JP2004113170A - Automatic suckling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic suckling apparatus to enable sufficient supply of milk even to a young calf, a small calf having poor sucking force or a calf unaccustomed to a teat member. <P>SOLUTION: A mixer 1 is connected to a tank 3 through a liquid pipe 2. A pump 4 for lifting the milk in the mixer 1 to the tank 3 is placed in the middle of the liquid pipe 2. A teat member 6 is connected to the tank 3 through a liquid pipe 5. The teat member 6 is fixed to a frame 7 placed on the ground. The tank 3 is placed at a level higher than the teat member 6. When a calf (a) holds the teat member 6 and sucks the teat, the milk falls down from the tank 3 in a state close to a spontaneously falling state and, accordingly, the calf can drink the milk simply by sucking the teat with an extremely weak sucking force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

回数：全体で飲んだ回数−最大４０回（１日４回×１０頭）
数量：１日の全体の飲み残し量（リットル）
【００２２】
発育成績を表２に示す。
【表２】

【００２３】
上記結果より、自動哺乳開始直後の哺乳回数は実施例１及び従来例１とも同様で、子牛が哺乳場所にやって来る頻度には方式の違いによる影響は無かった。
【００２４】
しかし、表１から明らかなように、実施例１は飲み残し量が少なく、かつ、全頭が哺乳プログラム通りにミルクを飲むことができたのは７日目以降であった。これに対し、従来例１は飲み残し量が多く、かつ、全頭が哺乳プログラム通りにミルクを飲むことができるようになったのは８日目以降であった。
【００２５】
また、表２から明らかなように、発育も飲み残し量の結果を反映しており、開始７日後までは実施例１が従来例１を大きく上回っている。
【００２６】
以上の結果、従来例１は、導入直後で乳首部材に不慣れな子牛や吸引力の弱い子牛がミルクを飲みきれないと考えられ、その結果、自動哺乳初期の発育の停滞を招くおそれがある。しかしながら、実施例１は、ミルクは高低差を利用しているため大きな吸引力を必要とせず、弱い子牛でもミルクを十分に飲むことができるので、自動哺乳初期においても健全な発育を促進することが出来た。
【００２７】
【発明の効果】
本発明は、若齢の子牛や、吸引力の弱い小さな子牛や、乳首部材に不慣れな子牛であっても、ミルクを十分に摂取することができ、その結果、健全な発育を促進することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明による自動哺乳装置の一実施形態の模式図である。
【図２】従来の自動哺乳装置の模式図である。
【符号の説明】
１…ミキサー
２…送液管
３…タンク
４…ポンプ
５…送液管
６…乳首部材
７…枠体
ａ…子牛[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic feeding apparatus for feeding milk to calves.
[0002]
[Prior art]
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Statistics, the number of domestic dairy households as of February 2002 was 31,000, a decrease of more than 20% compared to five years ago. On the other hand, the number of used animals is just over 1.7 million, only a 9% decrease. That is, the number of used animals per house is increasing, and it is thought that it will further increase in the future.
[0003]
Conventionally, calves are separated from their mothers immediately after calving, and the population is fed in feeding bottles or buckets. This is a heavy burden for dairy farmers. Similarly, the scale of farmers producing beef fattening cattle has been increasing, and labor saving of feeding work is required.
[0004]
Thus, in recent years, an automatic feeding apparatus has been introduced to reduce labor in feeding operations. This automatic feeding device performs feeding operations that had previously relied on humans for individual management in a fully automatic manner. One unit can feed a group of up to 50 to 60 animals, and has been developed in Europe and the United States and developed in Japan. As of 2000, more than 200 units have been introduced.
[0005]
Automatic feeding using an automatic feeding device has the following advantages as compared with conventional artificial feeding by individual management.
1) Artificial feeding is difficult to feed at a constant temperature because it prepares several milks at a time, but automatic feeding is always at a constant temperature because only the required amount of milk is prepared and fed immediately. Can be paid.
2) In the case of artificial feeding, two doses per day in the morning and evening will increase the dose per dose and tend to cause diarrhea. However, in the case of automatic feeding, small doses can be divided into any number of doses. Occurrence can be suppressed.
3) Since it is not possible to drink a sufficient amount of milk per serving, the bite of solid feed is accelerated.
4) Since it is a free-ranging animal having a certain size, the amount of exercise increases, and as a result, the legs and legs become strong.
5) Conventionally, the baby was moved to the group after weaning, so that the stress of the weaning and the group were overlapped and the physical condition was easily broken.
[0006]
FIG. 2 shows an example of an automatic feeding apparatus for performing such automatic feeding. The automatic feeding apparatus shown in this figure has a mixer 11 for preparing milk, a nipple member 12 for calf sucking milk, and a liquid feed pipe 13 for connecting the mixer 11 and the nipple member 12, and The nipple member 12 is fixed to the frame 14 so as to be substantially the same height as the calf's mouth. In such an automatic feeding apparatus, the calf a includes the nipple member 12 in the mouth, and the milk is supplied from the mixer 11 by suction (see Non-Patent Document 1).
[0007]
[Non-patent document 1]
"An Evaluation of Two Management Systems for Reading Calves Fed Milk Replacer" Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 80, no. 10 1997
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, since automatic feeding is premised on feeding in a group, it is inevitable that a difference in calf size and strength will occur to some extent. However, in a conventional automatic feeding apparatus, milk prepared by a mixer is sucked directly into calves to feed, so that young calves and small calves with weak suction power take time to drink milk. And it was often impossible to drink within a certain amount of time. In particular, this was remarkable immediately after the shift to automatic feeding, which led to a stagnation in the early stage of automatic feeding.
[0009]
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an automatic feeding device that enables sufficient drinking of milk as well as large and strong calves, even for young and small calves. And
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Means for Solving the Problems The present inventor has studied diligently to achieve the above object, arranges a milk supply source for supplying milk to the nipple member above the nipple member, and supplies milk to the nipple member in a form close to natural fall from the milk supply source. By supplying, even a calf with a weak suction power was found to be able to sufficiently drink milk, and the present invention was completed.
[0011]
That is, the automatic feeding apparatus according to the present invention has a nipple member for causing the calf to suck milk, and a milk supply source for supplying milk to the nipple member, and the milk supply source is located higher than the nipple member. It is characterized by being arranged.
[0012]
In the automatic feeding apparatus of the present invention, the milk supply source is disposed at a higher position than the nipple member, and the milk from the milk supply source falls naturally onto the nipple member. Therefore, even when the suction force for sucking the nipple member is small, sufficient milk can be drunk from the nipple member.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the milk supply is located higher than the teat member. This milk supply source may be a mixer for preparing milk, or a tank or the like in which milk is sent from the mixer and temporarily stored. When a tank is used, the mixer and the tank can be connected via a pump or the like, and the milk can be transported to the tank. When a tank is used, a predetermined amount can be stored in the tank, so that the amount of milk supplied to the calf at one time can be accurately controlled.
[0014]
The height of the milk supply is preferably at least 120 cm (difference of height is at least 45 cm) since the height of the teat member is generally about 75 cm (at the height of the calf's mouth).
[0015]
An embodiment of the automatic feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the automatic feeding apparatus. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a mixer for adjusting milk. The mixer 1 is connected to a tank 3 having a capacity of about 1 liter (a quantity to be fed to a calf at one time) by a liquid feed pipe 2 and is fed. In the middle of the liquid pipe 2, a pump 4 for pushing up the milk of the mixer 1 to the tank 3 is provided. Further, a nipple member 6 is connected to the tank 3 via a liquid feed pipe 5, and this nipple member 6 is fixed to a frame 7 installed on the ground. The tank 3 is arranged at a position higher than the height of the nipple member 6.
[0016]
In the automatic feeding apparatus as described above, when the calf a holds the nipple member 6 and sucks the milk, the milk falls from the tank 3 in a state close to the natural fall. Can drink milk.
[0017]
【Example】
[Example 1]
The automatic feeding apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used. The height of the nipple member 6 was 75 cm, and the height of the tank 3 (the length from the ground to the bottom of the tank 3) was 120 cm.
[0018]
[Conventional example 1]
The conventional automatic feeding device shown in FIG. 2 was used. The same mixer and nipple member as in Example 1 were used.
[0019]
[Nursing test]
Ten suckling calves were allocated and a feeding test was performed for 14 days under the following conditions.
<Conditions per session>
Milk substitute: 125g
Hot water volume: 900cc
Feeding time: 120 seconds <conditions per day>
Feeding frequency: 4 feeding intervals: 2 hours
[Comparison contents]
The effects on calf nursing status (number of drinks, amount left over) and growth were compared.
[0021]
[result]
Table 1 shows the results of the nursing state.
[Table 1]

