extends substantially wholly along, adjacent to and spaced from said horizontal surface by a vertical distance and spaced from a front edge of the shelf by a horizontal distance such that the angle of repose of the feed from the lowermost edge to said shelf prevents the feed from falling over the front edge of the shelf and thus automatically controls deposit of further feed onto said shelf, said mounting means including means for manually adjusting the vertical distance from the lowermost edge to the surface and being arranged to maintain said lowermost edge fixed against animal actuated movement, said shelf and trough being arranged such that deposited feed on the shelf remains on said shelf but can be removed to the trough solely by direct contact with the animal.