self-feedadj.n.
/ˌsɛlfˈfiːd/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfid/ A. adj.
1. Designating (part of) a system or mechanism designed to automatically and continuously supply a device or machine with material; (also) designating a machine or device equipped with such a mechanism. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1854 U.S. Patent 11,226 1/2 The plate B..forms the top and bottom of the self-feed annular space or chamber, except at the openings D and O, for the reception and discharge of the seed.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 127/1 Self-feed Base Burner... A neat, attractive stove.
1955 Pop. Mech. Mar. 220 Self-feed soldering gun speeds up production on repetitive soldering jobs.
1987 PC Mag. 10 Nov. 264/3 The printer's self-feed mechanism automatically brings the paper around and into position.
2. Originally: designating a drill equipped with a mechanism that automatically drives the bit into the material being drilled (now rare). In later use: designating a drill bit equipped with a threaded spike which draws the bit into the material.
ΚΠ
1883 Worcester (Mass.) Directory 649 (advt.) Improved upright self-feed drills.
1964 Hitchcock's Woodworking Digest Feb. 35/3 Industrial drill units, operating entirely from a small storage battery, can drill as many as 220 holes in four inches of Fir with a 3/4-in. self-feed bit.
1974 Engineer Jan. 17/1 The drilling operation was carried out by banks of self-feed drills.
2010 G. McCulloch 601 Woodshop Tips & Tricks 132/1 Self-feed bits are mostly used in residential construction.
3. Designating (part of) a system or mechanism designed to provide livestock with a continual supply of food. Also: designating food supplied in this manner. Cf. self-feeder n. (b) at self- prefix 6.
ΚΠ
1894 Bull. Experiment Station (Michigan State Agric. College) Feb. 21 Some care was necessary in accustoming the lambs to the heavy feed of grain before they were allowed constant access to the ‘self feed’ arrangement.
1922 Amer. Poultry Advocate Apr. 270/1 A self-feed hopper that contains dry mash so that the hens can help themselves at any time.
1958 Times 1 July (Suppl.) p. viii/7 For up to 20 cows the trailer can be a home-made self-feed rack standing on an ordinary farm trailer.
2009 D. Mellor et al. Sci. Animal Welfare ii. 28 Winter housing using self-feed silage and indoor cubicles made winter management easier.
B. n.† 1. Perhaps: a drill bit equipped with a threaded spike which draws the bit into the material; a self-feed bit. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1869 W. J. M. Rankine Cycl. Machine & Hand-tools Pl.L 6 Enabling the machine to drill or bore at any angle whatever with a self-feed.
2. A system of feeding livestock in which a continual supply of food is provided (typically using a self-feeder), so as to allow them to feed themselves as and when they want.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > providing or receiving food > feeding animals > [noun] > types of feeding
winter feeding1602
soiling1607
fogging1765
stall-feeding1805
suppering1820
box feeding1843
warming1874
self-feed1894
self-feeding1917
zero grazing1954
1894 Bull. Experiment Station (Michigan State Agric. College) Feb. 21 It is a common practice among feeders in many parts of this state to use a ‘self feed’. Many employ this method during the whole feeding period.
1908 E. V. Wilcox & C. B. Smith Farmer's Cycl. Live Stock 594/2 By self-feed is meant an arrangement by which sheep can supply themselves with grain at any time.
1969 Times 24 Feb. 12/2 Larger farmers have taken advantage of improvement grants to erect concrete-and-asbestos covered yards and silos, generally using a combination of self-feed and easy-feed.
1996 Agric. Hist. Rev. 44 85/1 Cooper and Morris..credit Rex Paterson with the invention of self-feed soon after 1950.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
self-feedv.
/ˌsɛlfˈfiːd/, U.S. /ˌsɛlfˈfid/ 1. transitive. Of a device or mechanism: to automatically and continuously supply itself with (material). rare.
ΚΠ
1875 U.S. Patent 163,824 1/2 As the fire consumes coal, the feed-pipe self-feeds its contained fuel.
1973 U.S. Patent 3,735,933 4 In view of the speed with which the rotor assemblies self feed material through the apparatus..the hopper is of substantial height and narrow in width.
2. transitive. To provide (livestock) with a continuous supply of food (typically using a self-feeder), so as to allow them to feed themselves as and when they want; to feed livestock with (food or a food supplement) in this manner. Also intransitive.
ΚΠ
1916 Wisconsin Agriculturalist 6 Mar. 1/2 We are not prepared to advise our friends to begin self-feeding their entire swine herd all at once.
1951 Sun (Baltimore) 31 May 9/5 Mixing salt with cottonseed meal enables livestock growers to self-feed controlled amounts of protein supplement to their beef cattle.
1968 Pastoral Rev. July 616/1 In a severe drought, it may not be possible to self-feed.
2015 F. Flanders & J. R. Gillespie Mod. Livestock & Poultry Production xv. 293 Bulls that are self-fed require large amounts of roughage so they will not become too fat.
3. intransitive. Of an animal: to eat from a supply of food provided for it; (also) to forage or find food for itself.
ΚΠ
1956 Manx Jrnl. Agric. Autumn 33 Cattle will self-feed on unchopped silage in a trench silo without any difficulty, once they have made a start at it.
1976 Amer. Naturalist 112 868 Monotremes..produce young which hatch as morphologically simple fetuses, larvae, or fry that have the ability to self-feed.
1994 Auk 111 635/1 Hand-raised robins rarely returned with their nest mates at feeding times, but always appeared individually to be hand fed or to self feed from a food table.
2008 Sun Herald (Sydney) (Nexis) 6 Jan. 4 Cats can self feed and look after themselves for a weekend.
4. intransitive. Of an infant, or a sick, elderly, or disabled person: to take food and eat without assistance. Also transitive: to take (food) and eat without assistance.
ΚΠ
1975 Policy Sci. 6 349 (table) Bedfast. Not able to self-feed. Under intensive care.
1988 A. Natow & J. Heslin No-nonsense Nutrition for your Baby's First Year (ed. 2) iii. 88 Other babies of nine months..can only manage to self-feed something as large as a cracker.
1990 Toronto Star (Nexis) 2 Feb. b5 There is a man in Arnprior Hospital..that has begun to speak again after months of silence. And others are regaining enough strength to self-feed, self-groom and even walk upright.
2008 G. Rapley & T. Murkett Baby-led Weaning ii. 59 Babies of six months and older who are allowed to self-feed are in fact very keen to try new foods.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, January 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
adj.n.1854
v.1875