AU2011200381A1 - Animal holder - Google Patents

Abstract

An animal holding apparatus having an animal holding section with adjustable width and adjustable length means, an animal retaining bar that constrains the animal in a manner that provides for easy and efficient access to the animal for routine animal 5 husbandry procedures including crutching and/or wigging. 0)) F-

Description

1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a restraining device and holder for holding an animal, such as a sheep, during crutching or other treatments performed on the animal. In the process of animal husbandry a number of procedures are required to be 5 carried out on individual animals that at times requires that the animal be held or penned in order to allow the procedure to be carried out. For example, prior to a sheep being shorn it is required that the sheep first be crutched which involves removing soiled wool from around the tail and between the rear legs. This is typically carried out in a shearing shed and involves a shearer manhandling the sheep to put 10 them into the appropriate position to allow the crutching procedure to be carried out. The remainder of the fleece is left on the animal for removal at a later time. The action of manhandling a sheep for the purposes of crutching applies substantial physical strain to the shearer as the animal first has to be caught, turned over and then dragged into the appropriate position. Additional stresses are also then placed 15 on the animal, especially for pregnant ewes. At the same time as crutching is carried out on sheep, it may be decided to also "wig" the sheep to remove excess wool growth around the eyes and ears and also the pizzle, depending upon the condition of the animal. Crutching however is seen as being the main procedure for sheep as a preventative of fly-strike and also to reduce 20 likelihood of the wool becoming spoiled. In order to reduce the physical strain on the person carrying out the crutching, or other appropriate procedure, machines have been devised that securely grasp the animal by way of straps holding the sheep against a solid barrier so that the sheep can then be turned over onto its side in order to perform the appropriate procedure. 25 Such devices are typically operated by hydraulic or air pressure to relieve the strain on the operator. However, these machines are relatively slow in terms of their operation reducing the overall productive output of the operator significantly as well 2 as placing stress on the animal by aggressively holding the animal in place whilst it is turned on its side. Additionally, whilst these types of machines place less stress on the operator they are complex to set up and relatively heavy such that their movement from one yard to 5 another is problematic and takes considerable time such that most often such devices are simply left in place and the animals are brought in from other adjacent yards, a process which can take considerable time. Due to the amount of physical strain placed on the shearer, and the need to address the welfare of the animal there is a significant value in discovering a method and 10 apparatus by which sheep or other animals can be captively held with the minimum of effort by the operator and at the same time allowing the operator to perform the procedure quickly and efficiently, then release the animal and proceed relatively quickly to the next animal without unduly effecting the operation of the procedure such as crutching. 15 OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taking in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, 20 by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided an animal holding apparatus including an animal holding section, a first animal access gate, the animal holding 25 section having adjustable width and adjustable length means, an animal retaining bar wherein the animal retaining bar is positioned behind an animal's legs. In preference, the animal holding section has adjustable legs.

