Albee's Fowl Feeder

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The annexed engraving is a perspective view of an apparatus for feeding fowls, invented by Simeon Willard Albee, of Bellows' Falls, Vt., for which a patent was granted on the 9th of last September. A is a case or box ot suitable size and shape, and contains a hopper. B, seen in dotted lines. (Both sides of this apparatus are alike) ; C is a feed box, this feed box is placed under the hopper; D is a lid to allow the grain to be poured into the hopper; H is a bar for the said lid to recline against, &c. E is a door of the case. It is attached by curved arms, a a, to hinges, b 6, which are at. tached to arms, e c, and these to the rods, d' as shown at the left side. These rods, d', at each side, are attached to bent levers, e, having their fulcrums at /, and those levers are secured to the step. It will therefore be observed theit as the step, F, is raised or lowered, the door, E, will open or close, because when the inner ends of the levers, e e, are raised upwards the fowls jumping on the steps, the inner ends of the curved arms, a, which are attached to the hinges, b, will be raised upward, and as the door, E, at the op is attached to the inner ends of arms a, the lower edge of the door, E, will swing inwards as shown in the figure, and the feed box, C, will be exposed. Two steps are re-r resented, the lower one being secured on a lever, g, (one on each side) which hangs on a fulcrum, z, and is connected by cords, h to the step, F, so as to act upon it. By the fowls alighting on the steps, the door, E, is thus opened by their weight, and when they leap off, the door is heavy enough to swing into its perpendicular position, and cover in the feed box from exposure. The fowls cannot be entrapped in the feed box, as the door, when swinging out, will force any that may jump I into the box out of it The levers, g g:, by their joints, i i, (one not seen) allow of th lower step being lifted up, against the case, i and thus prevent the fowls (when desired) ! from opening the door, E. This apparatus preserves the grain from filth, vermin, and exposure to the weather, it also prevents the fowls from wasting it, they I can feed themselves at pleasure, and also be prevented from doing so, as mentioned. The case can be carried about conveniently, and different kinds of grain used, by having the hopper and boxes divided into partitions. More information may be obtained by letter addressed to the patentee.

Scientific American Magazine Vol 8 Issue 10This article was published with the title “Albee's Fowl Feeder” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 8 No. 10 (), p. 76
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican11201852-76c

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