Animal feed activity collection apparatuses, methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772293-B2
Application number	US-201615148709-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods provide automated data collection of feed behavior and intake for animals in confinement where the animal ingests feed from a feed station that includes a first and second feed container each of which holds a feed that is freely accessible to the animal, and a respective first and second weight sensor each of which senses a change in weight of the respective feed in the container. A processor is configured to transmit instructions to cause it to receive from the weight sensors, a plurality signals indicative of a change in weight in the first and second feed containers. The processor records a reduction in weight sensed by the first or the second sensor as consumption of the respective feed, and records a change in weight sensed by the first or the second sensor as feeding activity at the respective feed container.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feed data collection system, comprising:
a first feed container accessible to an animal;
a first weight sensor adapted to sense a change in weight in the first feed container;
a second feed container separate from the first feed container but accessible to the animal simultaneously with the first feed container;
a second weight sensor adapted to sense a change in weight in the second feed container;
a third weight sensor adapted to sense a change in weight on a surface below the second feed container;
a processor configured to transmit instructions to cause the processor to receive from all of the weight sensors, a plurality of signals indicative of a change in weight in the first and second feed containers,
where the processor:
records a reduction in weight sensed by the first or the second sensor as consumption of the respective feed,
records a change in weight sensed by the first or the second sensor as feeding activity at the respective feed container, and
compares the change in weight on the surface below the second feed container with a change in weight of the second feed container and records an overall reduction in weight as consumption of the feed held within the second container and records the change in weight on the surface below the second feed container as feeding activity.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least the feed containers and all of the weight sensors are positioned within an animal feeding station adapted to confine the animal.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the feeding station comprises a gate.

4. A method of feeding a confined animal, comprising:
feeding the confined animal within an enclosure comprising:
a gate configured to provide the confined animal with ingress and egress to the enclosure, the enclosure housing a feed station and having a size adapted to allow the entire body of the confined animal to be accommodated within the enclosure, the feed station comprising:
a first feed container adapted to hold a first feed that is freely accessible to the animal within the enclosure;
a first weight sensor adapted to sense a change in weight of the first feed held in the first feed container;
a second feed container adapted to hold a second feed different in type from the first feed, wherein the second feed is freely accessible to the animal simultaneously with the first feed held in the first feed container;
a second weight sensor adapted to sense a change in weight of the second feed held in the second feed container; and
a third weight sensor positioned below the first feed container to sense a change in weight of a surface below the first feed container in response to the first feed falling from the first feed container.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first and second weight sensors are load cells.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first feed container is mounted to a wall of the feed station and is configured to hold forage, and the second feed container is not mounted to the wall.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second feed container is configured to hold a grain-based, dry feed.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the enclosure is an animal pen, stable or a barn.

9. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a shield positioned proximate to the first and second feed containers, wherein while the animal consumes the feeds at the feed station, the shield blocks the animal's visibility to an exterior of the feed station.

10. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a weight sensor housing for holding at least a portion of one of the first and second weight sensors.

11. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a processor configured to transmit instructions to cause the processor to receive from all of the weight sensors, a plurality of signals indicative of a change in weight in the first and second feed containers.

Assignees

• Purina Animal Nutrition Llc

Inventors

• Jerina Michael
• Caldwell Mark
• Gordon Mary Beth
• Schmidt Douglas

Classifications

• A01K5/0283 Primary

  by weight · CPC title

• A01K1/105

  Movable feed barriers · CPC title

• A01K29/005

  Monitoring or measuring activity · CPC title