Improvements in or applicable to Poultry Houses.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 19th July, 1892-Accepted, 27th Aug., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Poultry Houses.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED BOWLES, of New Drove, North Brink, Wisbech, in the
County of Cambridge, Farmer & Market Gardener, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to improvements in or applicable to poultry houses,
whereby poultry sleeping therein at night will be provided with their first meal in
the morning without the aid of an attendant. For this purpose the perch or it
may be a number of perches connected together to form a platform (hereinafter
called the roost) on which the poultry rest at night, is suspended from one end
of a lever fixed upon a shaft capable of rocking in its supports. To the other end
of the lever is attached a weight greater than the weight of the roost alone, but
less than the combined weight of the roost and the poultry to rest thereon.
Suitably arranged in relation to the lever and suspended roost is a hopper
containing corn or other food. This hopper is adapted to discharge its contents
past a slide at its lower end into a bin or box located underneath and which in turn
is adapted to discharge past a slide at its lower end into the feeding trough or on
to the floor of the feeding place of the poultry. The two slides are connected
respectively to two arms fixed to the shaft, the arrangement being such that when
the upper slide is open the lower slide will be closed, and vice versa.
The operation of the arrangement is as follows:-
When the poultry retire to rest at night on to the suspended roost, their weight
will overcome the action of the balance weight and will depress the roost, thereby
causing the shaft to partly turn thereby withdrawing the upper slide and opening
the bottom end of the hopper, and pushing in the lower slide to close the opening
in the bottom of the bin. The bin thus becomes filled with corn.
In the morning when the poultry leave the roost, the latter relieved of their
weight will be caused to rise by the action of the balance weight, thereby
operating the shaft in the reverse direction so as to push in the upper slide and
thus shut off the supply of corn from the hopper to the bin and to withdraw the
lower slide so as to allow the corn in the bin to fall into the feeding place. The
capacity of the bin may be made adjustable to suit the number of the fowls to be
fed. For this purpose the bin may be provided with a block or part arranged to
be screwed in or out as required.
The roost may be connected by one or more hooks to the poultry house to
prevent it oscillating laterally. The poultry house may be constructed with a day
shelter arranged below the sleeping place. The slides may be provided on their
upper sides with brushes to prevent them from sticking, or they may be arranged
to work between top and bottom rollers to reduce friction.
It is to be understood that this invention may be carried out in various ways
without departure from its essential features. Thus the roost may be suspended
from two parallel weighted levers instead of from one only; also, any of the
aforementioned devices with the exception of the roost may be arranged partly
within or wholly without the poultry house, so long as the bin is arranged to
discharge into the feeding place.
..
f Namban 1901

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
. Improvements in or applicable to Poultry Houses.
I, WILLIAM ALFRED BOWLES, of New Drove, North Brink, Wisbech, in the
County of Cambridge, Farmer & Market Gardener, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to improvements in or applicable to poultry houses,
whereby poultry sleeping therein at night will be provided with their first meal in
the morning without the aid of an attendant. For this purpose the perch, or it
may be a number of perches connected together to form a platform or frame
(hereinafter called the roost) on which the poultry rest at night, is suspended from
one end of a lever or levers mounted upon a shaft capable of rocking in its
supports. To the other end of the lever or of each lever is attached a balance
weight. Suitably arranged in relation to the lever and suspended roost is a
hopper containing corn or other food. This hopper is adapted to discharge its
contents past a slide at its lower end into a bin or box located underneath and
which in turn is adapted to discharge past a slide at its lower end into the
feeding trough or on to the floor of the feeding place of the poultry.
and
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a poultry house fitted with my improvements,
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, certain parts being omitted for the
sake of clearness.
A is the poultry house; B is the roost comprising in this case a number of
perches bb arranged side by side in a frame; CC are levers from which the roost
is suspended by chains or connections D and which are mounted on the shaft E;
FF are balance weights on the said levers which are arranged to just counter
balance and raise the roost B when the poultry are off the same. G is the hopper
for the corn or other food which can be filled through a door G' provided for the
purpose; H is the bin or box located underneath the said hopper and I I¹ are slides
past which the hopper G and box H respectively discharge their contents. The
two slides are connected by bars I2 respectively to the two arms of a lever J fixed
to the shaft E, the arrangement being such that when the upper slide I is open the
lower slide I will be closed, and vice versa. J¹ is a weight serving to carry the
lever J over the centre and to keep the parts always at one end or the other of
their movement.
The operation of the arrangement is as follows:-
When the poultry rest on the suspended roost B, their weight will overcome the
balance weights F and will depress the roost causing the shaft E and lever J to
partly turn in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 1. This turning
movement of the lever J withdraws the upper slide I and opens the bottom end of
the hopper G; and at the same time pushes in the lower slide I¹ and closes the
bottom of the bin H. The contents of the hopper then descend and fill the bin.
When the poultry leave the roost, the latter relieved of their weight will rise,
turning the shaft E and lever J in the reverse direction, pushing in the slide I,
and shutting off the supply from the hopper to the bin, and at the same time with-
drawing the slide I¹ so as to allow the contents of the bin to fall into the feeding
place. The capacity of the bin H is made adjustable to suit the number of
poultry to be fed. For this purpose the bin is provided with a movable
part or side H¹.connected to a screwed stem H' passing through a rod H
and provided, with wing nuts H' or the like. By means of this screwed
spindle the side H¹ can be moved in or out and the capacity of the bin H thereby
varied as required.
The roost may be connected to one or more hooks K in the poultry, house by

page_text: rods K' to prevent it oscillating unduly. The poultry house may be constructed
with a day shelter arranged below the roost. The slides may be provided on
their upper sides with brushes or pieces of leather to prevent them from sticking,
or they may be arranged to work between rollers to reduce friction.
To prevent the poultry alighting elsewhere than on the roost B, the part C
and E, and any other parts that may be desirable are covered or protected by wire
netting L or other suitable devices."
It is to be understood that this invention may be carried out in various ways
without departure from its essential features. Thus any of the aforementioned
devices with the exception of the roost may be arranged partly within or wholly
without the poultry house, so long as the bin is arranged to discharge into the
feeding place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A poultry house provided with a roost B which is depressed when the poultry
rest thereon and rises when they leave the same, and which operates slides I I¹
controlling respectively a hopper G and a bin H, the arrangement being such that
when the roost is depressed one of the slides will be moved and allow the contents
of the hopper to pass into the bin, and when it rises the other slide will be moved
and allow the bin to discharge its contents substantially as described.
2. The improvements in or applicable to poultry houses substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings for the purposes
specified.
Dated this 19th day of July 1892.
W. A. BOWLES.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Applicant's Agent.