1. With the increasing shortage of labour and the accompanying rise in wage costs the mechanization of stable and yard operations is of ever greater importance. With the widespread mechanization of milking completed, the technical problems of mechanical manure removal and of provender or roughage handling are the next ones to be tackled.
2. The aim of the above study was, to examine suitability of the mechanical feed distribution plants currently available. At present still over 90 % of cattle are kept in stanchion stalls and it was therefore feIt the study should lay particular stress on assessing the suitability of the plants for this form of livestock housing. The study did not take into account annual work programme or farm management aspects of silage fodder distribution as these problems have already been extensively discussed elsewhere.
3. To carry out the requisite measurements for the study, an automatic throughput weighing machine was designed and constructed. As this weighing machine has in the meantime shown itself to be of wider use in various agricultural machinery tests a detailed description is given
4. For the tests in Weihenstephan there were five designs of auger plants, and one push-rod plant, and a rotary link chain plant available for comparison: and the description of construction types could be supplemented by details of practical operation experience.
5. One objective in the study was to evaluate the degree of accuracy of the distribution. The basis of comparison was distribution performance using the fork. In the case of the stanchion stall, only the slotted tube and auger and the rotary link chain would appear to be suitable and accurate.
6. A further objective was to determine the degree of re-separation of the feed mix. From this point of view only the rotary link chain plant appears suitable for the stanchion stall. The separation into finer and coarser feed structure by the conveyance process also leads to an alteration in the components determining the value of the feed. At the beginning of the trough, grass silage can have, relatively, 10 % more starch units, and relatively, 15 % less crude fibers than the same silage at the other end of the trough.
7. The measurement of performance of feed distribution plants has shown that only in the case of the rotating link chain and the push rod plants is the performance requirement in any balanced relation to the conveyor length. In the case of the auger distribution plants the feed is fed into the plant so irregularly, and the fodder structure is so uneven that motors and distribution mechanism have to have automatic cut-out switches fitted if damage through overloading is to be prevented. A formula was found to calculate the best dimensioning for the driving motors to take into account the average electrical input and the peak performances to a greater extent than was hitherto possible using rule of thumb methods.
8. Sound ranging measurements taken at mechanical feeding plants have shown that the rotary link chain plant (Ringkreis-Anlage) and the push-rod plant and auger construction bedded on wooden mountings are the only designs of plants which make so little noise that the constant noise during continuous operation can be withstood by the human ear without impairment. No comparison could be made of the degree of auditory sensitivity of the animals.
9. The results of the above studies suggested the necessity for designing and constructing a self-drive feed distributor, making possible an exact feed distribution, without separation of the mixture, and with a low power input requirement and low noise level. This electrically-driven feed distribution truck, which the agricultural machinery industry already has available for delivery, would appear to provide a useful solution for the stanchion stall.
«
1. With the increasing shortage of labour and the accompanying rise in wage costs the mechanization of stable and yard operations is of ever greater importance. With the widespread mechanization of milking completed, the technical problems of mechanical manure removal and of provender or roughage handling are the next ones to be tackled.
2. The aim of the above study was, to examine suitability of the mechanical feed distribution plants currently available. At present still over 90 % of cattle...
»