Broiler pan feeder

Abstract

An adjustable feeder pan system for feeding poultry and a related method is provided. The feeder pan system includes a cone portion, an excluder portion that includes a number of anti-rake and radially disposed fins, a skirt, a feed pan, a cap, and optionally a feed shut-off component. The cone includes a pair of stops that may selectively engage with one of a number of pairs of corresponding slots of varying depths on the excluder portion so as to provide multiple feed levels as desired and depending upon the size and age of the poultry being fed.

1 . An adjustable feed level pan feeder assembly comprising:
 a) a feed pan having a substantially centrally disposed upstanding conical member;   b) an excluder releasably attached to said feed pan, said excluder comprising a plurality of radially disposed fins; said excluder further comprising a scalloped peripheral edge; said excluder also comprising a flood control member having a diameter less than the diameter of said scalloped peripheral edge; said fins being disposed substantially equidistantly and each of said fins extending from a top surface of said flood control member and to said scalloped peripheral edge of said excluder thereby defining a plurality of feed chambers each bounded by at least two fins and an arcuate wall segment of said scalloped peripheral edge; at least a portion of said fins having a curved upper edge; said excluder further comprising a cone receiving portion for receiving a cone member; said cone receiving portion having a downwardly disposed annular lip having a plurality of pairs of oppositely disposed notches, each of said pairs of notches having different depths;   c) said cone member comprising an upper cone segment and a lower cone segment; said upper and lower cone segments being connected by a plurality of struts; said cone member further comprising a plurality of circumferentially disposed flood windows disposed between said upper and lower cone segments; said cone member further comprising a pair of oppositely disposed stop tabs, said flood windows being selectively substantially opened or selectively substantially closed by the sliding of the cone member towards or away from the feed pan as desired; said stop tabs being configured for the selective engagement with one of said pairs of notches on said excluder upon rotational engagement of said cone with said excluder such that varying feed level heights are achieved as desired depending on the depth of the pair of notches being engaged with the pair of stop tabs; and   d) a skirt, said skirt extending peripherally from said lower cone segment and comprising downwardly extending sloped walls that extend radially and downwardly from said lower cone segment.