Method and system for feeding an animal a consumable feed product and vegetation from a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9795120-B2
Application number	US-201313958220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2013
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

Consumable feed products and vegetation are delivered to animals using a single container in which the container holds the feed product and is used to deliver the feed and which includes ungerminated seeds embedded in the container body. The seeds are caused to germinate and produce vegetation from the container body, and the germinated seeds and/or vegetation is fed to the animal. Multiple containers may be used simultaneously so that while the consumable feed product from one container is used to feed an animal, another container may be used to grow vegetation or deliver vegetation to the animal. Confined birds such as poultry and chicks may benefit from ingesting feed and vegetation produced from such containers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of feeding a confined animal a consumable feed product and vegetation, the method comprising:
delivering a consumable animal feed product to the confined animal from a container holding the feed product, wherein the container comprises a body including ungerminated seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the body, wherein the ungerminated seeds are not removable while the container is used in delivering the consumable feed product;
after the confined animal consumes the animal feed product, causing the embedded and at least partially immersed seeds to germinate and produce vegetation from the container; and
feeding the confined animal the vegetation by providing to the confined animal the container body with the produced vegetation growing therefrom.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the confined animal is a bird, the consumable product is bird feed and the embedded and at least partially immersed seed comprises grass seed.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bird is poultry and the bird feed is poultry feed.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the bird is a chick and the bird feed is chick feed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the embedded and at least partially immersed seeds to germinate comprises immersing at least a portion of the container body in water.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the container body is biodegradable.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the container body is compostable, and wherein the method further comprises composting any material remaining from the container body after feeding the confined animal the vegetation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the container is a first container and the step of causing the embedded in and at least partially immersed seeds in the container body of the first container to germinate is during a germination period, the method further comprising:
providing a second container adapted to hold the consumable animal feed product, wherein the second container comprises a body with ungerminated seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the body;
feeding the confined animal at least a portion of the germinated seeds during a germinated seed feeding period; and
feeding the confined animal the consumable animal feed product held within the second container during a product feeding period;
wherein the product feeding period associated with product fed from the second container coincides with at least a portion of one or more of the germination period or the germinated seed feeding period associated with the first container.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of delivering the consumable animal feed product from the first container is during an initial feeding period, said initial feeding period preceding the germination period associated with the seeds of the first container.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
providing a third container holding the consumable animal feed product;
feeding the confined animal the consumable animal feed product from the third container during a product feeding period associated with product fed from the third container; and
causing the seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the container body of the second container to germinate and produce vegetation during a growth period associated with the seeds of the second container,
wherein the product feeding period associated with the product fed from the third container coincides with at least a portion of the germination period associated with the germinated seeds from the first container and the growth period associated with the seeds of the second container.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the containers includes a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more of instructions for feeding the confined animal the consumable animal feed product, for causing the embedded and at least partially immersed seeds to germinate, and for feeding the confined animal one or more of the germinated seeds or vegetation produced from the germinated seeds.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the set of instructions further includes instructions for causing the product feeding period associated with product fed from the second container to coincide with at least the portion of one or more of the germination period and the germinated seed feeding period associated with the first container.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the confined animal is a bird, the consumable product is bird feed and the embedded and at least partially immersed seed comprises grass seed.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the bird is poultry and the bird feed is poultry feed.

15. A method of feeding a confined bird, the method comprising:
providing a container holding a consumable animal feed product comprising bird feed, wherein the container comprises a body with ungerminated seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the body;
feeding the confined bird the consumable feed product from the container, wherein the ungerminated seeds are not removable while the container is used in feeding the consumable feed product;
causing the seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the container body to germinate; and
feeding the confined bird at least a portion of the germinated seeds by providing to the confined bird the container with the germinated seeds growing therefrom.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the container includes a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more of instructions for feeding the animal the consumable feed product, for causing the seeds embedded in and at least partially immersed beneath a surface of the container body to germinate, and for feeding to the animal at least a portion of the germinated seeds; and
one or more of the steps of feeding the consumable feed product, causing germination and feeding the animal at least the portion of the germinated seeds are performed according to the set of instructions.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising feeding the confined bird vegetation produced from another portion of the germinated seeds.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the confined bird is poultry, the consumable product is poultry feed and the ungerminated seed is grass seed.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the confined bird is a chick and the bird feed is chick feed.

Assignees

• Purina Animal Nutrition Llc

Inventors

• Miller Bill L
• Burr Michael S
• Ballam Gordon
• Moore Jodi
• Roeder Mikel
• Venable Erin

Classifications

• A01K5/01

  Feed troughs; Feed pails · CPC title

• A01K39/01 Primary

  Feeding devices (A01K39/04 takes precedence) · CPC title