Poultry feeder

A feeder adapted to be installed on a feed conveyor for receiving feed therefrom, said feeder having a connector for installation of said feeder on said feed conveyor, a feed pan for having feed from said feed conveyor deposited therein, and a connection between said feed pan and said connector including a generally vertically disposed rim proximate said feed pan, said feed pan connection permitting relative movement between said feed pan and said rim between a raised position in which said rim extends up above the level of said feed pan when said feed pan is at least in part suspended from said rim thereby to aid in containing feed within said feed pan and a lowered position in which said rim moves downwardly with respect to said feed pan thereby to lower the height of the feed pan when said feed pan is at least in part supported on the floor, said feed pan connection comprising a grill interposed between said connector and said feed pan, said rim constituting a part of said grill, said rim having a pair of spaced, inwardly projecting shoulders, wherein said feed pan has a base which is adapted to bear on the floor of a poultry house or the like and and outer wall which extends up from said feed pan base a predetermined distance thus constituting the height of said feed pan with the height of said feed pan and of said rim corresponding to the effective height of said feed pan when the feeder is in its raised position, the height of said rim relative to the height of said feed pan being such that with the feeder in its collapsed position, the effective height of said rim and said feed pan together being substantially the height of said feed pan, said connection comprising a slip fit between said feed pan outer wall and said rim, said feed pan having an outwardly extending lip on its outer edge, said feed pan outer edge being held captive between said rim shoulders for slip fit movement of said feed pan relative to said rim between said raised and lowered positions.

A feeder adapted to be installed on a feed conveyor for receiving feed therefrom, said feeder having a connector for installation of said feeder on said feed conveyor, a feed pan for having feed from said feed conveyor deposited therein, and a connection between said feed pan and said connector including a generally vertically disposed rim proximate said feed pan, said connection permitting relative lost motion movement of said feed pan and said rim between a raised position in which said rim extends up above the level of said feed pan thereby to aid in containing feed within said feed pan and a lowered position in which said rim moves downwardly with respect to said feed pan thereby to lower the height of the feed pan, wherein said connector permits the ready installation and removal of said feeder relative to said feed conveyor tube, said feeder having a feed drop tube for receiving feed from said feed conveyor tube, said connector comprising a pair of spaced apart legs on the upper end of said feed drop tube, said legs having an inner surface cooperable with the outer surface of said feed conveyor with the upper ends of said legs being spaced apart a distance less than the cross section of said feed conveyor such that upon engagement of said feed conveyor and the upper ends of said legs and upon application of force to bring said feed conveyor and said legs together, said legs are spread apart by said feed conveyor to permit said feed conveyor to pass between said legs and to be received within said inner surfaces of said legs.

A feeder adapted to be installed on a feed conveyor tube for receiving feed therefrom, said feeder having a connector for installation of said feeder on said feed conveyor tube, a feed pan for having feed from said feed conveyor tube deposited therein, and a connection between said feed pan and said connector including a rim proximate said feed pan, said feed pan connection permitting relative movement between said feed pan and said rim between a raised position in which said rim extends up above the level of said feed pan when said feed pan is at least in part suspended from said rim thereby to aid in containing feed within said feed pan and a lowered position in which said rim moves downwardly with respect to said feed pan thereby to lower the height of the feed pan when said feed pan is at least in part supported on the floor, said feed pan connection comprising a grill interposed between said connector and said feed pan, said rim constituting a part of said grill, said feed pan having a base which is adapted to bear on the floor of a poultry house or the like and an outer wall which extends up from said base a predetermined distance thus constituting the height of said feed pan with the height of said feed pan and of said rim corresponding to the effective height of said feed pan when the feeder is in its raised position, the height of said rim relative to the height of said feed pan being such that with the feeder in its collapsed position the effective height of said rim and said feed pan together is substantially the height of said feed pan, said connection comprising a slip fit between said feed pan outer wall and said rim, said rim having a pair of spaced, inwardly projecting shoulders, said feed pan having a outwardly extending lip on its outer edge, said feed pan outer edge being held captive between said rim shoulders for slip fit movement of said feed pan relative to said rim between said raised and lowered positions, said connector comprising a feed drop tube supported from said feed conveyor tube, said feed drop tube receiving feed from said feed conveyor and permitting it to drop into said feed pan, said feed drop tube comprising an upper drop tube fixed with respect to said feed conveyor tube and a lower drop tube telescopically joined with said upper drop tube for lost motion therebetween, said feeder further comprising an outer control tube received on the exterior of said lower drop tube, said control tube having a lower edge and being axially adjustable with respect to said lower drop tube so as to selectively cover and uncover some or all of said discharge openings in said lower drop tube thereby to regulate the amount of feed discharged from said feed tube via said openings.

