Patent Publication Number: US-2005132966-A1

Title: Fowl feeding device

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
      The present application claims all available benefit, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/606,007, filed Jun. 25, 2003. By this reference, the full disclosure of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 10/606,007 is incorporated herein as though now set forth in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to feeding birds and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to feeding fowl in a natural environment.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      In the bird hunting industry, the production and retention of birds in a predetermined location is key to the continuing success of hunters, as well as to the operators of the hunting establishment. Many hunters return to proven hunting grounds or establishments, on at least an annual basis. The continued operation of the hunting establishment is directly tied to the ability to retain fowl in an immediate area. Those operations that excel at the retention of the fowl will have increased quantities of the fowl, as well as increased chances for reproduction of the fowl.  
      The retention of the fowl is largely dependent upon the habitat and the availability of food and water sources. In a natural setting, non-migratory fowl are territorial. As such, proper habitats must be established to provide each territory with an appropriate habitat. If an appropriate habitat is not available, the fowl will move to a more correct habitat. Challenges arise when multiple habitats must be created in controlled areas or tracts of land, as changing topography can provide a varied habitat.  
      Further complications arise when a large number of territories are established, as frequent visits to feed or refill food supply containers spread over numerous acres can prove to be an overwhelming task in itself. The distribution of small quantities of food product is not an efficient means for providing food to a feeder. If large quantities of food are distributed, they are likely be consumed by other animals. As most animals require food and water, it can prove to be challenging to provide continuous food and water sources in a natural setting. Small animals that already live in the natural habitat have access to any food or water source left for the fowl.  
      Accordingly, a feeding apparatus that provides the fowl with a protected source of food for extended periods in a natural habitat would be beneficial to operators of hunting establishments, as well as those raising large numbers of fowl.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with the present invention, a fowl feeding device is used to provide a long duration feeding solution in a natural habitat. The feeding device includes a reserve supply of food product to last substantially a month in situations where the fowl are in a natural habitat. The feeding device is suspended to prevent large animals from consuming large quantities of the food product, as well as insects, typically ants, from removing the stored food product. The suspension height of the feeding device is adjustable to enable recently hatched fowl to access the feeding device.  
      The invention further includes shielded dispense apertures to prevent varmints from enlarging the dispense apertures through chewing or gnawing, and thereby gaining access to the stored food product. The feeding device further includes a shroud to shield a dish from the elements.  
      It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a long duration fowl feeding device for a natural environment.  
      It is a further object of the present invention to provide an fowl feeding device that is suspended to deny access to insects, particularly ants.  
      It is still further an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable suspension height for the fowl feeding device, thereby providing newly hatched fowl with access thereto.  
      It is yet further an object of the present invention to provide a feeding device with shielded dispense apertures to eliminate the possibility of varmits enlarging the dispense aperture size, thereby gaining access to the food product supply.  
      Still other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become evident to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the following. Also, it should be understood that the scope of this invention is intended to be broad, and any combination of any subset of the features, elements, or steps described herein is part of the intended scope of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  provides a perspective view of the fowl feeding device according to the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 2   a  provides an exploded view of the fowl feeding device according to the preferred embodiment illustrating the components thereof.  
       FIG. 2   b  provides a perspective view of a hanging support according to the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 3   a  is a detail view of a dispense cap according to the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 3   b  is a detail view of the dispense cap with an attached shield according to the preferred embodiment.  
       FIG. 4  provides a detail view of the cap according to the preferred embodiment.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is further to be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components or steps.  
      A fowl feeding device is used to provide a long duration feeding solution in a natural habitat. The feeding device includes a reserve supply of food product to last substantially a month in situations where the fowl are in a natural habitat. The feeding device design prevents large animals from consuming large quantities of the food product, as well as insects, typically ants, from removing the stored food product. The feeding device is adjustable to enable recently hatched fowl to access the feeding device. While the fowl feeding device may be suitable for use by different types of fowl, it has been designed primarily for use with quail and quail populations.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , a fowl feeding device  200  includes a lower assembly  201 , an upper assembly  202 , and a hanging assembly  188 . The lower assembly  201  includes a landing  235 , a perch  236 , a dish  225 , a riser block  220 , and a dispense cap  215 . The landing  235  is an essentially square piece of mesh type material, expanded metal in this preferred embodiment. The landing  235  is approximately one foot by one foot in this device, however, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the size and shape of the landing  235  may vary dependent upon the size and quantity of the fowl. The landing  235  is used to provide a resting point for multiple fowl at the feeding device  200 , as well as a landing point from flight. The perch  236  is a cylindrical rod used as a resting point for the fowl. In this preferred embodiment, the perch  236  is a wooden dowel, approximately five eighths of an inch in diameter and eighteen inches long. The perch  236  is coupled to an edge of the landing  235 , substantially centered on that edge, such that two resting points are provided. The perch  236  may be coupled to the landing using any suitable means, including screws or wire ties.  
