Abstract:
A round bale hay feeder is designed for utilization specifically by horses. The round bale feeder is formed with a generally horizontal cylindrical body that is supported above the ground by support legs that positioned the cylindrical body at a height to permit horses to paw at the hay without subjecting their legs to injury. The cylindrical body is formed from a series of parallel rings that are horizontally spaced a sufficient distance to provide for an open feeding by horses. A roof is mounted on the cylindrical body to shield the hay partially from the elements. A perforated floor covers the bottom of the cylindrical body to retain the hay within the body while allowing the passage of air to the hay.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to hay bale feeders for use in dispensing hay as a food source for animals and, more particularly, to a feeding device that is suited for utilization with round bales for feeding hay to horses. 
     The known process for feeding hay to animals, such as horses, typically results in an inefficient loss of hay from the feeder, which becomes unavailable to the animals. Furthermore, the design of the known hay feeders does not adequately deter or prevent injuries to animals, such as horses, which are easily frightened while eating. 
     Round hay bales are typically formed in a cylindrical shape and weigh more than 1000 pounds. As a result, round hay bales are normally transported by tractors or skid steer loaders on spear-like carriers designed to impale the end of the cylindrical bale. Dispensing the hay to the animals is often the process of dropping the round bale on the ground in an open area for access by the animals to be fed. Such a feeding process exposes the hay to contamination from ground moisture, the weather, animal wastes and dirt. Furthermore, the hay can become a marking territory for the dominant horses and bedding material for others. Accordingly, this feeding process generally wastes up to 50% of the hay with respect to being available for feed for the animals. Therefore, feeding animals in the open range or pasture by dropping the round hay bale on the ground increases feeding costs. Furthermore, since a round bale of hay under these conditions is not likely to last for four days for four horses during the winter, increased costs of transporting additional round bales also adds to the cost of feeding hay to the animals. 
     Most round bale feeders that are commercially available are designed to minimize the waste issues associated with the dropping of the round bale onto the ground, but are more generalized for use by stock farm animals and are not particularly well adapted for use by horses. Horses are herd animals that instinctively rely on large numbers for safety. Horses are easily spooked and move quickly when startled by noise, smells, strong winds and even other dominant horses. Injuries to horses are often self-imposed when yielding to more dominant horses. When near feeders that have sharp edges or protrusions, horses often jump without looking and land hard on the edges or protrusions and receive corresponding injuries. Furthermore, horse can become entangled in conventional hay feeders when attempting to jump over the feeder to avoid being kicked or bitten by other more dominant horses. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a round bale hay feeder for horses that would minimize the opportunity for injury to the horses, while providing a feeding environment that will minimize waste for the hay product being dispensed to the horses. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art by providing a round bale hay feeder that is designed to be utilized by horses. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide a round bale hay feeder that minimizes the loss of hay as a source of feed material to horses. 
     It is a feature of this invention that the round bale feeder does not have any sharp edges or protrusions exposed externally for impact by horses while eating hay therefrom. 
     It is an advantage of this invention that the round bale feeder is designed for use by horses. 
     It is another feature of this invention that the round bale feeder is formed in a horizontally extending cylindrical body to conform to the general shape of round bales of hay to be dispensed therefrom. 
     It is another advantage of this invention that the design of the cylindrical body of the round bale feeder minimizes the chances of injury from a horse running into the feeder structure. 
     It is still another feature of this invention that the height of the feeder structure above the ground is designed to facilitate feeding therefrom by horses. 
     It is still another advantage of this invention that the height of the cylindrical body of the round bale feeder above the ground protects horses legs from injuries. 
     It is yet another feature of this invention that the cylindrical body provides wide openings for access to the hay by horses. 
     It is yet another advantage of this invention that the access of hay by horses via an insertion of their head into the cylindrical body of the round bale feeder does not result in the loss of mane hair. 
     It is a further feature of this invention that the round bale feeder protects the round bale of hay from the elements by providing a roof over the cylindrical body housing the round bale of hay. 
     It is a further advantage of this invention that the round bale of hay is more efficiently dispensed to horses, resulting in less loss and lower cost. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide a round bale feeder for dispensing hay as a feed from a round bale to horses that is durable in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile in assemblage, and simple and effective in use. 
