IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE FEEDING OF SHEEP, LAMES, AND OTHER ANIMALS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Lambert, of Sunk Island, Hull, in the
County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR THE FEEDING OF SHEEP, LAMES, AND OTHER ANIMALS."
Sealed the 1st August 1871, and dated the 8th May 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Lambert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th May 1871.
"
I, CHARLES LAMBERT, of Sunk Island, Hull, in the County of York,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR THE FEEDING OF SHEEP, LAMBS, AND OTHER ANIMals,” to be
as follows:-
Hitherto it has been customary to employ open troughs for containing
the grain, meal, or other similar provender for sheep, lambs, goats, and
other animals, and these have always been objectionable on account of
the animals getting into the troughs and upsetting and wasting the food,
or wetting and soiling it, thereby rendering it unfit for eating as well
as it being rained on and spoiled.
Now according to my Invention I propose to enclose the troughs or
food receivers in the central or other parts of casings, and to permit of

page_text: the troughs being raised or lowered to suit the different kinds of food,
the troughs being arranged under hoppers into which the food is first
placed, so that it falls by gravitation as the troughs are being emptied,
as well as by the slight oscillation of the trough caused by the rubbing
of the breast of the lambs when they go to feed. The casings may be
of any shape, and mounted upon wheels for ease of transport, and the
sides or ends may be provided with sliding or other doors to admit only
sheep at given times, while lambs could pass in and out at all times.
The doors or sides of the entries may be provided with rollers and also
with stop bolts to retain the doors at any point, and the openings over
the hoppers are kept closed by a sliding or other cover to prevent
the entrance of rain water. The troughs are preferably of circular or
square shape, and are suspended by threaded rods which pass through
cross bars or stays in the hoppers. The threaded rod is supported by
a cross bar placed across the top of the casing. The screw thread i
has a handle at the top, by turning which the trough may be raised or
lowered.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Lambert in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 8th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
LAMBERT, of Sunk Island, Hull, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Lambert, Her special licence
that I, 'the said Charles Lambert, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Lambert, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for “IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR THE FEEDING OF SHEEP, LAMBS, AND OTHER ANIMALS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Lamb, my

page_text: executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Lambert, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, that is to say :—
Hitherto it has been customary to employ open troughs for containing
the grain, meal, or other similar provender for sheep, lambs, goats, and
other animals, and these have always been objectionable on account of
the animals getting into the troughs and upsetting and wasting the food,
or wetting and soiling it, thereby rendering it unfit for eating, as well
as it being rained on and spoiled.
Now according to my Invention I enclose the troughs or food receivers
in the central or other parts of casings, and I raise or lower the troughs
by hand or by mechanical appliances to suit the different kinds of food
placed in them. The troughs are arranged under hoppers into which
the food is first placed, so that it falls by gravitation, as well as the
slight oscillation caused by the rubbing of the breasts of the lambs
when they go to feed as the troughs are being emptied. The casings
may be square, round, or of any shape, and may be mounted upon
wheels for ease of transport, the sides or ends being provided with
sliding or other doors to admit only sheep at given times, while lambs
could pass in and out at all times. The doors or sides of the entries are
provided with rollers and also with stop bolts or catches to retain the
doors at any point, and the openings over the hoppers have sliding or
other covers to prevent the entrance of rain water. The troughs are
suspended by rods threaded or otherwise, which pass through cross bars
or stays in the hoppers.
The manner of carrying my Invention into effect is clearly exemplified
in the annexed Sheet of Drawings, in which Figure 1 is a part sectional
view of an apparatus composed of a casing a having apertures 6 on the
four sides, as seen in the plan, Figure 2, for the sheep, lambs, or other
animals to be feed to pass through. The "style" or side post c of cach

page_text: of the apertures has a vertical roller & on its face, and also the outer
edges e, e, of the sliding doors f,f, to protect the wool or hair on the
animal's shoulders or sides when they are passing in or out of the
casing. The central portion of the casing a has a hopper or shoot g for
receiving the grain, meal, or other provender which has been provided
for the animals to oat. This shoot or hopper g is narrowed towards the
bottom, where it dips into a basin or trough h, so that the grain or
other kind of food will as it falls by gravitation or otherwise find a
lodgment. The basin or trough his (preferably) of circular shape to
dispense with sharp corners, and has a rod or bar i rising from its centre
to form not only an attachment to a chain ; by which it and the trough
can be suspended, but as a guide to the vertical action of the trough,
the rod passing through transverse ribs k, as shewn. In Figure 1 I have
shown the chain as passing over a pulley in the upper part of the
shoot, from which it is led over the wind and waterproof roof m of
the casing to a stud or hook n at the edge, where it can be hooked by
any one of the links to regulate the height of the trough and con-
sequently the descent of the food into it from the hopper as the food
becomes consunied. “The¨mouth of-the-shoot-is-covered. by a sliding or
a hinged flap p, which is kept closed to prevent the entrance of rain
water, and the trough is so arranged as to height from the ground and
in its shape that the animals are prevented from getting their feet into
it, and scraping or pushing the food out on to the ground to spoil or
waste it whether the food is of a coarse nature such as roots, or fine
liko meal.
The casing shown in the Drawings, Figures 1 and 2, and also in
Figure 3, which is a side elevation, is mounted upon wheels to enable
it to be shifted from one part of the field or from one field to another
with facility; but the wheels may be dispensed with if desired, the
casing being provided with handles by which it can be lifted when
necessary to move it from place to place. Figure 4 is a sectional view
of a similarly shaped casing in which the rod of the trough or basin is
screw threaded to enable it to be raised or lowered by turning the hand
wheel q. A lever or other appliance can however be used for the
purpose if desired. Two or a larger number of troughs and shoots or
hoppers may be arranged in one casing to enable a large number of
sheep or other animals to feed at the same time, and all or any of the
doors can be kept open or closed as found desirable if they are furnished
with catches or other fasteners; and when the animals vary in size,

page_text: such as in the breeding or lambing season, the doors of onc casing can
be opened wide enough only to allow the small ones to enter and leave,
so that food which may be specially prepared for them may not be eaten
by the larger animals. The sliding doors with the rollers may be fitted
to casings other than those with a rising and a lowering trough or basin,
as shown in Figure 5, so that the animals may enter to feed from the
fixed trough, which can be refilled from time to time from the outside
by lifting the flap s. Again the casing may have a partition in it, so
that the flap on one side or compartment could be left open for the
larger animals to feed themselves from the outside, the doors being closed
while the smaller are feeding from the inside of the other compartment
in the manner before explained.
Independent of the feeding advantages derived from the employment
of the casing described, another of much importance to farmers and
stock proprietors is obtained, namely, that of protection from the
weather, whereby many complaints and diseases, such as cramp, foot
rot, &c. &c. may be avoided, as the animals could and would go under
its
cover in rainy, cold, or windy weather.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,—
Firstly. The construction and employment of apparatus for feeding
sheep, lambs, and other animals, as herein-before described and shown.
Secondly. I claim the modified forms of apparatus herein-before
described and shown when used in the manner and for the purposes
explained.
And, thirdly. I claim the employment of one or more rising and
falling troughs in combination with one or more hoppers in casings,
substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Lambert, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-onc.
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