Animal feeder with automatic dispenser

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention comprises an animal feeder as, for example, for a hog which has an upper bin and a bottom feed pan which is shaped to a contour which forms a bowl in the feeding area that induces the flow of feed from the hopper so that it can be readily eaten by animals.
The bottom feed pan is formed with openings into which one or more truncated cones are mounted into which the nose of the animals can be inserted.
The cones restrict the lateral head movement which substantially reduces wasting of the feed by the animal and also serves as a vertical movement control for feed agitator rings which are mounted at the bottom of each of the cone members between the bottom of the feed pan and the cone member.
The feed agitators may be made of wire and are circular in shape and have portions which engage both the outer and inner edges of the cone and include spacers which retain it a fixed distance from the bottom of the feed pan such that as the agitator is rotated by the animal's head fingers on the agitator which ride on the shoulders of the dish area of the bottom of the feed trough will move feed from the hopper in the rear of the device into the bowl feeding area.
The agitator rings include means which prevent the animal from forcing the agitator beneath the lower edge of the cone which would cause it to bind so that it no longer functions.
The feeder of the invention is constructed of metal and plastic such that it can be readily assembled, has long life, can be easily cleaned and in which the plastic provides for improved feed flow.
Although the particular embodiment illustrated herein comprises a feeder with three feed dispensing cones, the invention can be constructed with a smaller or larger number of cones in a first dispensing area and can also be constructed with a hopper which feeds into cones that extend on both sides of the hopper so that animals can feed on both sides of the device.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure and in which: