FR2606592A1 - Stackable framework of individual cages for transporting and force-feeding poultry - Google Patents

Abstract

This framework, which can be entirely disassembled and is multipurpose, is used: for loading with poultry at the breeder's, for transportation to the force-feeder's, for force-feeding and for transportation of the fatted palmipeds to the poultry slaughterhouse. Its frontal mechanical simplicity allows fast turnover rates. The invention allows the five-cell frameworks to be stacked using the corner brackets 23, preventing any sliding of the stack. Its rear mechanism is used for loading the poultry into their cells, through its doors 14 which pivot on a suspension pin 16 and are closed by a rod 15 passing horizontally through the framework. Its frontal mechanism is based on a spring 6 allowing all the doors 20 to be firmly attached by compression to the hinges 8. The assembly is operated using the bolt 12, allowing the set of doors to rotate around their pin 13, in order to set it either in the force-feeding position or in the transportation or ready position.

Description

 The present invention relates to a stackable (stackable) chassis, grouping five individual cages for the transport of lean and fatty ducks as well as for force-feeding. We already know the principle of individual cages for force-feeding of poultry allowing to no longer handle animals.

 Mention may be made of patent FR 1-2 366792 which describes an assembly integral with a cage making it possible to block the animal, but which has the disadvantage of repeating the maneuver for each animal before and after the force-feeding. We can also cite the patent FR A 01. K 2556 175 describing superimposed batteries of feeding cages, blocking a whole row of animals simultaneously.

This system, which is certainly effective in terms of the results obtained, is ill-suited for placing animals in cages and has the drawback of being too heavy and bulky to lead the animals to a slaughterhouse outside the holding.

 The objects of the present invention consist in providing - a chassis of five stackable (stackable) cages, specially adapted for the transport by truck of palmipeds intended for force-feeding, - a simple and easy loading of the animals in their cockpit, - a withdrawal of the easiest and fastest animal possible, to keep pace with poultry slaughterhouses.

 According to a characteristic of the invention, the frame of cages comprises a meshed interior part, comprising three distinct parts: one serves as the bottom, the other as the ceiling and finally the vertical separation walls of the animals.

 According to another characteristic, the frame of cages is stackable or stackable for transport, thanks to brackets which exceed the bottom frame of the frame and which are located at its four corners.

 According to another characteristic, io upper front transverse bar through the vertical walls of the chassis and connects them by two bolts welded at its two ends.

 According to another characteristic, an upper front front part is used only for transport to stabilize and strengthen the stack. This part 9 removes for the force-feeding period.

 According to another characteristic, the frame of cages is entirely removable except for its two vertical frames, which are welded.

 According to another characteristic, the round irons located under the passenger compartment are used to support it and keep it in the chassis, by means of fixing collars. These round bars cross the chassis in its lower part and connect the two vertical walls with nuts screwed at each of their ends.

 According to another characteristic, the chassis of cages is slightly larger in size than the passenger compartment assembly.

 According to another characteristic, the rear axis located on the rear upper part of the chassis, connects the two vertical walls of the chassis, crossing them, by bolts welded on its two ends.

 According to another characteristic, the rear mechanical part used for loading the animals into their cockpit, is composed of five rectangular mesh doors fixed on door support tubes of a larger diameter, thus allowing them to rotate freely around the rear axis. who supports them.

 According to another characteristic, the front axle, therefore located on the front of the chassis, crosses and connects the two vertical walls of the chassis by bolts welded on its two ends.

 According to another characteristic, this axis supports the five front doors, also welded on door support tubes with a diameter greater than the axis allowing them to turn easily.

 According to another characteristic, the support tubes for the front doors are secured by male and female hinges.

 According to another characteristic, on the left part of the front axis, are a spring and a stop.

 According to another characteristic, a lock is located on the right front door support tube.

 According to another characteristic, the losses being as light as possible, a maintenance stand is located on the upper right front part of the chassis.

 After this description, it will be noted that the transverse parts, the axes (13) and (16), the round bars (9) serving to support the cockpits, as well as the part (37) protecting the ceiling of the cockpits, are integral with the chassis by nuts (21), which therefore allow total disassembly of the chassis and its mechanisms. To change only the cockpits (Fig. 1), the chassis is slightly larger, allowing, by cutting the clamps (10) which hold the cockpits in the chassis, to take the worn assembly out from the rear , and replace it with a new assembly of cockpits previously mounted. For the assembly of cockpits (Fig.l), just place a wire clip (35) every two or three wire mesh, this to give a rigidity when assembling the passenger compartments.