     These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplished according to the instant invention by providing a round bale hay feeder adapted for utilization specifically by horses. The round bale feeder is formed with a generally horizontal cylindrical body that is supported above the ground by support legs that positioned the cylindrical body at a height to permit horses to paw at the hay without subjecting their legs to injury. The cylindrical body is formed from a series of parallel rings that are horizontally spaced a sufficient distance to provide for an open feeding by horses. A roof is mounted on the cylindrical body to shield the hay partially from the elements. A perforated floor covers the bottom of the cylindrical body to retain the hay within the body while allowing the passage of air to the hay. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a round bale feeder incorporating the principles of the instant invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a end elevational view of the round bale feeder shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a door pivotally mounted on the ends of the cylindrical body; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a weld assembly forming a portion of the cylindrical body of the round bale feeder; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the roof member; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the hinge mounting the door to the endmost ring of the cylindrical body; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view of the latch connecting the door to the endmost ring of the cylindrical body; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the round bale feeder adapted for movement across a field from one location to another, the perforated floor covering being deleted for purposes of clarity; and 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the skid member shown in FIG.  8 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, a round bale feeder incorporating the principles of the instant invention can best be seen. The round bale feeder  10  includes a generally horizontally disposed cylindrical body  12  formed from tubular rings  13 , preferably fabricated from tubular steel that includes a covering, such as paint, to prevent rusting while exposed to the weather. The circular rings  13  are arranged in a parallel orientation spaced horizontally a distance sufficient to permit a horse&#39;s head to enter between adjacent rings  13  without the horses being afraid to place their head into a small opening, or to rub their mane hair off their head. A longitudinal spacing of about 18 inches is adequate for the purposes intended. The diameter of the rings  13  is preferably approximately six feet, while the overall length of the cylindrical body is also preferably approximately six feet, to permit the introduction of a conventional round bale of hay as will be described in greater detail below. 
     As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cylindrical body is formed from three major weld assemblies, left and right corresponding body weld assemblies  13 , as depicted in FIG. 4, and a roof weld assembly  30  depicted in FIG.  5 . Each body weld assembly  13  is formed from a longitudinal central frame member  15  and a plurality of attached ring segments  17  that are connected to the longitudinal frame member  15  that serves to support the ring segments  17  and to maintain spacing therebetween. The frame member  15  incorporates a pair of longitudinally spaced box member portions  16  near opposing ends of the frame member  15  that receive supports  44 , as will be described in greater detail below. The upper end of each ring segment  17  is formed in a manner to permit connection of the roof weld assembly  30 , such as by flattening the ends of the tubular ring segments and forming an opening therein. 
     Each endmost ring segment  17   a  is formed with a hinge tube  26  to mate with a pair of vertically spaced hinge lugs  18  on the corresponding door  20 , as is depicted in FIG.  6  through which a hinge pin  27  is positioned to pivotally mount the door  20  to the corresponding endmost ring  17   a . The opposing body weld assembly  13  is formed identically so that a hinge mechanism  18 ,  26  is positioned on both transverse sides of the cylindrical body  12  and on both ends of the cylindrical body  12 . Accordingly, the door  20  on either respective end of the cylindrical body  12  can be pivotally hinged at either respective transverse side in the manner depicted in FIG.  6 . The opposing transverse side of the endmost ring segment  17   a  can then be used to form the latch by using a latch pin  28  passing through aligned hinge lugs  18  and hinge tube  26 . The latch pin  28  is preferably formed with a bend end  29  or other appropriate device to facilitate grasping and removing the latch pin  28  to open the door  20  to the cylindrical body  12 . Preferably, the hinge pin  27  has a larger diameter than the latch pin  28  because the latch pin  28  is preferably retained loosely in the corresponding hinge lugs  18  and hinge tube  26 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 5, the roof weld assembly  30  is formed with a plurality of arcuate segments  32  interconnected by longitudinally extending frame rails  33 . The arcuate segments  32  support a roof member  34  to cover the upper portion of the cylindrical body  12 . The longitudinal frame rails  33  are formed with openings therein that align with the connecting ends  19  of the ring segments  17 , thus permitting the roof weld assembly  30  to be detachably connected by fasteners to the opposing body weld assemblies  13 . The opposing body weld assemblies  13  are detachably connected by fasteners extending through aligned openings in the respective longitudinally frame members  15 . Preferably, the roof member will cover a arcuate segment of about 80 to 120 degrees centered on the top apex of the circular circumference of the cylindrical body  12 . Each door  20  can also have mounted thereon a shield  35  that continues the projection of the roof member  34  around the ends of the cylindrical body  12 . The roof member  34  and roof shield  35  is preferably formed from sheet metal. 
     The joined longitudinal frame members  15  form fore-and-aft completed box sections  16  that define vertical support legs  16   a  into the longitudinal frame members  15 . Each support leg  16   a  could optionally extend downwardly at the centerline of the cylindrical body  12 , but are adapted to receive a support post  44 ,  46  to minimize contact between the support post  44 ,  46  and cooperative support leg  16   a  with the horses accessing hay within the feeder  10 . When the support posts  46  are firmly supported in the ground, the cylindrical body  12  is rigidly supported for access to the hay therein by animals, such as horses. To further minimize engagement between the legs of the horses and the support posts  44 ,  46 , the posts  44 ,  46  and support legs  16   a  are constructed to position the bottom apex of the circumference of the cylindrical body  12  at a location approximately 30-36 inches above the surface of the ground. 
