| abstract |
A feeder (10) for bison and other herd-type animals, particularly those difficult to domesticate, includes a feed storage unit (16) having a feed compartment (72) for holding animal feed, a frame (12) for carrying the storage unit (16), a feed dispensing unit (18) for delivering feed from the compartment (72), a controller unit (14) for identifying the animal to be fed, and actuating the dispensing unit (18) to deliver a ration of animal feed in response to the identification signal received. The feeder (10) preferably includes a plurality of dispensing units (18) for feeding several animals at different sites (48, 50, 52). Legs (102) located between the feeding sites (48, 50, 52) separate the animals during feeding, and visual barriers (106) inhibit the feeding animals from seeing one another. Preferably, only portions of the feed are intermittently delivered by the dispensing unit (18) so that dominant animals are inhibited from appropriating the share of lesser animals in the herd. |