Manger for round hay bales

A hay manger for large round bales of hay has a square box at the bottom which keeps any hay that falls from the bale dry. At each corner of the box is a vertical post. The posts are connected by horizontal cross braces. Slanted bars are located at appropriate intervals to both support the hay and to keep the cattle from actually entering the box. The bars are attached to the upper horizontal cross-bars and slant towards the center of the lower box. Attached to the horizontal cross braces approximately five feet from the top edge of the lower box are L-shaped hooks which support the bulk of the weight of the large round bales. The cattle eat the hay from the bottom. Since the bale is supported by the L-shaped hooks, loose hay is easily provided for the cattle feeding. Additionally, the inward slant of the bars creates a large amount of comfortable shoulder room for the animals and keeps the majority of the hay from the ground since nearly all falling hay drops into the box.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to the field of animal husbandry. More particularly, 
it relates to the field involving the dispensing of hay for livestock. 
In the animal husbandry field, it is common to feed hay to cows and other 
livestock by use of a manger or livestock feeder. The normal bale of hay 
weighs 3/4 of a ton to a ton. Although hay bales were formerly formed in 
smaller units, today it is common practice to roll the hay into large 
essentially cylindrical bales. These bales are then fed to cattle in order 
to increase the production of the cattle. The average animal will eat 
approximately 3% of its own weight per day, which translates to eighteen 
pounds of fodder a day for a six-hundred pound cow. 
One problem currently encountered in the use of large round bales of hay is 
that the hay is rolled so tightly that the animal feeding on the hay has a 
difficult time securing enough loose hay to eat. Oftentimes the bales are 
rolled so tightly, or placed in conventional mangers in such a way, that 
the animal has to fight for each mouthful of hay that it is to consume. 
This creates the problem of the cattle spending less time eating and more 
time fighting the hay bale for loose hay. 
It is an object of this invention to provide a unique new manger design for 
dispensing hay which allows the cattle to loosen the hay without 
struggling each time the cattle are to feed. 
An average herd of animals (about 45 cattle) will consume approximately 
21/2 bales of hay per week using the current manger systems. The instant 
device will increase that consumption to approximately 31/2 bales per 
week. It is another object of this invention to increase the ease of hay 
consumption and the amount of hay consumption for cattle. 
Mangers now in use currently do not have an effective means of keeping 
inadvertently spilled hay dry. It is another object of this invention to 
provide a means for keeping loose hay from falling onto the ground. The 
provision for keeping the hay from the wet ground keeps the hay dry so 
that water is not allowed to soak into the hay. It is a still further 
object of this invention to keep hay waste to a minimum and to provide a 
container into which the hay will fall so as to preserve the edibility of 
such hay. 
Other types of animal feeders for large round bales of hay have been known 
in the art. For example, the 1992 patent issued to Martin for an animal 
feeder describes an animal manger used in conjunction with round bales of 
hay. Yet another livestock feeder for cylindrical bales is found in the 
1987 patent issued to Delichte. A portable livestock feeder patent was 
issued to Feterl in 1976. All of the above listed patents, while having 
certain salutary features, do not address the problems solved by the 
instant hay feeder. In particular, the weight of the bale of hay in all of 
the three previously cited devices compresses the hay so that loose hay is 
not available to the cattle. It is a still further object of this 
invention to provide a portable hay manger for large cylindrical bales of 
hay which provides loose hay at all times for consumption by cattle. Other 
and further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading 
the below described Specification. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVICE 
This device consists of a semi-portable hay manger having slanted side 
rails which are secured around an upper essentially square frame. The side 
rails slant inwardly from top to bottom. Also provided with this device is 
an essentially square lower box which catches fallen hay before it reaches 
the ground. A further refinement on this device includes a plurality of 
L-shaped hay hooks which suspend the round bale of hay in the air. When 
animals are feeding with this particular manger, they eat the round bale 
of hay from the bottom up. While this procedure would be impossible with 
other mangers, the unique placement of the hooks requires that the cattle 
loosen the hay only once for each bale consumed. The hay is partially 
suspended by the hooks and partially slumps towards the bottom of the hay 
manger. The partial suspension of the hay bale provides a unique means for 
the supply of a continuous amount of loose hay for cattle. A hinged gate 
on one side of the manger allows for easy access to the interior of the 
manger and deposition of the round hay bale on the L-shaped hooks. The 
manger is semi-portable and may be moved from place to place as necessary.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
A hay manger for large round hay bales is presented. The hay manger 
comprises essentially a lower hay containing box 2 and an upper pattern of 
slanted bars and braces. 
As best shown in FIG. 1 a large round hay bale 1 is placed in the upper 
portion of the hay manger. The hay manger has at its bottom a lower 
containment box 2 with an essentially square cross-section. 