3 In preference, the animal holding section includes a pair of spaced apart side walls characterised in that at least one side wall is pivotally moveable with respect to the other side wall so as to effect a holding force on an animal positioned there between. In another form of the invention there is an animal handling apparatus having a 5 frame, an animal holding section including a pair of spaced apart side walls defining there between an animal race, an entry gate to allow animals to enter, a retaining bar positioned behind the animal when the bar is rotated in the animal retaining portion, and a front wall. In preference, the spaced apart side walls include at least one side wall being at least 10 partially moveable with respect to restrict movement of the animal in the apparatus. In preference, the at least one partially moveable side wall is held substantially parallel to the other side wall when moved to restrict movement of the animal. In preference, the side walls are hingedly connected to the frame to allow the animal to be released from within the apparatus. 15 In preference, the retaining bar is moveable. In preference, the retaining bar is pivotally connected to the frame and has a first position to allow the animal to move in and out of the animal retaining section and a second position where the retaining bar restricts the movement of the animal into or out of the animal retaining section. 20 In preference, the retaining bar is activated between the first and second position by a foot-operated switch. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS By way of example, an employment of the invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 25 Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention; 4 Figure 2 is a view of the present invention showing a sheep positioned at the entry ramp; Figure 3 is a view front gate section with the sheep stepping over the animal retaining bar with the remainder of the apparatus removed for clarity; 5 Figure 4 shows the animal retaining bar moving into a closed position to prevent the animal from moving rearward; Figure 4A is close up side view of the animal retaining bar as shown in Figure 4, showing the animal retaining bar returning to the open position and the actuating mechanism; 10 Figure 5 shows the front end of the apparatus with the adjustable length section in operation; Figure 6 is the view of Figure 5, with the adjustable length section extended and the adjustable side wall extended to reduce movement of the sheep in place; Figure 7 shows the opening of the gate to allow access to the rear of the animal, note 15 the side gates are also opened to allow access to the side of the animal for crutching of the sheep; Figure 8 shows the sheep being released from the holding section, noting that the sheep could be released through the side gate as appropriate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 20 The animal holding apparatus (10) has an animal holding section (12) for holding an animal within, this comprises a frame (15) having upright sections (17) as shown in Fig 2. There are two longitudinal spaced apart side walls (19) and (20) on either side of the animal retaining portion (12). At least one of these side walls is moveable with respect to the other, in this particular embodiment side wall (20) has a portion thereof 25 that extends inwards into the animal retaining portion (12) in order to provide a way 5 of reducing the opportunity for the animal entrapped therein from moving about. The side wall (20) has a pivotally mounted portion (22) which is actuated by operation of lever (24) which is biased by a spring (27). Operation of lever (24) then results in the portion (22) moving inwards from the side 5 wall (20). The lever (24) may have a plurality of pre-set positions such that when in operation the lever (24) is pulled from a first position wherein the section (22) is collinear with (20) and then when moved into a second position and removably locked in place, the portion (22) then sits at a predetermined distance into the interior of the animal retaining portion (12). This then allows for relatively quick and rapid 10 setting of the portion (22). The other side wall, side wall (19) is pivotally mounted onto the upright of the frame by hinges (30). This side wall (19) can be opened or closed then to allow animals to escape from the interior of the animal holding portion. Side wall (19) can also have a movable gate (32) within it so that when (19) is in a closed position the gate (32) can be opened, as it is pivotally connected to (19), to 15 allow an operator relatively easy access to the head of the animal. At a rear of the apparatus (10) there is an access gate (39) through which the animals pass through on their way into the animal-retaining portion (12). The gate (39) is hinged to the frame portion (15). Located on the floor (42) is an animal retaining bar (44), also referred to herein as a 20 "hock bar". The retaining bar (44) is pivotally connected to the sides (45) so that the bar (44) can be positioned in an open (lowered) position (44a) where it is substantially parallel with the floor (42) and thus provides no barrier for the animal to pass through and a closed (upright) manner (44b) that is substantially perpendicular to the floor (42), and. The bar (44) is conveniently operable between positions (44a) 25 and (44b) by means of a foot-operated switch (47) and (48). In this instance the foot operated switch means includes the actuators (47) and (48). As shown in Figure 4 when the animal (50) enters, the lever (47a) is in its first position the bar (44a) is in an open position to allow the animal (50) to enter unhindered. Actuation of lever (47a) by the operator's foot in a downward manner 6 (47b) rotates the bar (44a) into a closed position (44b) which then provides a barrier for the rear legs of the animal (50) within the animal holding section (12). In order to return the bar (44b) into the open position (44a) the operator then activates (48), preferably striking it with their foot which then disengages the lever (47b), which is 5 biased to position (47a) Figure 4A. This then allows for quick and reliable actuation of the bar (44). Although the foot-operated switch is shown as to separate switches (47) and (48) it is within the scope of the invention that the foot operated switch means could be a single switch that operates between both open and closed positions. 10 It is also important to note that the animal holding apparatus (10) is comprised of a number of modular components to allow for relatively simple assembly and disassembly. In this manner the apparatus as a whole can be disassembled and flat packed onto a trailer for movement to another location and subsequently re assembled all by a single individual with minimum fuss. 15 In use then, animals, in this case sheep (50) are held in a holding pen positioned at the rear of the apparatus (12). By way of the race section (41) the sheep (50) are directed to the entry point (43) of the animal holding apparatus (12). After a sheep has entered the operator then closes the gate (39) behind the animal, the animal naturally moving towards the front of the holding apparatus (12) at which point then 20 the operator activates the retaining bar (44) by pressing lever (47) into its closed position (47b). As the bar (44) raises it is then positioned so that when the animal moves backwards its rear legs will brush or press against the bar (44) thus restricting the rearward movement of the animal beyond that point. If in fact the animal positioned in the animal retaining section (12) is smaller then the 25 front portion, section (51) can be moved into position (51b) as its frame (55) is slidably mounted onto rails (52). The frame (55) has a plurality of pre-set positions (56) so that the operator can quickly and efficiently move the portion (51) from one to the other to accommodate animals of different length. Once the bar (44) has been raised and the length or position of the section (51) has 30 been determined then the width of the animal holding section (12) can then be 7 adjusted by operation of lever (24) to move the portion (22) inwards so that it urges the animal towards the side wall (19). Due to the positioning of the lever (24) and its ability to have a plurality of pre-set positions again, the operator of the device can quickly and efficiently restrict the movement of the animal without either straining 5 themselves or causing undue stress to the animal. Once held within the animal holding portion (12) the operator can then access a section of the animal, for example by opening gate (40) in order to carry out the crutching procedure. As the apparatus is raised from ground level by the adjustable legs then it is also not necessary for the operator to manhandle the sheep and strain their back in order to 10 crutch effectively. Whilst the animal is restrained, it also provides the opportunity for the operator to perform the wigging procedure and the animal (50) can be accessed via operation of the gate (32), which folds down to provide access to the front portion of the animal. After the procedures have been completed the movable front section (51), which is 15 pivotally connected to the slidable section (55) by hinges (54) is then opened to allow the animal (50) to escape from within the animal retaining section at which point the gate (51) can then be closed and another animal introduced in a quick and easy fashion. Alternatively, a sheep may be retained in the section (57) in combination with a gate 20 located at the end of the passageway (58) to constrain the sheep in (57) so as to act as a decoy sheep in the system. This then reduce entices the next sheep entering into the holding device (as in Figure 2) thus additionally reducing the stress on both the animal and the operator. Once a sheep has been attended to within the apparatus (as per Figure 6) it can then be let out through the side gate (19) as 25 described previously. As such, it can now be seen that the apparatus as herein described allows for an operator to readily the perform operations such as crutching and wigging in an easy manner. The raised platform that the animal is positioned dramatically reduces the strain on the operators back. The provision of novel ways to reduce the interior 8 dimensions of the animal holding section, a single operator can quickly control the animals movement without placing undue stress on the animal making operations safer and quicker. By locating the holding pen in behind of the apparatus the sheep then are easily 5 delivered to the restraining section with minimal fuss. Once the operator has performed the operation they can then easily allow the animal to exit from the apparatus and then introduce another. In this way a single operator can perform multiple operations relatively tirelessly and without the need to engage extra resources to handle the sheep. 10 Additionally, as the apparatus is of modular construction the user can readily disassemble, and relocate the apparatus to a new location, avoiding the need to bring sheep in from other areas which can take considerable time and resources as well as pacing stress on the animals. Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction [and 15 process steps, parameters of operation etc] without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention.

