Design and Performance of an Automatic Laying Hen Feeding Machines in Cage-Type Cage

Abstract

In laying hens farms, the provision of feed in the right amount and uniform is important in maintaining egg productivity. The purpose of this study was to desig, construct and test a laying hen feeding machine in a cage-type cage with a feed output measuring system and obtain performance data of the prototype of the machine. The machine was designed with the concept of automatic feed rationing from a feed hopper which is driven at a controlled speed so that feed can be given to the feed bins in each cage uniformly as needed. The machine is equipped with four feed hoppers that provide feed to four lanes of cages facing each other. The machine moves on rails along the cage with an AC electric motor drive. Feed rationing by a rotor-type metering device rotated by an automatically controlled DC motor. A prototype engine has been successfully built and tested. The test results showed that the machine could provide feed uniformly at the set amount automatically. The average speed of the machine was 0.27 m/s and the slip of the wheels on the rails averaged 10.46%. The average weight of feed output was 129.13 g/cage at a target feed distribution of 120 g/cage.