 Figure 1 is a view of the passenger compartment assembly according to the invention, showing the protective reinforcements.

 Figure 2 is a view of the cage frame as a whole, comprising all the mechanisms used for its uses (in the "standby" or "transport" position).

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 2 showing: - the movable part of the chassis used only for transport,
- the bivalent space used, either for transport or during force-feeding, for the support of drinkers,
- the places., ents of all its moving cross-moving parts or where not, as well as a detailed view of the maintenance stand also appearing in FIG. 2 located on the upper right front middle part.

Figure 4 is a rear view of Figure 2 showing the mechanisms relating to the placement of birds in their respective cockpits
FIG. 5 is a detailed front view of the secne avnat of the chassis, relating to the feeding, transport and opening devices for quickly extracting the palmipeds at the poultry slaughterhouse.

 The fixed part (1) is the front protective reinforcement located on the front of the partition wall. The fixed part (2) is the bottom of the cockpits as well as the front edge; the part (3) are the walls and vertical partitions of each cockpit, reinforced by front and rear protective reinforcements (1) and (4). Part (5) serves as a ceiling for the passenger compartments.

 The part (9) are round irons threaded at their ends and then bolted. They serve to support Figure 1 and allow, thanks to fixing collars (1.0) to maintain Figure 1.

in the chassis figure; 2.

 The spring and its stop (6) and (7) make the male and female hinges (8) always coupled, by pressing the front door support tubes (11) against each other. The part (12) is the bolt which is used to handle all of the front doors when they are integral, allowing them to rotate around the front axis (13) which passes through the chassis and connects these two vertical walls by bolts welded to these ends (21).

 The part (14) is a rear door which is used to return the animal to its cabin. When it is closed by the locking rod (15), it serves as a vertical bottom for the passenger compartment. The part (16) is the rear axle supporting the rear door support tubes (17). The part (18) serves as a support for the front doors when they are in the blocking position for force-feeding. The part (18) is located vertically on the outside of the two end doors (20).

 All the front doors have an empty part or window (22). Part (19) is only used for transport and is removed for the force-feeding period.

 The parts (23) are brackets welded to the four corners of the chassis and protrude from the bottom of the chassis to limit possible slippage of the stack of cages during transport.

The part (24) is the maintenance stand which blocks the front doors in the "feeding" position.

 The parts (25) fig.3 are voids necessary for the placement of the part (19) and the parts (26) and (27) which serve as a support for drinkers.

 The part (26) is that which enters the void (25) above the front axis (13) and is used to hold the drinker supports in their location.

 The mesh part (14) is a rear door fixed on a part (17) which, for its part, rotates on an axis (16) fixed itself to the chassis by nuts (30) fig. 4.

The part (31) fig. 5 is the location of the fixed point of the latch (12) which serves to immobilize the front doors in position
waiting for you or "transport". The part (32) fig.5 is the screw welded to the axis (13) at these two ends. The part (33) fig.3 is the axis which allows the maintenance stand (24) to turn vertical-fienX to block the front mesh door (20) in the "feeding" position. This axis (33) has two supports (34) located on the upper front middle part (37), to its right, fig.3.

 The chassis of empty cages is approached from the rear.

The animals are loaded Ge left to right. It is necessary to lift the first door (14) by rotating it on its axis (16) Fi.4, place the animal facing its cockpit, which, seeing the window (22) fig.2 of the front door (20) , advances without problem in his cockpit. Then simply advance the locking rod (15) from left to right to block the rear door and so on. The vertical protective reinforcements (4) fi> .1 prevent scratches both to the animal and to the breeder who loads the animals.

The cage frames are then placed in a stack on a truck.

The brackets (23) fig. 2 perfectly match the four sharp corners of the chassis below and prevent the stack from sliding.

 The chassis of cages are then deposited with the force-feeder who places them at the height which is suitable for him to work, for example, on trestles previously arranged. To force-feed the animals, you have to open the lock (12) fig.5 which frees the row of doors, which, then tipping on the animals, thus forces them to lie down. The crutch (24) fig.3 maintains the row of front doors in the "force-feeding" position to prevent animals from lifting them because they are as light as possible. There, the parts (18) fig.5 and fig.2, located on the extreme left and extreme right doors only, serve to limit the height of the doors horizontally, so that they do not press too much on the animal.

Then the force-feeder passes his hand through the empty part (22) fig. 2 of the front doors (20), grabs the animal's head and stuffs it.

