GB1568072A

GB1568072A - Cattle feeding system

Info

Publication number: GB1568072A
Application number: GB4264676A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: FPC Ltd
Current assignee: FPC Ltd
Priority date: 1976-10-14
Filing date: 1976-10-14
Publication date: 1980-05-21

Description

(54) CATTLE FEEDING SYSTEM (71) We, FPC (DEVELOPMENTS) LIMITED, of Suttieside, Forfar DD8 3NG, Great Britain, a British Company do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field comprising a mobile shelter for a number of cattle, a fodder trough extending along the front of the shelter and accessible to cattle in the shelter, flooring in said shelter, and a gap in said flooring at the rear of the shelter; the arrangement being such that, in use, the cattle cannot graze, excreta from the cattle can pass through said gap to the ground, and the shelter can be moved periodically so that the excreta falls on different strips of ground.

Further, according to the present invention there is provided a method of feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field, said method comprising locating apparatus as aforesaid in a field, locating cattle in the shelter side-byside and with their rear ends substantially directly above said gap, placing fodder in the trough, and moving the shelter periodically and sufficiently to lie substantially clear of cattle excreta which has passed through said gap to the ground.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, which shows a front perspective view of apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading mar.ure in a field according to the present invention.

The apparatus consists of a shelter 1 for housing a number of cattle, in this case, six.

The shelter consists generally of a roof 2 made of corrugated metal sheeting, flooring 3, four upstanding metal frameworks 4, which extend fore-and-aft and are equi-spaced longitudinally of the shelter and support the roof 2 and flooring 3, and divide the shelter into three stalls or cubides, each for two animals, a front barrier 5, a fodder trough 6, a rear wall 7 for each stall, and a water trough or container 8 for each stall (only one being shown).

Each framework 4 consists of a groundengaging skid or runner 9 extending fore-andaft, front and rear upright posts 10 secured to the skid 9 and connected at the top by a runner 11, a rail 12 connecting the posts 10 intermediate their ends and connected to the skid 9 by spars 13. Each runner 11 has a portion 11A projecting forwardly over and downwardly towards the trough 6, so that the portion 2A of the roof 2 attached thereto helps to protect the animals, and fodder in the trough, during inclement weather.

The flooring 3 is formed in three separate removable sections which abut end-to-end, and each section is preferably formed, as shown, by a plurality of spaced wooden slats 14 which extend longitudinally of the shelter and are connected adjacent their ends by battens 15 which extend fore-and-aft. The battens 15 rest on adjacent skids 9, and the floor sections may be held removably in position by virtue of the battens 15 substantially abutting the spars 13, and the latter being located in spaces between slats. The slats 14 may be about 5 inches wide and may be spaced apart by about 1 inch, and the rearmost slat 14A of each floor section is spaced sufficiently from the rear wall 3 so as to form a gap 16 through which excreta from the cattle may fall to the ground. The gap 16 may be about 12 to 18 inches wide, for example, and extends throughout the length of the shelter.

The middle two skids 9 project forwardly below the trough 6 and at their front ends carry downwardly projecting hitch elements in the form of towing brackets 17, so that the front ends of these skids 9 are in effect hooked. The brackets 17 lie within the width of the trough 6, so that they are protected from the wheels of the tractor and forage wagon when the trough 6 is being filled. For engaging behind the brackets 17, a hitch device (not shown) is provided. Said device consists of a tube or bar having two spaced pairs of apertured lugs for attachment to the draft links of a tractor three-point hydraulic lift assembly, or to a fork lift truck.

The front barrier 5 consists of upper and lower runners 18 extending throughout the length of the shelter and secured to the front posts 10. The runners 18 are connected at the posts 10 by upright bars 19, and by spars 20 equi-spaced between the bars 19. Between each spar 20 and the adjacent bar 19, the upper and lower runners 18 are connected by a strut 21 which is upwardly inclined towards the spar 20.