Number of times: Total number of drinks-Maximum 40 times (4 times a day x 10 animals)
Quantity: the total amount of drink left in a day (liter)
[0022]
Table 2 shows the development results.
[Table 2]

[0023]
From the above results, the number of feedings immediately after the start of automatic feeding was the same as in Example 1 and Conventional Example 1, and the frequency of calves coming to the feeding site was not affected by the difference in the method.
[0024]
However, as is evident from Table 1, in Example 1, the remaining amount was small, and it was only after the seventh day that all the heads could drink milk according to the feeding program. On the other hand, in the case of Conventional Example 1, it was on and after the eighth day that the remaining amount was large and all the heads could drink milk according to the feeding program.
[0025]
Moreover, as is clear from Table 2, the growth also reflects the result of the amount of the unreacted drink, and the example 1 greatly exceeds the conventional example 1 until 7 days after the start.
[0026]
As a result, in Conventional Example 1, it is considered that a calf unfamiliar with the nipple member or a calf having a weak suction force cannot fully drink milk immediately after the introduction, and as a result, the growth may be stagnated at the beginning of automatic feeding. is there. However, Example 1 does not require a large suction force because milk uses a height difference, and even a weak calf can sufficiently drink milk, thereby promoting healthy growth even at the beginning of automatic feeding. I was able to do it.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention can sufficiently ingest milk even for young calves, small calves with weak suction power, and calves unfamiliar with nipple members, and as a result, promote healthy growth can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an automatic feeding device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conventional automatic feeding device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Mixer 2 ... Liquid feed pipe 3 ... Tank 4 ... Pump 5 ... Liquid feed pipe 6 ... Nipple member 7 ... Frame body a ... Calf

Claims (2)

An automatic nipple member for causing a calf to suck milk, and a milk supply source for supplying milk to the nipple member, wherein the milk supply source is disposed higher than the nipple member. Feeding equipment. 2. The automatic feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the milk supply source is a tank for temporarily storing milk, and a mixer for preparing milk is connected to the tank via a pump.

Images