Grass feeder

Abstract

To provide a grass feeder made of plants (pasture) used as food for herbivorous pet animals, in particular dried stem or leaf of poaceous plants such as rice plant and wheat.SOLUTION: A posture feeder 1 includes: a back face member 10 formed knitted straw material 2; a front face member 20 hinged to a lower edge 11 of the back face member 10 and on which a feeding opening 27 from which a pet animal draw out a stored pasture is provided; a connection string 30 made of plants for connecting adjacent side edges 12, 22 of the back face member 10 and the front face member 20; and a bundle cover member 40 formed by bundled straw material and hinged to an upper edge 23 of the front face member 20. A length L from a hinge part 41 to the tip 42 of the bundle cover member 40 is made longer than an opening width H when tilted in a direction away from the front face member 20 with respect to the back face member 10. When tilted in the back face direction, the bundle cover member 40 comes into contact with the back face member 10 to close the upper face opening 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a forage feeder used when feeding forage to herbivorous pet animals.

Background Art

[0002] When breeding herbivorous pet animals such as rabbits and chinchillas, it is necessary to feed forage as a source of fiber for nutrition. Generally, a certain amount of forage is put into a forage feeder and installed in a breeding cage. The forage feeder is formed in a size that can be filled with a predetermined amount of forage required by small animals, and its shape is generally a box shape such as a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped.

[0003] Generally, at least on the front of such a rectangular forage feeder, an opening suitable for chewing and pulling out forage to eat is provided. Such forage feeders are generally made of wood, synthetic resin, or metal. There is one described in Patent Document 1 as such a forage feeder.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Animals of the order Lagomorpha and Rodentia such as rabbits and guinea pigs have the habit of gnawing things, and they not only gnaw on food but also gnaw on breeding containers such as forage feeders and damage them. Therefore, synthetic resin and metal are used as materials that are difficult to break. In a forage feeder made of synthetic resin, it is not preferable for health because small animals may swallow the crushed pieces gnawed by them. In a forage feeder made of metal, there is a problem that the teeth are easily damaged by the gnawing behavior. Therefore, a wooden forage feeder as described in Patent Document 1 was provided. However, compared with a metal one, a wooden forage feeder is more likely to be gnawed. If it is gnawed even partially and damaged, it can no longer be used as a forage feeder, and the service life of a wooden forage feeder is short. And each time a damaged wooden forage feeder occurred, it was necessary to replace the damaged part or the whole, which was troublesome. In addition, when the forage feeder is made of wood, synthetic resin or metal in a rectangular box shape, there is also a problem that it is too bulky and heavy, and it costs too much for transportation and storage in a warehouse. Some of the wooden feeders are foldable. However, it is necessary to use a metal hinge for the folding part. If this part is gnawed, it is easy to damage the teeth. Also, when the feeding is delayed, there is a risk that the pet animal may starve and harm its health.

[0006] Therefore, as a result of various studies to solve these problems, the present inventors considered that as a material for the forage feeder, plants (forage) that are feed for herbivorous pet animals, particularly the dried stems and leaves of gramineous plants such as rice and wheat, in other words, these straw materials are preferable, and the present invention has been completed with a foldable structure.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The forage feeder 1 according to claim 1 is composed of a back member 10 formed by weaving straw material 2, a front member 20 formed by weaving straw material 2, which is hinged to the lower edge 11 of the back member 10 and is provided with a feeding opening 27 through which a small animal can pull out the stored forage, a plant-made connecting string 30 that connects the adjacent side edges 12 and 22 of the back member 10 and the front member 20, and a bundle cover member 40 formed by bundling straw materials and hinged to the upper edge 23 of the front member 20. The length L from the butting portion 41 to the tip 42 of the covering member 40 is formed to be longer than the length of the connecting string 30 that defines the opening width H of the upper surface opening 5 between the back member 10 and the front member 20 when the front member 20 is tilted in the direction of separating from the back member 10, and is formed so as to abut against the back member 10 when the covering member 40 is tilted backward to close the upper surface opening 5.

[0008] Claim 2 relates to the covering member 40. In the forage feeder 1 according to claim 1, The base portion 43 of the covering member 40 is bound with the straw material 2, whereby the butting portion 41 is formed in a ring shape. A plant-made support frame member 25A is provided on the upper edge 23 of the front member 20. The support frame member 25A is inserted into the ring-shaped butting portion 41, and the covering members 40 are butted side by side so as to close the upper surface opening 5.

