CA1161705A - Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates - Google Patents

Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates

Info

Publication number
CA1161705A
CA1161705A CA000372614A CA372614A CA1161705A CA 1161705 A CA1161705 A CA 1161705A CA 000372614 A CA000372614 A CA 000372614A CA 372614 A CA372614 A CA 372614A CA 1161705 A CA1161705 A CA 1161705A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
bar
crushing
crushing bar
invention according
support bars
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000372614A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Richard Mcdonald
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA000372614A priority Critical patent/CA1161705A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1161705A publication Critical patent/CA1161705A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K1/00Housing animals; Equipment therefor
    • A01K1/02Pigsties; Dog-kennels; Rabbit-hutches or the like
    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01KANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K1/00Housing animals; Equipment therefor
    • A01K1/02Pigsties; Dog-kennels; Rabbit-hutches or the like
    • A01K1/0218Farrowing or weaning crates

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Zoology (AREA)
  • Animal Husbandry (AREA)
  • Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
  • Crushing And Pulverization Processes (AREA)

Abstract

ANTI-CRUSHING BAR ASSEMBLY FOR PIG FARROWING CRATES

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
When a sow lies down in a conventional pig farrowing crate, piglets are often crushed as they are unable to move out of the way fast enough. This inven-tion consists of an inwardly curved bar pivoted by the outer ends thereof between a pair of supports extending between the comfort bar and the bar immediately there-above same. It normally is retained in a horizontal position by means of stops and these bars prevent the sow from lying down quickly as they interfere. With the bars in place, the sow has to manoeuver as she lies down in order to get her back under one bar and the other un-derneath the other bar. This slows down the movement of the sow considerably thus enabling the piglets time to get out of the way. When the sow stands up, the bars pivot upwardly giving her sufficient room to stand whereupon they return by gravity to the original horizontal posi-tion.

Description

70~i ANTI--CRUSHING BAR ASSEMBLY FOR P[G FARROWING CRATES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to new and useful impro-vements in pig farrowing crates.
The standard pig farrowing crate used to hold a sow while she is nursing her young, comprises a relati-vely narrow enclosure constructed of bars to form a pen-like enclosure.
A problem with such conventional crates is that when the sow lies down for nursing, the narrowness of the crate causes difficulty in standing up again. Also, when she lies downs, the movement can be fairly rapid so that there is a possibility that she will roll on top of the piglets thereby crushing same as they do not have time -to get out of the way.
In order to remedy these problems, a "comfort bar" is utilized. This comprises the lowermost horizontal bar on the side of the crate being curved outwardly from the vertical plane of the crate side so as to allow the sow room to move at the bottom of the crate when nursing.
However, this modification, whsile allowing the sow more movement, results in more danger to the young as she tends to lie down more rapidly and furthermore sne then has suf-,~

~3! 6~70S

ficient room so that she may roll on top of the pigletswhile nursing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention assists in overcoming these difficulties and in accordance with the invention there is provided a pig farrowing crate comprising a vertical side frame including a horizontal bar, a horizontal comfort bar extending outwardly from the vertical side frame at a position below said horizontal bar in spaced and parallel relation thereto, and an anti-crushing bar assembly com-prising an anti-crushing bar, support means pivotally mounting said anti-crushing bar at a position outside of the vertical side frame and such that the anti-crushing bar extends inwardly from said support means and means coopera-ting between said support means and said anti-crushing bar to maintain said anti-crushing bar substantially horizon-tally but allowing same to pi.vot upwardly from the horizon-tal position.
A further advantage of the invention is to pro-vide a device which is readily attached to conventional pigfarrowing crates, particularly those including comfort bars.
With the foregoing in view, and other advanta-ges as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification 7VS~

proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment OL the principles of the present invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF TXE D~AWINGS
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pig farrow-ing crate with the invention incorporated therein.
Figure 2 is an end view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a fragmentary isometric view of one side of a farrowing crate with the invention installed .~

~6~L7[)~i therein.
Figure 4 is an isometric view of the anti-crushing bar assembly per se.
In the drawings like characters of reference in-dicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, reference should first be made to Figures 1 and
2 which show a pig farrowing crate collectively designated 10 consisting of a pair of spaced and parallel side frames collectively designated 11 maintained in the desired spa-ced and parallel relationship by means of one or more cross bars 12, one of which only is shown in the drawings.
Each side frame, in this embodiment, includes a substantially horizontal upper member 13 having a down-wardly curving one end member 14 at one end thereof and a downwardly curved other end member 15 at the other end thereof. U-shaped members 16 and 17 extend upwardly and over between the two side frames, and horizontal members 18 extend between the upper sides of the U-shaped members 16 and 17, all of which structure is conventional. In the majority of farrowing crates, the aforementioned comfort bars 19 are provided. These are substantially horizon-tally situated and extend between adiacent tlle lower ends ~ t7~3~