      The dish  225  includes an inner cavity defined by a floor  228 , a wall  229 , and a lip  230 . The lip  230  is raised above the floor  228  to create the inner cavity. The dish  225  is used to retain food product, however, the floor  228  does include drain apertures  227  to allow fluids to exit the inner cavity of the dish  225 . The floor  228  further includes a mounting aperture  226  centered in the dish  225 . The dish  225  is approximately nine inches in diameter; however, one skilled in the art will recognize that any size dish  225  may be used. The dish  225 , in this preferred embodiment, is of sheet metal construction, however, any suitable material may be used, such as plastic.  
      The riser block  220  includes a first face  222  and a second face  223 . The riser block  220  is used to raise the dispense cap  215  above the floor  228  of the dish  225  to a suitable pecking height for the fowl. In this preferred embodiment, the suitable pecking height is in the range of one and a half to two inches. The riser block  220  further includes a mounting aperture  221  centered on the first face  222 , and passing through the riser block  220  to the second face  223 .  
      The dispense cap  215  includes a floor  216  coupled to a wall  217 , thereby creating an inner cavity. The dispense cap  215  further includes an inner periphery  224 , an outer periphery  234 , and dispense apertures  218  passing from the inner periphery  224  to the outer periphery  234 . The floor  216  includes a mounting aperture  219  located substantially centered in the floor  216 . The dispense cap  215 , in this preferred embodiment, is constructed of polyvinyl chloride for strength and ease of use. The dispense cap  215  still further includes a shield  241  wrapped around the outer periphery  234  of the dispense cap  215 , and secured thereto. The shield  241  may be secured to the dispense cap  215  using any suitable means including sheet metal screws  242 . In this preferred embodiment, the shield  241  is constructed from sheet metal, such as galvanized steel. The shield  241  covers the dispense apertures  218 , however, the sheet metal covering the dispense apertures  218  is punched with a suitable tool to pierce and splay the sheet metal through the dispense apertures  218 , thereby partially lining the edges of the dispense apertures  218 . This process provides protection from the enlarging of the dispense apertures  218  by animals seeking food.  
      The lower assembly  201  further includes a bolt  240 , washers  231 , a lock washer  232 , and a nut  233 . The bolt  240  is inserted through an aperture  261  in the washer  231 . The bolt  240  is then inserted through approximately the center of the landing  235 , through the mounting aperture  226  of the dish  225 , through the mounting aperture  221  of the riser block  220 , and through the mounting aperture  219  of the floor  216  of the dispense cap  215 . Once all the components are aligned properly, an aperture  261  of a second washer  231  is placed over the bolt  240 , an aperture  262  of the lock washer  232  is placed over the bolt  240 , and a threaded aperture  263  of the nut  233  is threaded onto the bolt  240 . The bolt  240  and nut  233  are tightened to secure the components.  
      The upper assembly  202  includes a product tube  205 , a shroud  207 , a hanger  210  and a cap  206 . The product tube  205  is of a thin wall hollow construction, and includes an outer periphery  249 , a first end  247  and a second end  248 . In this preferred embodiment, the product tube  205  is constructed from polyvinyl chloride; however, any suitable material may be utilized. The product tube  205  is approximately fifty-seven and one fourth inches long. It should be noted that additional length of the product tube  205  increases the quantity of reserve food product in the feeding device  200 . The product tube  205  further includes a hanger aperture  209  on opposite sides of the product tube  205 . The hanger apertures  209  are located approximately forty-six inches from the second end of the product tube  205 .  
      The shroud  207  includes a flange  245  used to attach the shroud  207  to the product tube  205 . The flange  245  of the shroud  207  is attached to the product tube  205  at approximately ten and one half inches from the second end  248  of the product tube  205  using sheet metal screws  246 . The ends of the shroud  207  are connected together to form a continuous shape around the product tube  205 . All joints between the shroud  207  and the product tube  205  and the shroud  207  ends are sealed with a sealer, illustratively, RTV, to prevent the seepage of rain down the product tube  205  and into the dish  225 . While the shroud  207  may be virtually any size, it should be clear to one skilled in the art that the shroud  207  should be larger than the dish  225 , to ensure that water draining off of the shroud  207  does not land in the dish  225 .  
      The cap  206  includes a floor  256 , and a wall  257  having an inner periphery  254 . The floor  256  is coupled to the wall  257 , thereby creating an inner chamber. The inner periphery  254  of the cap  206  is complementary in dimension to the outer periphery  249  of the product tube  205 . The cap  206  is constructed of material similar to the material of the product tube  205 , illustratively, polyvinyl chloride in this preferred embodiment. The cap  206  resides on the first end  247  of the product tube  205  to protect an inner compartment of the product tube  205 . As the cap  206  is removable, no fastening or bonding agent is employed.  
