GB2217567A - Improvements in pig rearing units - Google Patents

Abstract

A pig rearing unit comprises a building with an arched roof (12) supported on a pair of skids (24). The unit has a pair of rear doors (16) and no floor over most of its area so that it can be towed forwards with the doors open to leave behind any waste matter or bedding. The building may have a false ceiling for storage purposes, and may incorporate ventilation means. <IMAGE>

Description

Title Improvements in Pig Rearing Units Field of the invention This invention relates to a pig rearing unit and more particularly to a pig rearing unit especially intended for rearing pigs from the age of about ten weeks to the age of maturity for use as meat, i.e. pork or bacon.

Background to the invention Conventionally, young pigs are brought to maturity in outbuildings standing on concrete or other fixed foundations and equipped with slatted flooring. It is an aim of this invention to provide a pig rearing unit of an improved and different form.

The invention According to the invention, there is provided a pig rearing unit in the form of a building supported on ground-engaging means by which the building can be moved by towing, the building having no floor over at least part of its area and having rear end door means extending down substantially to ground level, whereby the building can be towed forwardly with the rear end door means open to leave behind bedding and other waste material deposited on the ground within the building while it has been in use.

One practical manner of use of the portable pig rearing unit is to leave the building on one site in a field for a period typically of say one month, until spent bedding, for example of straw, and other waste matter has built up to a given level on the ground, and then to tow the building to a fresh and clean site in the field to enable its use for a similar period.

The building is preferably supported on skids extending along at least the major part of the length of the building underneath the bottom edges of the side walls of the building.

Conveniently, the side walls of the building may be slightly divergent towards the rear end of the building, in order to reduce the effort required to tow the building away from a used site.

A preferred building has a raised floor over a portion of its area adjoining the front end of the building. This raised floor may support a feeding device, conveniently an ad lib feeder, and also a source of drinking water.

Access to the raised floor portion can be by way of a ramp which can be pivotally raised when the building is to be moved.

The preferred building may have an arched roof, rectangular as seen in plan. Gaps between the roof and the top edges of the side walls may be open to assist ventilation.

Beneath the arched roof, the building is preferably provided, over a major part of its area extending to the front end, with a false ceiling. The false ceiling may be employed for storage of straw bales to be used for bedding, generally in accordance with the practice known as deep litter bedding. The ceiling may also be used to support a water tank supplying the drinking source. The stored straw bales assist in keeping the lower part of the building warm.

An inspection hatch may be provided in the front end wall of the building, and provide access to the feeder and water source. Conveniently, the hatch door may be pivotally mounted, and may be fixable in any one of a number of different open positions to assist control of ventilation.

Ventilation flaps, conveniently automatically controlled, as by means of wax expanding pistons, may also be provided in the false ceiling.

The door means in the rear end wall are preferably a pair of doors mounted on lift-off hinges to ease movement of the building over long distances, e.g. one part of a farm to another. A leverable locking bar on these doors may be provided to assist in closing the doors against the resistance of the deep litter bedding, since the rear end doors also provide the means of access to the building interior.

Description of embodiment A practical example of pig rearing unit in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example, making reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of the unit; Figure 2 is a front elevation; Figure 3 is a vertical, transverse, cross-sectional view; Figure 4 is a plan view, with part of the roof cut away; Figure 5 is a plan view, with roof removed and part of the ceiling cut away; Figure 6 is a side elevation; and Figure 7 is a vertical, longitudinal, cross sectional view.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a modified design The illustrated pig rearing unit comprises an approximately rectangular building but narrowing in width between its side walls 10 from back to front, although the arched roof 12 is exactly rectangular when seen in cut away plan view (Figure 5). The rear end wall 14 has a pair of trapezoidal access doors 16 below hinged triangular ventilated flaps 18. The front end wall 20 has an elevated inspection hatch 22 which has a pivotally operable door securable, as by means of a hook and chain 23, in any one of a number of open positions of differing extents, thereby to assist ventilation control.

The building is supported on a pair of skids 24 beneath the bottom edges of its convergent side walls 10. At the tops of the side walls 10, gaps between the side walls and the arched roof 12 are left open to improve ventilation.

The building has no floor except over a region of its area adjoining its front end, where a raised floor 26 is provided, accessible via a pivotally mounted ramp 28. The raised floor 26 supports an ad lib feeder 30 and a water bowl 32.

The building also has two thirds of its area provided with a strengthened false ceiling 34, for supporting a water tank 36 with an automatic control device 38 for replenishing the water bowl. The ceiling can also support bales of straw (not shown) to be used up in providing a deep litter bed over the unfloored area of the building to the rear of the raised floor 26.