o~ the end portions :L4 ancl 15 of the side frames, being substantially U-shapecl when viewecl i.n plan ancl having a main horizontaL portion 20 extending between the inturned ends 21 with the mai.n po-rtion 2() extending outwardly from the verti.cal plane of the side frames as clearly shown in Figures 2 ancl 3.
A further horizontal member 22 e:xtends between the ends l.4 and 15 of the side frames spaced above the com:~ort bar but substantially in alignment with the ver-tical plane of the sicle frames once again as clearly shownin Figure 3.
The anti-crushing bar assembly collectively de-signated 23 is situated between the comfort bar 19 and the horizontal bar 22 thereabove and it is desirable but not essential that such an assembly is situated on both side frames of the Earrowing crate as shown in Figure 2.
Each crushing bar assembly includes support means comprising a pair of spaced and parallel bars 24 bolted or otherwise secured in spaced and parallel rela-tionship, to the portion 20 o~ the comfort bar and to thebar 22 thereabove so that the support bars 24 incline up-wardly and inwardly from the portion 20 of the comfort bar to the bar 22. This securement may be by means of nut and bolt assemblies 25, by welding, or any other conventional ~6~'7t)5 method and it will be observed that these support bars 24 are substantially perpendicular to the portion 20 ancd the bar 22 thereabove.
An anti-crushing bar collectively designated 26 is provided and is substantially U-shaped when -viewed in plan. It includes a pair of encl portions 27 forming the legs of the U-shaped portion, with a main portion 28 ex-tending therebetween and it is desirable that this anti-crushing bar be formed in one piece with the junctions bet-ween the end portions 27 and the portion 28, being curved as illustrated.
Pivot pins 29 are secured to the end portions 27 of the anti-crushing bar adjacent the ends 27A of the end portions, said pivot pins extending outwardly there-from and engaging the support bars 24 thus mounting the anti-crushing bar 26 for pivotal movement relative to the support bars 24 with the anti-crushing bar extending in-wardly as clearly shown preferably one upon each side frame of tne crate.
Means are provided normally to maintain the anti-crushing bar in a substantially horizontal position shown in ~igure 2, under normal circumstances and one me-thod comprises a stop plate 30 welded or otherwise secured to the support bars 24 and extending inwardly therefrom so so that the ends of the end portions 27 of the anti-crushing bar 26, engage these stops when the anti-crushing bar is horizontal as clearly shown. However, these stops permit the anti-crushing bar to move upwardly to a position sub-stantially parallel to the support bars 24 which, as herein-before described, incline upwardly and inwardly.
In operation, in order for the sow to lie down, she must lie straight down on her stomach and then roll on her side slowly as one bar lifts over her back and the ~0 other moves out of the way of her udder.
Because of this slow movement, the sow does not fall quickly onto her side thereby permitting piglets to move out of the way before being crushed.
Once the sow is in the lying down or nursing posi-tion, she will have no difficulty in standing up since the anti-crushing bars will pivot upwardly when pushed from under-neath so they can lie substantially parallel with the supports.
Once the sow is standing, the anti-crushing bars will fall back to the horizontal position by means of gravity, being retained in this horizontal position by means of the aforementioned stops 30.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit 0~

and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illus-trative only and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

CLAIMS:
(1) A pig farrowing crate comprising a vertical side frame including a horizontal bar, a horizontal com-fort bar extending outwardly from the vertical side frame at a position below said horizontal bar in spaced and parallel relation thereto, and an anti-crushing bar assembly com-prising an anti-crushing bar, support means pivotally mounting said anti-crushing bar at a position outside of the vertical side frame and such that the anti-crushing bar extends inwardly from said support means and means cooperat-ing between said support means and said anti-crushing bar to maintain said anti-crushing bar substantially horizon-tally but allowing same to pivot upwardly from the horizon-tal position.
(2) The invention according to Claim 1 wherein the anti-crushing bar extends inwardly to a position in-ward of the vertical side frame.
(3) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said support means includes a pair of support bars secured to and extending between the comfort bar and the further horizontal bar thereabove, said support bars being perpen-dicular to said comfort bar and said further bar and in spaced and parallel relationship to one another.
(4) The invention according to Claim 2 in which said anti-crushing bar is substantially U-shaped when viewed in plan and includes a pair of end portions and a main portion extending between the inner ends thereof, said end portions being pivotally secured one each to one of said support bars but adjacent the outer ends thereof.
(5) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar includes stops secured to said support means intermediate the ends thereof engageable by said anti-crushing bar when said anti-crushing bar is in the substantially horizontal position.
(6) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar includes stops secured to at least one of said support bars intermediate the ends thereof engage-able by said anti-crushing bar when said anti-crushing bar is in the substantially horizontal position.
(7) The invention according to Claim 4 in which means cooperating between said support means and said anti-crushing bar includes stops secured to said support bars intermediate the ends thereof engageable by said end por-tions of said anti-crushing bar when said anti-crushing bar is in the substantially horizontal position.
(8) The invention according to Claim 1 in which said support means inclines upwardly and inwardly from said comfort bar to said horizontal bar thereabove.
(9) The invention according to Claim 3 in which said support bars incline upwardly and inwardly from said comfort bar to said horizontal bar thereabove, said anti-crushing bar pivoting upwardly to a position substantially parallel to said support bars.
(10) The invention according to Claims 4, 5 or 6 in which said support bars incline upwardly and inwardly from said comfort bar to said horizontal bar thereabove, said anti-crushing bar pivoting upwardly to a position sub-stantially paralle] to said support bars.
(11) The invention according to Claim 7 in which said support bars incline upwardly and inwardly from said comfort bar to said horizontal bar thereabove, said anti-crushing bar pivoting upwardly to a position substan-tially parallel to said support bars.
CA000372614A 1981-03-10 1981-03-10 Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates Expired CA1161705A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000372614A CA1161705A (en) 1981-03-10 1981-03-10 Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000372614A CA1161705A (en) 1981-03-10 1981-03-10 Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1161705A true CA1161705A (en) 1984-02-07

Family

ID=4119409

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000372614A Expired CA1161705A (en) 1981-03-10 1981-03-10 Anti-crushing bar assembly for pig farrowing crates

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1161705A (en)

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