Claims (11)

1. An animal holding apparatus including an animal holding section, a first animal access gate, the animal holding section having adjustable width and adjustable length means, an animal retaining bar wherein the animal retaining bar is positioned 5 behind an animal's legs.

2. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 1, further characterised in that the adjustable width means includes a first and second spaced apart side wall characterised in that the first spaced apart side wall is pivotally moveable with respect to the opposite second spaced apart side wall so as to effect a holding force 10 on an animal positioned there between.

3. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 2, further characterised in that the first spaced apart side wall is held substantially parallel to the second spaced apart side wall when moved to restrict movement of the animal.

4. The animal holding section as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, further 15 characterised in that the animal retaining bar is moveable between an upright position and a lowered position, wherein in the upright position the animal retaining bar is positioned behind the animal to restrict an animal from moving backwards in the animal holding section.

5. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 4, further characterised in that 20 the animal retaining bar in the lowered position is substantially parallel with a floor of the animal holding section.

6. The animal holding section as claimed in any one of claims 4 or 5, further characterised in that the retaining bar is activated between the upright and lowered position by a foot operated switch. 25

7. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 1 or 5, further characterised in that the adjustable length means includes a slidably movable upright section. 10

8. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 7, further characterised in that the slidably movable upright section is mounted on a rail of the animal holding apparatus to allow forward and backward movement of the upright section.

9. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 8, further characterised in that 5 the slidably movable upright section is pivotally connected to sliding section so as to allow the upright section to move between an open position and a closed position.

10. The animal holding section as claimed in claim 9, further characterised in that the siding section has a plurality of pre-set engagement points to provide for engagement with a releasable engagement means positioned on the rails so as to 10 provide a plurality of pre-set lengths insertion of the slidable upright section into the animal holding section. 10. The animal holding apparatus of any one of the above claims wherein the apparatus is of modular construction.

11. The animal holding apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with 15 reference to the accompanying drawings.