A method and system utilizing one or more agricultural drones for real-time monitoring, delivery and dispensing of feed in feed bunks associated with feed lots.

A method and system utilizing one or more agricultural drones for real-time monitoring, delivery and dispensing of feed in feed bunks associated with feed lots.

A feeding device includes a base, a storage barrel, a hopper, a blocking door and a ratchet turning wheel. The storage barrel is disposed above the base, and a collecting passage is extended from the bottom of the storage barrel. A discharge port is disposed on the collecting passage. The hopper is accommodated in the collecting passage. The blocking door shields the discharge port. The ratchet turning wheel is installed on the base and disposed below the hopper. The ratchet turning wheel includes a wheel and ratchet teeth arranged annularly on the periphery of the wheel. An outer periphery of the ratchet teeth abuts against the hopper to push the hopper to move up or down. The wheel is extended with a lever to open the blocking door. Therefore, the feed may be filled in the collecting channel, and the feeding device has the effect of quantitative feeding.

A pet feeder comprises a grain storage mechanism and a grain releasing mechanism; the grain storage mechanism is used for storing grain and provided with an outlet; the grain releasing mechanism is mounted on the grain storage mechanism at a position closed to the outlet; the grain releasing mechanism can deliver a grain in the grain storage mechanism to the outlet and close the outlet after the grain flows out from the outlet, so that the other animals such as roaches can not enter the grain storage mechanism from the outlet, thereby protecting the gain in the rain storage mechanism from waste and pollution.

A feed-supplying system includes a feeder and a scale. The feeder includes a bin, a valve module and a monitoring module. The monitoring module controls the valve module to open an outlet of the bin to allow the feeder to supply feed, measures a vertical inside-bin distance, and outputs a notification when it is determined that an amount of stored feed is less than a threshold based on the distance. The scale supports the supplied feed, senses weight of a load thereon. When it is determined that an amount of the supplied feed has reached a threshold based on the weight, the monitoring module controls the valve module to close the outlet so as to stop the supply of the feed.

Features are described for a pellet dispenser. The pellet dispenser be implemented as a complex molded unit to fit within the home cage of laboratory animals (e.g., hanging from a wall of the cage or inside a food hopper of the cage). The pellet dispenser may be contained within the cage or otherwise attached to the cage so as not to take up additional floor space in the cage which should be allocated for the small laboratory animal. The pellets may be gravity or screw drive fed towards an ejector port. At prescribed times during the day, a prescribed number of pellets may be ejected into the animal cage. Additional components of the pellet dispenser include an ejector (e.g., a linear actuator) and pellet hopper.

An automated game feeder that is virtually silent includes a hopper for holding feed, a bottom wall thereof defining a dispensing opening that, when open, allows feed to be dispensed. A dispensing gate is pivotally mounted to the bottom wall of the dispensing gate being operative to move, when actuated, between a closed configuration covering the dispensing opening and an open figuration allowing the feed to flow out of the hopper. A digital timer is electrically connected to the dispensing gate and programmable to determine when to open and close the dispensing gate. To maintain virtual silence, the deer feeder may include a linear actuator electrically connected to the dispensing gate and timer, the linear actuator having a servo motor that is very quiet when extending a rod configured to open or close the dispensing gate. When actuated, the linear actuator operates the gate according to an array of pivotal couplings.

An automatic animal feeder has two bowls and a base unit which accepts the bowls. Two lids are provided, one for each bowl, which may be closed to cover the bowl and prevent access to it or opened about a hinge means to allow access to the bowl. A lid control mechanism is capable of keeping either lid closed independently or opening either lid independently. A removable joining member is provided that links the two lids so that one lid cannot open unless the other lid can also open.

An animal feedstuff processing system for processing animal feedstuff includes an animal feedstuff storage device for storing a pile of animal feedstuff, a separating device for removing a quantity of feedstuff from the pile and including a rotatable separating element and a first drive for the separating element, a movement device with a second drive, and configured for moving the separating device and the pile of feedstuff towards each other. A sensor is arranged for determining a relative position of the separating element with respect to the pile of feedstuff. A controller is configured to control the animal feedstuff processing system. During at least a part of the movement of the separating device and the pile of feedstuff towards each other, the separating device is driven in an idle mode by the first drive, wherein the separating element has no operable contact with the pile of feedstuff. The sensor measures a sensor signal representative of an operating parameter of the first drive, and the controller is configured to determine contact between the separating element and the pile of feedstuff based on the sensor signal. The animal feedstuff processing system is controlled on the basis of the determined contact.

An animal feedstuff processing system for processing animal feedstuff includes an animal feedstuff storage device for storing a pile of animal feedstuff, a separating device for removing a quantity of feedstuff from the pile and including a rotatable separating element and a first drive for the separating element, a movement device with a second drive, and configured for moving the separating device and the pile of feedstuff towards each other. A sensor is arranged for determining a relative position of the separating element with respect to the pile of feedstuff. A controller is configured to control the animal feedstuff processing system. During at least a part of the movement of the separating device and the pile of feedstuff towards each other, the separating device is driven in an idle mode by the first drive, wherein the separating element has no operable contact with the pile of feedstuff. The sensor measures a sensor signal representative of an operating parameter of the first drive, and the controller is configured to determine contact between the separating element and the pile of feedstuff based on the sensor signal. The animal feedstuff processing system is controlled on the basis of the determined contact.