Each water trough 8 is located between each pair of adjacent spars 20 and substantially closes the space thenebetween. Each trough 8 is located by hooks 22 which engage over the upper runner 18, but may rest on the flooring 3. The troughs 8 and the struts 21 prevent the animals passing between the runners 18, but the struts 21 are so arranged that the animals may feed from the trough 6. The struts 21 are also used to tether the animals by means of chains 23 which can slide up and down the struts 21 to permit the animals to lie down or to drink from the troughs 8. The chains 23 are short enough to force the animals to lie away from each other when they lie down. A wooden batten 24 extends fore-and-aft midway between each pair of frameworks 4 and is secured to each floor section on the top thereof. The battens 24 are intended to discourage or prevent animals from lying longitudinally of the shelter, and to encourage them to lie or stand side43r-side.

Each rear wall 7 consists of a plywood panel which, at its upper end, is spaced from the roof 2 to provide a ventilation opening 7A.

Each panel abuts two adjacent rear posts 10 and a lower end marginal portion fits into a slot formed between the posts 10 and a stop 25 to the rear thereof and secured to the skids 9. The stop 25 is preferably in the form of a rail which extends from end-to-end of the shelter and connects all the skids 9. Adjacent each of its upper corners, the panel engages in a forked or U-shaped portion of a clip 26.

Only one clip 26 is shown in the drawing, and this clip has a tail 26A which is secured to the outer end face of rear post 10 of an end framework 4. The adjacent corner of the panel has a rectangular portion cut-out, and the lower edge of the cut-out is spaced below the tail 26A of the clip. In this way, the panel 7 can be lifted upwards to withdraw it clear of the stop 25, and the panel can then be removed by lowering it clear of the stop 25 and of the clips 26. Hand-holes 7A are provided in each panel to facilitate fitment and removal. The clips on the intermediate posts 10 may be double clips. Thus, each clip may have opposed forked or U-shaped portions to engage adjacent panels, and may be secured to the post 10 by a flange or by a third Ushaped portion.

The trough 6 extends throughout the length of the shelter and is secured to the front posts 10. It may also be supported from below by brackets secured to a front runner 27 which connects the front posts 10. At the front of the trough, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined flange or baffle plate 28 extends through the length of the trough. The baffle plate 28 helps to protect fodder in the trough from rain and to prevent animals from throwing food over the front of the trough. The base 6A of the trough 6 is slightly inclined downwardly and rearwardly, and a drainage slot 6B for rainwater is provided between the rear edge of the base 6A and the rear wall 6C of the base, the slot 6B extending throughout the length of the trough.

The apparatus above described is used as follows.

The shelter is placed at one end of a field which has been cropped, and may have been seeded with grass or roots, and cattle are tethered in pairs in each stall or cubicle and facing the trough 6. The front to rear depth of the shelter, excluding the trough, is about 8* feet, so that when the cattle, normally bullocks, are standing, their rear ends are substantially directly above the gap 12, and the length of each cubicle is about 7 feet so that the cattle must stand facing forwards: with their rear ends located as aforesaid. The trough 6 is designed to be filled from a tractordrawn, powered forage wagon, with forage such for example as grass, silage, potatoes, roots or grain, as the forage wagon moves alongside the trough. The water troughs 8 may be filled from a tractor-drawn water tank, or from a water mains via a flexible pipe.

The cattle remain in the shelter, and they can eat from the trough 6 and drink from the troughs 8, but they cannot graze. Their excreta drops mainly through the gap 16 on to the ground, though some may pass between the slats 14. After the first 12 or 24 hours, the shelter is moved forwards by about 18 inches or sufficiently to lie substantially clear of excreta which has fallen through the gap 16. The shelter is moved by attaching the hitch device to a tractor hydraulic lift, and then manoeuvering the tractor and operating the hydraulic lift to engage behind the brackets 17, and lift the front of the shelter slightly, and draw the shelter forwards.

This procedure is repeated every 12 or 24 hours for example over a period of six months or more. Only one shelter has been described, but there would in practice be a series of such shelters arranged end-to-end in a row extending across the field. Spaces are left between at least some of the shelters to provide passageways from front to rear for farm personnel.

The shelters may alternatively be advanced about 3 feet per day, and, in this case, the excreta is immediately harrowed into the ground, allowing vigorous regrowth of sward without recourse to cultivation or seeding.

The apparatus and method above described have the following advantages.

The shelters are easily constructed and are relatively inexpensive compared to concrete or other fixed shelters.

No time or labour is required for bedding the cattle, or in the removal of manure.

Periodic movement of the shelter avoids compaction of the soil by the tractor and forage wagon.

There are no ventilation problems, no planning permission is required, and fire and water supply regalations are not applicable.

