GB2311202A

GB2311202A - Trough for bathing animals' feet

Info

Publication number: GB2311202A
Application number: GB9705653A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Sydney Webber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-03-20
Filing date: 1997-03-19
Publication date: 1997-09-24
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-19
Also published as: GB9605875D0; GB2311202B; GB9705653D0

Abstract

The vessel 2 is an elongate trough with low end walls 10,12 and higher, upwardly diverging, side walls (6,8). The end walls 10,12 may have formations 18,20 such that two or more troughs can be linked together. In use, an animal steps through the gap 5 or 7 at one end of the trough into treatment liquid 25 therein and is then constrained to walk through it until exiting the other end.

Description

VESSEL AND METHOD FOR BATHING ANIMALS' FEET The present invention relates to a vessel and method for bathing or washing the feet of farm animals.

A farmer must keep his animals in a healthy condition. However, the majority of farm animals are outdoor creatures and in constant exposure to the elements. In particular it is the animals' feet which are prone to infection. Thus, in order to maintain a high standard of hygiene it is important that the feet of the animals are regularly bathed in a treatment liquid to prevent infection. However, this is a labourious task.

Conventionally, the washing of animals' feet is performed using a shallow rectangular trough containing a treatment liquid. The animals are made to walk through the trough, bathing their feet in the treatment liquid as they pass through. However, the animals generally dislike walking through the liquid and thus are prone to stray outward from the shallow trough. To prevent this, it is normal to place barriers, such as fences, along either side of the length of the trough.

However, as the animals pass through the trough, their movement creates splashing. The treatment liquid spills over the edges and ends of the trough and is lost through the gap present between the side edges of the trough and the barriers. A lot of treatment liquid is wasted in this way. Furthermore, as the animals dislike placing their feet in the treatment liquid, they may try to walk on the edges of the trough or in the gaps between the troughs and the barriers. Then their feet are not properly treated. Also, an animal may get a leg stuck in a gap. The stuck animal prevents the passage of further animals through the trough and thus creates a jam. A stuck animal is difficult to remove from the trough and further, such a situation is highly distressing to the animal.

The present invention provides a new bathing vessel and method of bathing animals' feet which overcomes or ameliorates all of the above problems.

At its most general, a first aspect of the invention provides a walk-through bathing vessel for animals comprising an elongate trough portion including a pair of longitudinal side walls and upward extensions of said side walls projecting above the trough. Generally, the upward extensions are integral with the trough portion and are smoothly continuous with the corresponding side walls.

Preferably the vessel is of a size to snugly contain an animal longitudinally therein, such that the animal is compelled to move in a forward or backward direction only.

Typically, a vessel for treating sheeps' feet may have a trough portion 5-20cm deep, with extensions of vertical height 40-100cm. Different dimensions may be appropriate for different animals or for treating more than just the feet. The width is commonly small enough to prevent an animal from turning, though some baths are quite wide, e.g. lm or more.

Preferably, the side wall extensions diverge upwardly to a small extent enabling them to accommodate comfortably the body of the animal, and further allowing a plurality of the bathing vessels to be stacked one within another for storage purposes.

Preferably the bathing vessel of the present invention includes means for interlocking a plurality of vessels in a longitudinal manner such that the effective length of the bathing vessel may be varied. Thus at one end there may be a down-turned lip defining a channel which may be hooked over an end of another vessel. Both ends of the vessel may be the same (the channel diverging downwardly towards its mouth) or either end may have a simple edge or an upturned lip.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of animal husbandry, said method comprising providing a bathing vessel of the first aspect, putting treatment liquid in the trough of said bathing vessel and causing an animal to walk through the vessel.

The present invention may be used for any animal requiring foot bathing e.g. for cattle, pigs and sheep.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the following drawing, in which: Fig 1 is a perspective view of a bathing vessel embodying the invention; and shows a method of animal husbandry using the bathing vessel of the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows an elongate bathing vessel 2 having a rectangular base 4 (about 240x40 cm) adjoined to side walls 6 and 8 along its long edges 1, 3 and to end walls 10, 12 along its short edges 9, 11. The side walls 6, 8 extend upwardly to a height of 45cm, and terminate with turned over lips 14, 16. The end walls 10, 12 are low (12.5cm) so that inlet/outlet openings 5,7 are defined above them. They terminate in external lips 18, 20 which define downwardly open, downwardly diverging channels.

These serve as interlocking means which enable the longitudinal alignment and connection of a plurality of vessels 2.

In normal use, the vessel 2 contains a treatment liquid 25. An animal is introduced into the vessel 2 through a first opening 5, 7. The end walls 10, 12 are sufficiently shallow to allow an animal to step over them into, and out of, the vessel 2. The animal 24 is compelled to move in a substantially straight line by side walls 6 and 8, with its feet in the treatment liquid 25, until it exits the vessel 2 at the second end.

Claims

1. A walk-through bathing vessel for animals comprising an elongate trough portion including a pair of longitudinal side walls and upward extensions of said side walls projecting above the trough.

2. A bathing vessel according to claim 1 wherein said upward extensions are integral with the trough portion and are smoothly continuous with the corresponding side walls.

3. A bathing vessel according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the side wall extensions diverge upwardly.

4. A bathing vessel according to any preceding claims having means for coupling to a like vessel end to end to produce a longer composite bathing vessel, said coupling means comprising a down-turned lip at one end of the trough portion defining a channel which may be hooked over an end of another vessel.

5. A bathing vessel according to claim 4 wherein both ends of the vessel have a like down-turned lip defining a channel diverging downwardly towards its mouth.

6. A walk-through bathing vessel for animals substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

7. A method of animal husbandry, said method comprising providing a bathing vessel according to any preceding claim, putting treatment liquid in the trough of said bathing vessel and causing an animal to walk through the vessel.