Rotatable food dispenser

Abstract

A drum-shaped feed dispenser has a hollow body in the shape of a generally prolate spheroid with truncated longitudinal ends. The hollow body is made of a lightweight material such as plastic, and granular feed can be poured into the hollow body through one end. A circumferential band of the hollow body at the longitudinal center of the drum has an annual shape defining a central portion of the drum. The hollow body includes a plurality of longitudinal recessed channels extending from the end walls of the drum to the edges of the central portion. The end of each recessed channel adjacent the central portion of the drum is defined by a transverse side wall. A feed dispensing aperture through which the granular feed can pass is formed in at least one of the side walls. When an animal engages the drum to impart rotation, feed drops out of the apertures as they pass through the downward-facing direction. The vertical orientation of the side walls discourages rain water from entering the interior of the drum through the apertures, and the channels, which slope away from the center portion, provide a water run-off path which draws water away from the apertures. Asymmetric placement of the channels imparts an eccentric weighting which controls the rotation and resting position of the drum. The drum can be rolled directly on the ground or rotated while mounted on a stationary base.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.