Wax expanding pistons 40 provide automatic control for ventilation flaps 42 in the false ceiling 34. In general, however, straw bales stored in the false ceiling assist in retention of heat in the lower part of the building beneath said ceiling.

As can be seen from Figure 5, the rear doors 16 open laterally outwards and apart on side hinges. These hinges are of the lift-off type. The doors can be fixed closed by a leverable locking bar mechanism 44.

Preferred materials for the building are tanalised timber for principal structural parts, plastics particle board outer wall lining, galvanised tin roofing sheets, threeply oriented strand board for the false ceiling, and galvanised nuts and bolts.

A typical building will be of a size suitable to rear about twenty five pigs. The same site is usable for about one month before deep litter bedding, building at the rate of one straw bale per day, rises close to the height of the raised floor 26. The rear end doors 16 are then fully opened and, there being no structure beneath these doors, the building can be towed forward on its skids 24 to a fresh site, leaving the spent deep litter bedding behind. Movement of the building is assisted by its slightly tapering shape. Rearing of the pigs can then continue in the same way.

The rear end doors 16 enable access to the building for attention to the bedding, and the leverable locking bar mechanism 44 assists closure of these doors against resistance from spilling bedding and waste material on the ground inside the building.

The maximum number of straw bales (about ten) will be kept stored on the false ceiling 34 while the pigs are young.

However, these bales can be used for bedding when the pigs are older.

The front end inspection hatch 22 allows access to the water supply and ad lib feeder. The latter can hold up to two days' supply of food.

In addition to being relatively inexpensive to produce and use, the unit in accordance with the invention has the advantage of using deep litter straw bedding in contrast to a slatted floor, the former generally being preferred for pig welfare.

Various modifications of the illustrated embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention hereinbefore defined. Thus for example the two flaps 42 of Figure 3 may, as shown in Figure 8, be raised slightly above the level of the false ceiling to increase the flap opening area and increase the area through which the air can flow.

Also, as shown in Figure 8 the flaps 42 can be vertical to the wall and open outwards towards the curved roof 12 rather than as shown in Figure 3 at 42.

Additionally the wax expanding pistons 40 of Figure 3 may be replaced by similar pistons 40 in Figure 8 attached to the flaps by an adjustable length of rod to minimise the cooling effect of incurring cold air on the pistons when the flaps are open.

Claims (15)

1. A pig rearing unit in the form of a building supported on ground-engai3ing weans by which the building can be moved by towing, the unit having no floor over at least part of its area and having rear end door means extending down substantially to ground level, whereby the unit can be towed forwardly with the rear end door means open to leave behind bedding and other waste maLeril deposited on the ground within the building while it has been in use.

2. A unit according to claim 1, in which said groundengaging means comprises skids extending along at least the major part of the length of the building underneath the bottom edges of the side walls thereof.

3. A unit according to claim 2, iin which the side walls of the building are slightly divergent towards the rear end of the building, in order to reduce the effort required to tow the building away from a used site.

4. A unit according to any one preceding clain in which the building has a raised floor over a portion of its area adjoining the front end of the building.

5. A unit according to claim 4 in which the raisel floor supports a feeding device and a source of drinking water.

6. A unit ac''r:ding to claim 4 or claim 5 in which access to the raised floor portion is by .vay of a ramp which is pivotally raised when the building is to be moved.

7. A unit according to any one preceding claim, in which the building has an arched roof, which is rectangular as seen in plan, and openable gaps between the roof and the top edges of the side walls to assist ventilation.

8. k unit according to claim 7 in which beneath the arcned roof the building is provided, over a major part of its area extending to the front end, with a false ceiling.

9. A unit according to claim 8, in which the false ceiling is employed for storage of straw bales to be used for bedding, and/or support a water tank supplying drinking water.

10. A unit according to any one claims 5 to 9, further comprising an inspection hatch in the front end wall of the building, to provide access to the feeder and water source.

11. A unit according to claim 10, in which the hatch door is pivotally mounted and fixable in any one of a number of different open positions to assist control of ventilation.

12. A unit according to any one of claims 8 to 11, in which said false ceiling comprises ventilation flaps, which are automatically controlled by means of wax expanding pistons.

13. A unit according to any one preceding claim, in which the door means in the rear end are a pair of doors mounted on lift-off hinges to ease movement of the building over long distances.

14. A unit according to claim 13 in which a leverable locking bar is provided to assist in closing the doors against the resistance of the deep litter bedding, where the rear end doors also provide the means of access to the building interior.

15. A pig rearing unit substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.