According to embodiments disclosed herein, there is provided a system for loading, mixing and transporting feed. The system includes a scoop assembly and a mixing tub that are movable overhead a series of storage bays. The scoop assembly may retrieve commodities from the storage bays and load measured quantities of the commodities into the mixing tub.

A device for deflecting a conveyor chain for transporting animal feed and an animal feed transport system for transporting animal feed includes a housing with a first housing opening and a second housing opening, and a deflection wheel. The deflection wheel is arranged within the housing between the first housing opening and the second housing opening, and is mounted rotatably about a vertical axis of rotation. The deflection wheel has a first conveyor chain guide element which extends radially outwards from an outer circumference of the deflection wheel, wherein the first conveyor chain guide element has a first conveyor chain guide section. The deflection wheel further comprises a second conveyor chain guide element which extends radially outwards from the outer circumference of the deflection wheel, wherein the second conveyor chain guide element comprises a second conveyor chain guide section.

A method of controlling an animal forage handling arrangement that includes a first forage dispensing arrangement having a first conveyor, a first separator adapted to separate and distribute forage, and a first dispensing end portion and a first loading end portion. The arrangement further includes a control unit, the control unit adapted to control a driving of the first conveyor and includes a first forage presence sensor arranged at the first loading end portion. The method includes starting the first conveyor to move an upper side of the first conveyor towards the first loading end portion, and, to prepare the first conveyor to be loaded with forage, stopping the first conveyor when a loading condition is fulfilled.

In one embodiment, a system for dispensing pet food includes a chamber, a transport conveyor, a blade, and an extractor. The chamber may dispense a pet found pouch to the transport conveyer. The transport conveyor may receive the pet food pouch and transport the pet food pouch to the blade wherein the blade may cut open the pet food pouch. The transport conveyor may then move the opened pet food pouch to the extractor. The transport conveyor may activate the extractor causing the extractor to lower onto the transport conveyor and extract pet food from the pet food pouch into a food tray. The transport conveyor may dispose the pet food pouch into a trash tray by releasing a trapdoor.

In order to provide a feed mixture, a feed mixer is proposed which has a container. The container has a bottom and a wall which is connected to the bottom and delimits a filling opening, the area of which is greater than the area of the bottom. A rotatable auger is provided which can be rotated about an axis, the axis running substantially perpendicularly with respect to the bottom. The feed mixer has a pivoting device which is intended and suitable for pivoting the container during a mixing operation, in particular after a predefined time period or after a predefined number of revolutions of the at least one auger.

No new matter is added.

A method and apparatus for feeding livestock is presented. The method includes feeding livestock using a mobile feed preparation apparatus comprising a processor and a first non-transitory computer readable medium in communication with the processor, wherein the mobile feed preparation apparatus can dispense a plurality of feed rations, each feed ration comprising a base feed and at least one of a plurality of feed additives. The method includes dispensing from the mobile feed preparation apparatus a first feed ration comprising the base feed and a first feed additive, wherein the dispensed first feed ration comprises a dispensed amount of the first feed additive.

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 automatic animal feeding system is provided. Embodiments of the automatic animal feeding system include an automatic food dispenser and a food canister storing food pods. The automatic food dispenser couples to the food canister, receives a food pod form the food canister, removes a cover or lid from the food pod, presents the opened food pod for pet consumption, disposes of the food pod into a disposal compartment that is sealed off from the ambient air, and implements other steps of an automatic feeding process. Aspects of the automatic feeding process can be efficiently implemented, for example, by actuating two motors based on data received from sensors of the automatic animal feeding system. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a compact, control-efficient, self-cleaning automatic animal feeding system that can continuously personalize feeding patterns or feed a pet with little to no human intervention over a period of time.

An autonomous feed delivery system for evenly dispensing a specified amount of feed into a specified distance such as a feed bunk. This results in a concisely controlled rate of discharge per linear distance which is critical to achieving an even and accurate delivery of the specified amount of feed into the feed bunk. Features can include using a georeferenced map of feed bunks to identify correct feed rations to the correct bunks based on a prescription for each bunk, and preventing feed dispensing outside of bunk locations, load sense hydraulic control to provide hydraulic power to dispensing independent of vehicle engine rpm, and interruption of bulk feed supply to the dispensing sub-system if indications of overload are sensed.

An automatic animal feeding system is provided. Embodiments of the automatic animal feeding system include an automatic food dispenser and a food canister storing food pods. The automatic food dispenser couples to the food canister, receives a food pod form the food canister, removes a cover or lid from the food pod, presents the opened food pod for pet consumption, disposes of the food pod into a disposal compartment that is sealed off from the ambient air, and implements other steps of an automatic feeding process. Aspects of the automatic feeding process can be efficiently implemented, for example, by actuating two motors based on data received from sensors of the automatic animal feeding system. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a compact, control-efficient, self-cleaning automatic animal feeding system that can continuously personalize feeding patterns or feed a pet with little to no human intervention over a period of time.