The fact that the lower part of the void of the front doors is wider than its upper part allows the abot of the animal to expand better during the force-feeding. When the feeding is finished, the stand (24) fig.2 and 3 must be raised at the same time as the row of front doors, then close the latch (12) fig.5 in its fixed point (31) to leave the birds in wait and so they can get up. By passing the head through the window (22) fig.2, they can thus drink-in the gutter serving as a trough placed in front of the cage frame thanks to the part (26) fig.3 which is fixed in the lower part ( 25) fig. 3.

 The feeding period being over, the drinkers are removed from the chassis, then the parts (19) fig.2 and 3 are replaced in their lo7ement. Then, we load the chassis of cages and their animals in a stack on trucks that go to a poultry slaughterhouse. There, they are unloaded opposite the slaughter line.

The operation now consists in removing the animals from their cockpit. The door handling speed must be extremely simple and fast. This is why we designed this mechanical system based on the spring (6) and on the male and female hinges (8) fig.5 which will allow the operator to follow the cadence. Indeed, he must handle the front doors to open them and take out the poultry one by one to hang them on the slaughter line.

The operator is positioned opposite and to the left of the chassis. He puts his hand in the empty part (22) fig.2 and influences the spring t6) fig.5 a pressure from right to left by pushing the door (O) on its axis (13) from right to left to release the hinge male from its female (8) fig.5 and thus fully opened the front door (20). The operator then grabs the animal to hang it on the slaughter line. The hinges being welded, they are not likely to disturb it and even less to get lost (this in the case where it should have removed a part to open the door to take the animal and then put the part back in its housing.), When the cage frame is empty, it folds down the front doors (20) in their cockpit and the cage frame continues to circulate on the chain of hooking to pass through the automatic cleaning and disinfection chain that any poultry slaughterhouse has.

 Then, the chassis of cages are re-stacked on canions to go back to breeding where they will be reloaded with animals for other force-feeds.

 The production system described above is particularly suitable for transporting, force-feeding and slaughtering ducks.

However, it can also be suitable for geese. It then suffices to provide larger dimensions for the cockpits, the force-fed geese being heavier than force-fed ducks. The transport black currant will be provided for only three geese.

 The cage frame has been designed to adapt to the industrial criteria that govern the law in any activity. Indeed, the small markets for fatty palmipeds are dying out in the face of competition from foreign countries which, themselves, produce industrially, which tends to make us move in this same direction to maintain this profession which is still profitable in France. We have to adapt to produce more and cheaper to save production in our country.

Claims (12)

 1) Stackable chassis of individual cages intended for the transport and the force-feeding of poultry characterized in that the two lateral sides of the chassis are sides manufactured by uprights welded together and that all the transverse parts of the chassis connecting them are bolted.  2) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claim 1, characterized by the part (19) used only for transport and which is to be removed for force-feeding, leaving housings (25) fig. 2 divalent also serving to place the parts (26) in the housings (25) situated above the front axis (13), thus making it possible to place a collective drinker.  3) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 2, characterized by brackets (23), located at the four lower corners of the chassis and which protrude from the bottom of the chassis to match the four upper sharp angles of the chassis below during transport .  4) stackable chassis - individual cages according to claims 1 to 3, characterized by front doors (20) and rear doors (14) which are of flat rectangular shape.  5) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by the front doors (20), having windows (22) and whose width of the lower part is significantly greater than the width of the upper part.  6) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 5 characterized by front door support tubes (11) movable around a horizontal axis (13), being held together by male and female hinges (8) thanks to a spring (6) and a stop (7) which push the male hinges into the female hinges (8)  7) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the front doors (20) are held in the "feeding" position by a stand (24) fig.3 located on the right on the part (37) fig. 2.  8) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 7 characterized by the lock (12) fig.5 and fig.2 located on the right front support tube (11) which has the possibility of making all the front doors (20) integral with the chassis in the "waiting" or "transport" position, and letting all the front doors tilt on the animals, in the "force-feeding" position  9) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 8, characterized by its rear loading doors which constitute both the vertical bottom of the cockpits and the rear vertical part of the chassis.  10) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the rear doors (14) also rotate on an axis (16) by means of door support tubes (17) of a larger diameter.  11) Stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 10 characterized by the locking rod (15) of the rear doors (14) which makes it possible to hold the rear doors (14) closed or to release them.  12) stackable chassis of individual cages according to claims 1 to 11 characterized by six vertical walls serving as partitions and sides to the passenger compartments, these walls are biased on their upper front part, the bias (1) going from the ceiling to the base of the doors before (20).