The frame of the hay manger comprises vertical corner posts 7 located at 
each corner of the box. These vertical corner posts 7 are connected by 
horizontal upper 8 and lower 8' cross braces. The posts and cross braces 
form rectangles joined at the corner post 7. This structure is best shown 
on FIGS. 1 and 2. 
Attached to each essentially rectangular side and end is a plurality of 
slanted bars 3. As best shown on FIG. 3, these slanted bars 3 are 
connected to the upper horizontal cross braces 8. The manger comprises 
left 13, right sides 14 and ends 15 as shown on FIG. 3. The remaining gate 
end 16 of the manger comprises the hinged gate 5. This hinged gate 5, 
shown on FIG. 3, has only three slanted bars. The hinged gate 5 is hinged 
to vertical corner posts 7 and is arranged so that the hinged gate 5 may 
swing outwardly in the direction of the arrow shown on FIG. 3. The hinges 
6 for the gate 5 are best shown on FIG. 1. The gate may also be made so 
that the gate swings from both the left and right sides. 
The slanted bars 3 taper inwardly and downwardly and have their upper 
portions anchored to the upper horizontal cross braces 8. The slanted bars 
3 are spaced approximately 12 inches apart so as to allow the head of 
livestock to fit therebetween. 
The essentially rectangular configuration of the vertical corner posts 7 
and horizontal cross braces 8 and 8' have slanted oblique bars 3 spaced 
along the length of the side. As can best be shown in FIG. 3, the corner 
slanted bars 3' (which are located near the corner of the box and frame) 
may be welded to each other in order to provide a more stable 
configuration of the device. Furthermore, the number of slanted bars 3 
along any side or along the hinged gate 5 may vary depending upon the 
precise dimensions of the box and frame as well as the need for the 
appropriate amount of room for the animal's head. 
A unique means of supporting the round hay bale 1 is best shown on FIGS. 1, 
2, 3 and 5. Attached to opposite left 13 and right 14 horizontal cross 
braces 8 is an L-shaped hook 9. This L-shaped hook 9 may be attached to 
cross braces 8 by means of welding the L-shaped hook 9 to the brace 8 or 
by means of a movable bracket 10, shown on FIG. 4. The L-shaped hooks have 
an essentially inwardly extending horizontal portion attached to the 
horizontal cross brace 8 and an essentially upwardly extending vertical 
portion 12. This L-shaped hook and bracket are best shown on FIG. 4. 
Turning now to FIG. 5, it can be seen how the essentially large round bale 
(1 shown on FIG. 1) will slump by the force of gravity and by the force of 
cattle feeding from the bottom of the bale 1 into an essentially 
heart-shaped configuration 1'. As the cattle reach underneath the round 
bale to feed, they pull the hay loose from the round bale and the bale 
slumps towards the box 2. However, the L-shaped hooks 9 suspend the 
greater weight of the bale and the hay is thus loosened and available for 
easy feeding as shown in FIG. 5. As the cows feed, loose feed drops 
towards the lower portion of the bale and onto the floor of the box 2. The 
lower box 2 has an essentially square cross-section and comprises four 
vertical sides and a horizontal floor. 
Since the slanted bars 3 taper inwardly and downwardly towards the center 
portion of the box 2, a large shoulder space 11 is created for the 
animals' head and shoulders. In other devices, for example the animal 
feeder shown in Martin, the vertical configuration of the bars make it 
harder for the cattle to reach hay that has fallen near the center of the 
lower box. The slanted bars described herein also keep the hay suspended 
from the L-shaped hooks from being pulled out too far as the cattle eat 
the hay. This, in turn, keeps nearly 100% of the hay which inadvertently 
falls in the water-proof box 2 below. 
Although simple in configuration, the unique geometry of the slanted bars, 
as well as the lower box and the L-shaped hooks for suspension of the hay 
bale all create the optimum hay manger for the feeding of cattle. The 
lower box may be water-tight. 
The lower box 2 and upper slanted bars 3 and frame are easily transported 
from one area of the field to another, as needed, by a tractor or truck. 
The manger is approximately 6 feet high and approximately eight feet 
square, as shown herein. The distance between adjacent slanted bars 3 may 
also vary. The upper horizontal brace 8 is approximately 5 feet from the 
ground. The foregoing dimensions are for purposes of description only and 
are not meant as a limitation. Other shapes, lengths, widths and heights 
may also be utilized while still keep within the spirit and concept of the 
present invention. 
The lower box 2 may be constructed of wood, metal, fiberglass, or similar 
material. 
It is also possible to add a bumper on the end 15 of the hay manger to keep 
the round bale from rotating although such bumper has been found to be 
unnecessary in most applications.