[0009] Claim 3 relates to the material. In the forage feeder 1 according to claim 1 or 2, The straw material 2 is the dried stem or leaf of a gramineous plant, or the stem and leaf.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] Since the forage feeder 1 of the present invention is formed entirely or almost entirely of the straw material 2 that serves as feed, even if a small animal gnaws on the forage feeder 1, it will not damage its teeth or harm its health. Moreover, even if feeding is delayed, the forage feeder 1 itself serves as feed, so it is possible to relieve the owner's anxiety about delayed feeding.

[0011] In the forage feeder 1 of the present invention, the adjacent side edges 12 and 22 of the back member 10 and the front member 20 are connected by the connecting string 30, and the covering member 40 is butted against the upper edge 23 of the front member 20, so it can be folded when not in use and the bulk can be reduced.

[0012] Since the bundled lid member 40 formed by bundling the straw materials 2 is hinged to the upper edge 23 of the front member 20, it is easy to open and close and easy to put the forage into the forage feeder 1 for livestock. And since the length L of the bundled lid member 40 is formed longer than the opening width H of the upper surface opening 5 of the forage feeder 1, even if a small animal gets on the bundled lid member 40, it will not fall into the forage feeder 1. In addition, the bundled lid member 40 is formed by binding its base 43 with the straw materials 2 and is hinged side by side so as to close the upper surface opening 5, so that a small animal on the bundled lid member 40 can also pull out and eat the internal forage from the gap between the bundled lid members 40.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

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Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] An example of the forage feeder 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The forage feeder 1 is entirely or almost entirely formed of straw. The straw used as a material in the present invention is the stem or leaf of a dried gramineous plant, or the stem and leaf, and typical examples thereof include rice straw, wheat straw, perennial ryegrass, orchard grass, and the like.

[0015] The structure of the forage feeder 1 is composed of a back member 10, a front member 20, a connecting string 30, and a bundling cover member 40. The skeleton diagram thereof is shown in FIG. 11.

[0016] The back member 10 is formed of a back frame 15 assembled into a quadrilateral that shapes the outer shape of the back member 10, a back side warp 16 formed of straw 2, and a back side weft 18. Since the back frame 15 shapes the outer shape of the back member 10, it may be any material as long as it is plant-based and has strength. In this embodiment, thin rods of bamboo or wood are bent to form a quadrilateral. Instead of thin rods of bamboo or wood, thick stems of dried forage may be used.

[0017] Soft straw 2 is wound around the back frame 15 over its entire length. The upper frame 15a of the back frame 15 around which the straw 2 is wound is taken as the upper edge 13 of the back member 10, the lower frame 15c of the back frame 15 around which the straw 2 is wound is taken as the lower edge 11 of the back member 10, and the side frame 15b of the back frame 15 around which the straw 2 is wound is taken as the side edge 12 of the back member 10 (FIG. 11).

[0018] The material used as the back side warp 16 is a bundle of a plurality of straws 2 or a twisted string obtained by twisting them, and is spanned between the upper edge 13 and the lower edge 11 of the back member 10 at regular intervals from the adjacent back side warp 16, and its ends are wound around the upper edge 13 (upper frame 15a) and the lower edge 11 (lower frame 15c). There are three back side warps 16 in this embodiment (FIG. 11).

[0019] The back - side weft yarn 18 is similar to the back - side warp yarn 16, which is a bundle of multiple straw materials or a twisted string formed by twisting them, and is stretched between the left and right side edges 12 (side frames 15b) of the back member 10 so as to be alternately woven like a tatami surface between the plurality of back - side warp yarns 16. A fibrous string 60 like a hemp string is tied to the middle part between the upper frame 15a of the back frame 15 of the back member 10 and the back - side warp yarn 16, and is hung down on the back of the back member 10.

[0020] The front member 20 is also quadrilateral like the back member 10, and is composed of a front frame 25, front - side warp yarns 26, and front - side weft yarns 28. The lateral width of the front member 20 is made the same as that of the back member 10, and the height is about half of that of the back member 10. The front frame 25, front - side warp yarns 26, and front - side weft yarns 28 of the front member 20 are made of the same material as the back member 10. The front member 20 is provided with a feeding opening 27 for pulling out the stored forage.