     The round bale hay feeder  10  can be adapted for mounting on support posts  46  that are fixed into the ground, thus providing a stationary round bale feeder  10  for horses or other livestock. The box section support legs  16   a  would receive a corresponding support post  46 , which would then preferably be fastened to the support leg  16   a  by fasteners passing through aligned openings in the support legs  16   a  and corresponding support posts  46 . Alternatively, as is best depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9, the longitudinal frame member  15  could be attached to skid members  40  formed from a transverse length of round tubing to define a transverse ground-engaging skid  42  with an upright support post  44  affixed to the skid  42 . The support post  44  would be received in each of the support legs  16   a  and attached thereto by fasteners passing thorough aligned openings. Thus, the round bale hay feeder  10  can be mobile in that a tractor or other prime mover could slide the round bale hay feeder  10  from one location to another with the transverse skids  42  riding over the ground. The skid members  40  can be made in alternative lengths to provide a round bale feeder  10  that is particularly utilizable by horses, and a lower version that is particularly utilizable by livestock, such as cattle. 
     To restrict access to the interior of the cylindrical body  12 , each end thereof has preferably mounted thereon a door  20 , best seen in elevation in FIG.  3 . Each door  20  is preferably formed in a circular configuration having a diameter substantially equal to the cylindrical body  12 . As noted above, a door is pivotally mounted on hinge pins  27  supported on corresponding endmost ring segments  17   a  at each end of the cylindrical body  12 . Each door is formed from a circular ring  22  to which is welded a support frame  24  that spans across the interior of the circular ring  22 . The hinge lugs  18  are welded on the circular ring  22  in general longitudinal alignment with the support frame  24 , which as best seen in FIG. 1 lies on the interior of the door  20  to minimize engagement therewith by the horses. 
     The lower portion of the cylindrical body  12  has mounted thereto a perforated flooring member  36 , which can be in the form of a wire mesh, a screen, or preferably perforated sheet metal, that covers an arcuate segment of about 80 to 120 degrees centered on the lower apex of the circular circumference of the cylindrical body  12 . The perforated flooring  36  retains the hay within the feeder  10  while permitting the passage of air into the hay for the purpose of drying any moisture that may collect in the hay from the weather. Preferably, the cylindrical body  12  will be provided with a buffer rail  38  along the upper edge of the wire mesh flooring  35  to provide a support for mounting the flooring member  35 , but more importantly, to protect the horses from injury from the edger of the flooring member  35  when reaching into the interior of the cylindrical body  12  to reach hay therein. Preferably, each door section  22  is also provided with a similar perforated flooring cover  39  along the lower portion thereof to correspond to the projection of the flooring member  36  around the ends of the cylindrical body  12 . In addition, the support frame  24  of each door  20  also forms a buffer rail  38   a  that is in alignment with the buffer rail  38  on the sides of the cylindrical body  12  for the same purposes as expressed above with respect to the buffer rail  38 . 
     In operation, a round bale of hay is delivered to the rounder bale feeder  10  in a conventional manner via a tractor or loader. After opening the door  20  at one end of the cylindrical body  12 , the round bale (not shown) is inserted into the interior of the cylindrical body  12  and rested on the lower portion of the rings segments  17  against the perforated flooring member  36 . The door  20  is then closed and latched to prevent unintentional opening, and access is then available to horses desiring hay to eat. The roof structure  30  will shed most of the rain or snow from the top surface of the hay within the cylindrical body  12 , thus helping to prevent spoilage of the hay. Also, the passage of air through the perforated flooring member  36  will facilitate the drying of any moisture that reaches the hay within the interior of the cylindrical body  12 . 
     The arcuate cylindrical configuration of the body  12  of the feeder  10  minimizes the possibility of injury to a horse due to the horse impacting the feeder  10 . Thus, the design of the feeder  10  minimizes serious injuries to horses feeding from the apparatus  10 . The configuration of the feeder  10  also provides visual privacy from other horses utilizing the feeder  10 , at least with respect to horses utilizing the opposite side of the feeder  10 . Since the feeder  10  reduces waste in the way of spillage from the feeder, and with respect to spoilage from the elements, considerable cost savings for providing feed to horses can be achieved through the use of the feeder  10 . While the cylindrical body  12  is designed to receive round bales of hay, which are generally 30% cheaper than conventional rectangular bales of hay to purchase or to harvest, one skilled in the art will recognize that the smaller rectangular hay bales could also be loaded into the cylindrical body for feeding to horses. Furthermore, loose hay could also be loaded into the feeder for dispensing to horses. The doors  20  prevent large animals, such as horses, from climbing into the interior of the cylindrical body  12 , but does not restrict the horses from accessing the hay within the interior of the cylindrical body  12  through the doors  20 , as the spacing of the framework forming the doors  20  is at least as great as the spacing between the upright circular rings  13  forming the cylindrical body  12 . 
     It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles and scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description, may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.