There is no requirement for fencing, which is expensive, and, as the cattle cannot move about the field, the time and labour hitherto involved in selecting and removing sufficiently fattened cattle, or sick cattle for treatment, is reduced to almost negligible proportions.

As a result of the invention which provides soFcalled zero grazing (i.e. grass being cut and brought to the cattle), lung and stomach troubles in the cattle are eliminated or greatly reduced, there is little trampling of the soil by the cattle, and grass grown in the wake of the shelters can be cut at the ideal stage, and up to about twice the live weight of the cattle per acre production may be attained, in relation to the live weights attained hitherto.

In addition to the above, the field is fertilized with fresh manure, without the use of conventional manure spreaders or artificial ferdlizer.

The field m which the shelters are located may contain growing grass, for example, which can be cut for fodder, throughout May to September, as the shelters are advanced, and the ground behind the shelters may be seeded for example with turnips in May or June, with kale in July or August, and with rape in August or September, the turnips and kale providing fodder in November or December.

With reference to the flooring 3 of the shelters, it is explained that this is provided for the comfort of the cattle, for cleanli ness, to prevent the ground being seriously trampled, to prevent the cattle moving the shelters, and so that the weight of the cattle on the floor prevents the shelters from being blown over in high winds.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the dimensions and time factors above mentioned may be varied as required, and the number of cubicles in each shelter may be varied. Thus, for example, there may be only one, two or more than three cubicles in each shelter, for two, four or more than six animals respectively. Also, the trough 6 may alternatively be made up of three end-to-end trughs, one for each cubicle, in order to facilitate assembly of shelters having only one or two cubicles.

A squeegee or spreader blade or blades may be provided at the rear of the shelter, so that, when the latter is drawn forwards, the blade or blades engage and spread the excreta over the ground. There may be three such blades, each extending between and attached to adjacent skids 9, or there may be a single blade extending throughout the length of the shelter.

The blade or blades are preferably flexible, and may be made for example of rubber, plastics material, or corrugated metal sheeting.

If the blade or blades are made up of corrugated metal sheeting, the bottom edge of the sheeting preferably faces rearwardly. That is to say, the lowermost corrugation of the sheeting is concave when viewed from the rear. This prevents the sheeting catching on and being damaged by obstructions on the ground. It is possible that a spreader blade could be attached to the bottom of each door.

It is also possible for the plywood rear walls 7 to be replaced by walls made of corrugated metal sheeting, and, in this event, each rear wall may have a bottom end portion projecting downwards between adjacent skids 9, so that said portion, in effect, forms a spreader blade.

With further reference to the flooring 3, it will be seen from the drawing that the battens 15 project rearwardly beyond the rearmost slat 14. This allows further slats to be added to the floor sections to accommodate more comfortably cattle larger than that shown.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field comprising a mobile shelter for a number of cattle, a fodder trough extending along the front of the shelter and accessible to cattle in the shelter, flooring in said shelter and a gap in said flooring at the rear of the shelter; the arrangement being such that, in use, the cattle cannot graze, excreta from the cattle cannot pass through said gap to the ground, and the shelter can be moved periodically so that the excreta falls on different strips of ground.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, in which said shelter has a plurality of groundengaging skids or runners extending fore-andaft of the shelter.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, in which the shelter has a roof supported by a plurality of upstanding frameworks which are screwed respectively to the skids, and divide the shelter into a plurality of stalls or cub ides, each for two animals.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, in which said flooring is formed in removable sections, one for each stall, each section extending between and being supported by two adjacent skids, and the rear end of each