[0021] Soft straw materials are wound around the entire length of the front frame 25. The upper frame 25a of the front frame 25 around which the straw material 2 is wound is set as the upper edge 23 of the front member 20, the lower frame 25c of the front frame 25 around which the straw material 2 is wound is set as the lower edge 21 of the front member 20, and the side frame 25b of the front frame 25 around which the straw material 2 is wound is set as the side edge 22 of the front member 20 (Fig. 11). And a plurality of front - side warp yarns 26 are stretched with a predetermined interval between the upper edge 23 (upper frame 25a) and the lower edge 21 (lower frame 25c) of the front member 20, and their ends are wound around the upper edge 23 (upper frame 25a) and the lower edge 21 (lower frame 25c). The material used for this front - side warp yarn 26 is, like the back member 10, a bundle of multiple soft straw materials 2 or a twisted string formed by twisting them.

[0022] Since the lid member 40 needs to be provided on the upper edge 23 of the front member 20 so as to be able to be tilted, this part is configured as follows. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the bundling cover member 40 bends the straw material 2, and wraps the straw material 2 around one end (base portion 43) thereof to form a ring-shaped butted portion 41. From the base portion 43 around which the straw material 2 is wrapped to the tip 42, the bent straw material 2 is exposed, and there is no wrapping of the straw material 2. The ring-shaped butted portion 41 formed in this way is attached so as to wrap around the upper frame 25a (upper edge 13) of the front frame 25 on which the straw material 2 is wrapped. Therefore, in this case, the upper frame 25a (upper edge 13) serves as the support frame member 25A for butting the bundling cover member 40. Of course, the support frame member 25A may be provided with a separate member at the upper edge 13 without using a part of the front frame 25, although not shown.

[0023] The weft 28, similar to the warp 25, is a material obtained by bundling a plurality of straw materials 2 or a twisted string obtained by twisting these. At the upper and lower parts of the front member 20, the weft 28 is stretched between the left and right side frames 25b of the front frame 25 that becomes the side edge 22 thereof, so as to alternately weave between the warps 25 like a tatami surface. In the middle part between the upper and lower parts, since a plurality of feeding openings 27 are formed, the weft 28 is not stretched between the left and right side frames 25b, but is wound around each of the warps 25 composed of a plurality of (here, two) straw materials 2 so as to be woven in. As a result, feeding openings 27 are formed between adjacent warps 25.

[0024] Here, the upper frame 25a of the front frame 25 that becomes the upper edge 23 of the front member 20 is the attachment portion of the bundling cover member 40 as described above, and the lower frame 25c of the front frame 25 that becomes the lower edge 21 of the front member 20 is the butted portion with the lower frame 15c of the back frame 15 that is the lower edge 11 of the back member 10. The lower frame 25c (lower edge 21) and the lower frame 15c (lower edge 11) are tied together with a fibrous string material 29 like a hemp string, and this part becomes the butted portion (FIG. 7).

[0025] Then, the side edges 12 and 22 of the back member 10 and the front member 20 are connected by a plant-based flexible connecting string 30 (Fig. 1). That is, the adjacent side frames 15b and 25b of the back and front frames 15 and 25 of the back and front members 10 and 20 that form the side edges 12 and 22 of the back member 10 and the front member 20 are connected by the connecting string 30. The connecting string 30 is a twisted string of plant fibers like hemp, and warp threads are connected to a plurality of weft threads connected between the adjacent side frames 15b and 25b to form a triangular net. When the front member 20 is pulled forward so as to be separated from the back member 10, an upper surface opening 5 is provided between the upper edge 23 of the front member 20 and the back member 10. Let the opening width of this upper surface opening 5 be H.

[0026] The bundle cover member 40 is formed by lengthening the straw material 2 as described above and folding it multiple times, and its base 43 is bundled with the same straw material 2. The bundling end is formed in a ring shape and is rotatably attached to a plant-made support frame member 25A provided on the upper edge 23 of the front member 20. This part is the hinged part 41 of the bundle cover member 40. A plurality of bundle cover members 40 are arranged and provided on the support frame member 25A so as to cover the entire upper surface opening 5. This bundle cover member 40 can not only rotate at the hinged part 41, but also bend horizontally around the hinged part 41. Therefore, in the closed state of the upper surface opening 5, a gap can be easily created between adjacent bundle cover members 40.

[0027] The length L from the hinged part 41 to the tip 42 of the bundle cover member 40 is formed to be slightly longer than the opening width H in the front-rear direction of the upper surface opening 5 between the upper edge 23 of the front member 20 and the back member 10 (Fig. 8). Therefore, when trying to close the upper surface opening 5 with the bundle cover member 40 and rotating it downward from above around the hinged part 41 in the direction of the back member 10, the tip 42 of the bundle cover member 40 abuts against the back member 10 and closes the upper surface opening 5 without entering inside.

