Livestock Feeder with Segmented Access Levels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional livestock feeders suffer from significant feed waste due to trampling, spoilage, and unnatural feeding postures, as animals can easily access and push feed material out, leading to inefficiencies and potential injuries.
Innovation Solution
A feeder design featuring a lower portion with a sidewall and spaced-apart bars that form a feed-receiving enclosure, combined with an upper portion having a smaller intermediate member and closely spaced second bars to limit access, allowing animals to feed naturally while preventing feed material from being trampled or wasted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional feeders with large vertical openings are used, then animals can access feed material easily, but feed material is pushed out and trampled causing significant waste
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder is divided into multiple horizontal levels with animals able to access feed at different heights. The feed structure is segmented into upper and lower portions with animals able to access feed at different levels, preventing them from pushing all feed to one side and out of the feeder.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a vertical dimension to feed access by allowing animals to reach feed at multiple height levels rather than a single ground level. This multi-level access prevents feed from being pushed horizontally out of the feeder by distributing access points throughout the vertical space.
2Loss of substance
If animals are allowed to access feed at elevated positions, then feed waste from ground contact is reduced, but animals adopt unnatural feeding postures that may cause injury
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder provides multiple access levels at different heights, allowing animals to choose comfortable feeding positions. This segmentation of vertical space enables animals to maintain natural head and neck postures while accessing elevated feed, reducing injury risk from unnatural positioning.
3Ease of operation
If feed material is placed on the ground in a pile, then animals can feed freely, but large quantities are wasted through trampling and spoilage
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder structure segments feed into protected elevated portions and accessible lower portions. Animals can freely access feed at multiple levels within the structured feeder, maintaining feeding freedom while preventing ground contact that causes trampling and spoilage waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeder structure acts as an intermediary between the ground and feed material. By elevating feed portions on the feeder structure, ground contact is prevented, eliminating the mediator role of the ground that leads to trampling and spoilage while maintaining animal access.
4Ease of operation
If conventional cylindrical feeders with upright bars are used, then animals can reach feed through bars, but animals remove heads to eat and drop feed on the ground causing waste
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder divides feed access into multiple horizontal levels with animals able to access feed at different heights. This vertical segmentation allows animals to feed at elevated positions where dropped feed falls back into the feeder structure rather than onto the ground, reducing waste.
Data Source
AI summary
A feeder for livestock, the feeder comprises a lower portion including a sidewall having a top portion and a bottom portion, at least a portion of the sidewall forming a feed-receiving enclosure. A plurality of spaced-apart first bars, each the first bar extend inwardly from the top portion of the sidewall and are spaced sufficiently apart to allow an animal to place its head therebetween during feeding. An upper portion includes a top member and an intermediate member having a substantially smaller perimeter than a perimeter of the top portion of the sidewall. At least some of the first bars extend between the sidewall and the intermediate member. A plurality of spaced-apart second bars are also provided, each the second bar extending between the intermediate member and the top member spaced close enough to prevent feeding from the top portion.