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. excreta is immediately harrowed into the ground, allowing vigorous regrowth of sward without recourse to cultivation or seeding. The apparatus and method above described have the following advantages. The shelters are easily constructed and are relatively inexpensive compared to concrete or other fixed shelters. No time or labour is required for bedding the cattle, or in the removal of manure. Periodic movement of the shelter avoids compaction of the soil by the tractor and forage wagon. There are no ventilation problems, no planning permission is required, and fire and water supply regalations are not applicable. There is no requirement for fencing, which is expensive, and, as the cattle cannot move about the field, the time and labour hitherto involved in selecting and removing sufficiently fattened cattle, or sick cattle for treatment, is reduced to almost negligible proportions. As a result of the invention which provides soFcalled zero grazing (i.e. grass being cut and brought to the cattle), lung and stomach troubles in the cattle are eliminated or greatly reduced, there is little trampling of the soil by the cattle, and grass grown in the wake of the shelters can be cut at the ideal stage, and up to about twice the live weight of the cattle per acre production may be attained, in relation to the live weights attained hitherto. In addition to the above, the field is fertilized with fresh manure, without the use of conventional manure spreaders or artificial ferdlizer. The field m which the shelters are located may contain growing grass, for example, which can be cut for fodder, throughout May to September, as the shelters are advanced, and the ground behind the shelters may be seeded for example with turnips in May or June, with kale in July or August, and with rape in August or September, the turnips and kale providing fodder in November or December. With reference to the flooring 3 of the shelters, it is explained that this is provided for the comfort of the cattle, for cleanli ness, to prevent the ground being seriously trampled, to prevent the cattle moving the shelters, and so that the weight of the cattle on the floor prevents the shelters from being blown over in high winds. Various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the dimensions and time factors above mentioned may be varied as required, and the number of cubicles in each shelter may be varied. Thus, for example, there may be only one, two or more than three cubicles in each shelter, for two, four or more than six animals respectively. Also, the trough 6 may alternatively be made up of three end-to-end trughs, one for each cubicle, in order to facilitate assembly of shelters having only one or two cubicles. A squeegee or spreader blade or blades may be provided at the rear of the shelter, so that, when the latter is drawn forwards, the blade or blades engage and spread the excreta over the ground. There may be three such blades, each extending between and attached to adjacent skids 9, or there may be a single blade extending throughout the length of the shelter. The blade or blades are preferably flexible, and may be made for example of rubber, plastics material, or corrugated metal sheeting. If the blade or blades are made up of corrugated metal sheeting, the bottom edge of the sheeting preferably faces rearwardly. That is to say, the lowermost corrugation of the sheeting is concave when viewed from the rear. This prevents the sheeting catching on and being damaged by obstructions on the ground. It is possible that a spreader blade could be attached to the bottom of each door. It is also possible for the plywood rear walls 7 to be replaced by walls made of corrugated metal sheeting, and, in this event, each rear wall may have a bottom end portion projecting downwards between adjacent skids 9, so that said portion, in effect, forms a spreader blade. With further reference to the flooring 3, it will be seen from the drawing that the battens 15 project rearwardly beyond the rearmost slat 14. This allows further slats to be added to the floor sections to accommodate more comfortably cattle larger than that shown. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. Apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field comprising a mobile shelter for a number of cattle, a fodder trough extending along the front of the shelter and accessible to cattle in the shelter, flooring in said shelter and a gap in said flooring at the rear of the shelter; the arrangement being such that, in use, the cattle cannot graze, excreta from the cattle cannot pass through said gap to the ground, and the shelter can be moved periodically so that the excreta falls on different strips of ground.

floor section being spaced from the rear of the shelter to provide said gap.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, in which each stall has a removable rear wall.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim S, in which the upper end of each rear wall is downwardly spaced from the roof.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 6, in which the shelter is provided with towing hitch elements, said elements being secured to the front ends of two of said skids.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7, in which said hitch elements lie within the width of the trough.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 8, in which there is provided at the front of the shelter a barrier through which the fodder trough is accessible to animals in the stalls.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 9, in which said barrier comprises an upper runner and a lower runner extending throughout the length of the shelter, and, for each stall, two upright spars connecting said runners and equi-spaced respectively from adjacent frameworks, and two struts connecting the runners and being upwardly inclined towards said spars respectively.

11. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 10, in which the space between the spars in each stall is substantially closed by a water container.

12. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 11, in which said water container has hooks engaging over said upper runner.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any of Claims 4 to 12, in which each section of flooring has secured on top thereof a wooden batten extending fore-and-aft and located midway between the ends of the section.

14. A method of feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field, said method comprising locating apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in a field, locating cattle in the shelter side-by-side and with their rear ends substantially directly above said gap, placing fodder in the trough, and moving the shelter periodically and sufficiently to lie substantially clear of cattle excreta which has passed through said gap to the ground.

15. Apparatus for feeding cattle and spreading manure in a field substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

16. A method of feeding cattle and spread ing A manure in a field substantially as herein- before described.