[0028] Next, the usage method of the forage feeder 1 of the present invention will be described. Tie the string 60 provided on the back member 10 of the forage feeder 1 to the wall surface of a breeding cage (not shown) and set it. In this state, open the bundling lid member 40 and fill the inside with forage (not shown) through the upper opening 5. When the filling of the forage is completed, close the bundling lid member 40 and feed the small animals in this state. The small animal inserts its head into the feeding opening 27 of the front member 20 and pulls out and eats the forage inside. At this time, even if the small animal accidentally gnaws on the feeding opening 27, since this part is made of the straw material 2 which is the food of the small animal, it will not hurt the small animal's teeth or harm its health.

[0029] Also, even if a small animal climbs on the bundling lid member 40, since the length L of the bundling lid member 40 is larger than the opening width H of the upper opening 5 as described above, the bundling lid member 40 is supported by the back member 10, and the small animal will not fall into the inside of the forage feeder 1. And since the bundling lid member 40 rotates individually or bends laterally and easily creates a gap with the adjacent bundling lid member 40, the small animal on the bundling lid member 40 can also eat the forage inside through this gap.

[0030] And even if the feeding is delayed, since the forage feeder 1 itself is composed of the food of the small animal, the small animal will not starve by eating this. If the forage feeder 1 is eaten up, a new forage feeder 1 will be set again, and there is no trouble in replacement.

[0031] When the forage feeder 1 is not in use, as shown in Fig. 10, bounce the bundling lid member 40 upward and fold the front member 20 from its lower edge 21 in the direction of the back member 10, then the connecting string 30 will bend and it can be easily folded small. Thereby, it can be folded small during storage or transportation, and the bulk can be reduced.

Industrial Applicability

[0032] By forming the whole or almost the whole of the forage feeder 1 with the dried straw material 2 of plants, even if a small animal gnaws on the forage feeder 1, it will not hurt its teeth or cause harm to its health. Moreover, the anxiety about feeding delay is also eliminated.

Explanation of Signs

[0033] 1: Forage feeder, 2: Straw material, 5: Upper surface opening, 10: Rear member, 11: Lower edge, 12: Side edge, 13: Upper edge, 15: Rear frame, 15a: Upper frame, 15b: Side frame, 15c: Lower frame, 16: Rear side warp, 18: Rear side weft, 20: Front member, 21: Lower edge, 22: Side edge, 23: Upper edge, 25: Front frame, 25A: Support frame material, 25a: Upper frame, 25b: Side frame, 25c: Lower frame: 26: Front side warp, 27: Feeding opening, 28: Front side weft, 29: String material, 30: Connecting string, 40: Bundle cover member, 41: Hinged part, 42: Tip, 43: Base, 60: String, H: Opening width, L: Length of bundle cover member

Claims

1. A back member 10 formed by weaving straw materials 2, A front member 20 formed by weaving straw materials 2, attached to the lower edge 11 of the back member 10 in a butterfly shape, and provided with a feeding opening 27 through which small animals can pull out the stored forage, A plant-made connecting string 30 connecting the adjacent side edges 12 and 22 of the back member 10 and the front member 20, In a forage feeder 1 composed of a bundled straw member 40 formed by bundling straw materials and attached to the upper edge 23 of the front member 20 in a butterfly shape, The length L from the butted portion 41 to the tip 42 of the bundled lid member 40 is formed longer than the length of the connecting string 30 that defines the opening width H of the upper surface opening 5 between the back member 10 and the front member 20 when the front member 20 is tilted in a direction separating it from the back member 10, and is formed so as to abut against the back member 10 when the bundled lid member 40 is tilted backward to close the upper surface opening 5. A forage feeder characterized by this.

2. The butted portion 41 of the bundled lid member 40 is formed in a ring shape by tying the base 43 with straw materials 2, A plant-made support frame member 25A is provided on the upper edge 23 of the front member 20, The support frame member 25A is inserted into the ring-shaped butted portion 41, and the bundled lid members 40 are arranged and attached in a butterfly shape so as to close the upper surface opening 5. The forage feeder according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The straw material 2 is the dried stem or leaf of a gramineous plant, or the stem and leaf. The forage feeder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by this.

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