      Upon further assembly, the second end  248  of the product tube  205  is fit into the inner cavity of the dispense cap  215 . The inner periphery  224  of the dispense cap  215  is complementary to the outer periphery  249  of product tube  205 . In this preferred embodiment, the product tube  205  and the dispense cap  215  are constructed of a solvent bondable plastic, and are solvent welded together. The assembly is now a single unit with a removable cap  206  and a hanger  210 .  
      The feeding device  200  may be painted for protection from the environment, and blending into the surroundings. Further, a camouflage pattern may be utilized to minimize the impact on the natural setting. In this preferred embodiment, only the upper assembly  201  is camouflaged, however, one skilled in the art will recognize that painting and material color selection may be driven by location specific issues.  
      The hanging assembly  188  includes a horizontal support  190 , a first vertical support  198 , and a second vertical support  199 . The horizontal support  190  includes a first end  194  and a second end  195 . The first end  194  includes a downturn segment  191  that is oriented substantially ninety degrees from the horizontal support  190 . The horizontal support  190  further includes first tube stabilizer  192  and a second tube stabilizer  193  attached substantially in the center of the horizontal support  190  in a plane essentially perpendicular to the plane of the downturn segment  191  and the horizontal support  190 . The first tube stabilizer  192  and the second tube stabilizer  193  are spaced apart by substantially a product tube  205  diameter, such that the product tube may be placed between the tube stabilizers  192  and  193  for stability along the horizontal support  190 .  
      The first end  194  of the horizontal support  190  may be connected to the first vertical support  198  using any suitable means, such as wire, to secure the downturn segment  191  to the first vertical support  198 . Once the downturn segment  191  is secured to the first vertical support  198 , the horizontal support  190  is prohibited from rotating. The second end  195  of the horizontal support  190  may be secured to the second vertical support  199 . The horizontal support  190  should be secured in a horizontal position to ensure that the feeding device  200  rests in a vertical position. The vertical supports  198  and  199  may constructed of generally available materials, including pipe, t-posts, or the like.  
      The hanger  210  is inserted into a first hanger aperture  209  and out through a second hanger aperture  209 . The hanger  210  is used to suspend the feeding device  200 . A ring  211  may be constructed out of the hanger  210  to fit around one of the tube stabilizers  192  or  193 . With a ring  211 , an operator is able to secure one end of the hanger  210  around one of the stabilizers  192  or  193 , thereby allowing the operator to adjust the height of the feeding device  200 , by pulling the free end of the hanger  210 . Once adjusted to the proper height, the free end may be secured to the unused tube stabilizer  192  or  193 . The feeding device  200  may be suspended from the hanging assembly  188  or any suitable object. The hanger  210  is adjustable to allow for raising of the feeding device  200  from a near ground level to approximately one foot above the ground level. Suspending the feeding device  200  minimizes the possibility of ants consuming all the food product in the feeding device  200 .  
      In use, an operator must remove the cap  206  from the first end  247  of the product tube  205 , and add a preferred seed or seed blend. Typical seeds used in this preferred embodiment include sorghum grain, corn, premixed blends, and various blends thereof.  
      The feeding device  200  may then be installed in a preselected area. The operator suspends the feeding device  200  from the hanging assembly  188 , such that the landing  235  is approximately four to six inches above the ground level for young fowl. As the fowl increase in size, the feeding device  200  may be raised to a nominal height of twelve inches from the ground level. The suspension of the feeding device  200  prevents pests, namely ants, from exhausting the food product supply. Small animals can easily gain access to the feeding device  200 , however, the dispense apertures  218  are sized such that minimal food product can be accessed by the small animals. Further, the shield  241  protects the dispense apertures  218  from being enlarged by the small gnawing animals.  
      Once installed, the fowl are able to peck at the food product exposed through the dispense apertures  218 . The dispense apertures  218 , in this preferred embodiment are approximately one-half of an inch in diameter. The fowl consume the food product that is successfully pecked out of the feeding device  200 . The food product that ends up falling due to the pecking lands in the dish  225 , and can also be consumed by the fowl.  
      The feeding device  200  ensures that food product is available to fowl for extended periods, approximately one month in this preferred embodiment. While this embodiment has been constructed for use in a natural environment, it should be clear to one skilled in the art that the feeding device  200  may also be used in an enclosed environment, such as a large pen or cage.  
      Although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing preferred embodiment, such description has been for exemplary purposes only and, as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, many alternatives, equivalents, and variations of varying degrees will fall within the scope of the present invention. That scope, accordingly, is not to be limited in any respect by the foregoing detailed description; rather, it is defined only by the claims that follow.