The method of introducing young chicks into a poultry house and feeding them directly from feed deposited in a plurality of feeding stations, each feeding station having a feed pan supplied with feed from an overhead feed conveyor, said feed conveyor having the capability of being selectively raised and lowered together with said feed stations relative to the floor of said poultry house, said method comprising the steps of:

• lowering said feed conveyor toward the floor of the poultry house such that the feed pan of one or more of said feeding stations rests of the floor;
• lowering the height of the sides of said feed pan to a height such that with the feed pan in this lowered position, young chicks can readily see the feed deposited in said feed pan;
• allowing access of the young chicks into the feed pan so that they may readily consume the feed in the feed pan;
• and
• upon the chicks growing in height, raising the feed conveyor such that by way of a lost motion connection, the sides of the feed pan are raised from its said lowered position so as to permit the now larger birds still to access the feed in the feed pan while the birds stand on the ground with the raised sides of the feed pan acting to prevent the larger birds from raking feed from the feed pan.

The method of introducing young chicks into a poultry house and feeding them directly from feed deposited in a plurality of feeding stations, each feeding station having a feed pan supplied with feed from an overhead feed conveyor, at least some of said feed pans having the capability of being selectively raised and lowered relative to the floor of said poultry house, said method comprising the steps of:

• lowering at least some of said feed pans toward the floor of the poultry house such that the feed pan of one or more of said feeding stations rests of the floor;
• lowering the height of the sides of said feed pan to a height such that with the feed pan in this lowered position, young chicks can readily see the feed deposited in said feed pan;
• allowing access of the young chicks into the feed pan so that they may readily consume the feed in the feed pan;
• and
• upon the chicks growing in height, raising the feed conveyor, and raising the sides of the feed pans so as to permit the now larger birds still to access the feed in the feed pan while the birds stand on the floor with the raised sides of the feed pan acting to prevent the large birds from wasting feed from the feed pan.

A poultry feeder (10) adapted to be installed on a feed conveyor (14) in a poultry house (H) or the like, said feeder having a drop tube (18) adapted to be operatively connected to said feed conveyor for receiving feed therefrom, a feed pan (23) for receiving feed from said drop tube, said feed pan having a feed pan base (34) and an upwardly extending sidewall (38), and a grill (25) received on said drop tube, said grill having a collar (44) adapted to receive said drop tube and a plurality of grill ribs (48) extending downwardly from said collar, a rim (46) carried by the lower ends of said grill ribs, said drop tube including an upper drop tube (26) and a lower drop tube (27) having a telescopic connection relative to one another, said lower drop tube having openings (22) therein for delivery of feed from said conveyor into said feed pan, said telescopic connection between said upper and lower drop tubes constituting a first lost motion connection (29) thereby to permit relative movement of said feed pan and said conveyor toward and away from one another, a second lost motion connection (32) between said feed pan and said grill for enabling relative vertical movement of said feed pan and said grill between a raised position and a lowered position, and a third lost motion connection (52) between said collar and said drop tube to permit relative vertical and rocking movement between said collar and said drop tube thereby to accommodate unevenness in the level of the floor of said poultry house.