GB2570624A

GB2570624A - Animal restraining pen

Info

Publication number: GB2570624A
Application number: GB1717014.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Foreman Denis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-10-17
Filing date: 2017-10-17
Publication date: 2019-08-07
Also published as: GB201717014D0

Abstract

An animal restraining pen comprising a pair of side frame members 2(4) mounted parallel to one another and an upper frame member 6 extending therebetween to define a passage through which an animal can pass, a closure gate assembly 26(28) being provided at one end of the pen to engage the sides of the animal's neck, a head lift being mounted on or adjacent the closure gate assembly, said head lift comprising a vertically displaceable chin engaging trough 34 extending outwardly from the closure gate assembly 26(28) and adapted to engage beneath the chin of animal held within the pen to selectively raise and hold the animal's head as the head lift is moved between a lower position and a raised position. An animal restraining pen, wherein openable side gates are pivotably mounted on each side frame member for selectively closing said side members is also claimed.

Description

Animal Restraining Pen

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an animal restraining pen for restraining an animal, in particular a cow, during veterinary procedures and other treatments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An animal restraining pen, typically referred to as a “cattle crush”, is a device commonly used to restrain animals, in particular cattle or sheep, during treatment or other operations. Such devices are intended to hold the animal stationary while preventing injury to both the animal and the operator.

A typical cattle crush comprises an elongate cage like structure comprising spaced longitudinal side frames defining a passage therebetween through which an animal can pass and a release gate at an exit end of the passage, the release gate comprising an opposing pair of gates or bars moveable towards one another to selectively engage either side of an animal’s head extending through the release gate to prevent the animal from exiting the structure while facilitating access to the animals head. A laterally extending bar, extending between the side frames adjacent a rear of the structure, is typically used to prevent the animal from reversing out of the passage.

It is increasingly desired to carry out operations on the animals head and neck, such as orally dosing the animal with food additives or medicines, applying tags to the animal’s ears or intravenously injecting medicines via veins in the animal’s neck. However, existing cattle crushes provide inadequate immobilisation of the animal’s head, requiring the operator to manually hold the animal’s head during treatment.

It is also desirable to provide access to the animal’s body or legs for treatment or other operations. However, known cattle crushes, comprising enclosed cage like structures within which the animal is held, tend to obscure such access.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided an animal restraining pen comprising a pair of side frame members mounted parallel to one another and an upper frame member extending therebetween to define a passage therebetween through which an animal can pass, a closure gate assembly being provided at one end of the pen to engage the sides of the animal’s neck, allowing the animal’s head to extend from the pen while selectively preventing the animal from leaving the pen, a head lift being mounted on or adjacent the closure gate assembly, said head lift comprising a vertically displaceable chin engaging trough extending outwardly from the closure gate assembly and adapted to engage beneath the chin of animal held within the pen to selectively raise and hold the animal’s head as the head lift is moved between a lower position and a raised position.

In one embodiment the head lift may be mounted on a carriage guided for vertical movement between its lower and raised positions. The carriage may be mounted on one side of said closure gate assembly.

In a preferred embodiment the head lift is vertically displaceable between its lower and raised positions by means of a cable wound around a winch. Preferably the winch is driven by means of an electric motor. The electric motor may be mounted on the upper frame member of the pen such that the motor and associated components do not interfere with access to the animal.

Preferably openable side gates are pivotally mounted on each side frame member for selectively closing said side frame members. The side gates may be respectively hingedly mounted on the side frame members at either end of the pen to be swung between closed positions, wherein the side gates close the sides of the passage, and open positions, providing access to an animal located within the passage. Preferably retaining latches are provided for securing the side gates in their closed positions.

In one embodiment each side of the pen comprises a rear side gate, pivotally mounted on a rear end of the pen and extending approximately two thirds of the distance along the side of the pen when in its closed position, and a pair of upper and lower front side gates pivotally mounted on a front end of the pen.

Each side gate may comprise an array of bars, at least some of the bars of one or more of the side gates being shaped and positioned to provide anchor points for securing selected limbs of an animal thereto. Some of the bars forming one or more of the side gates may be mounted to be displaceable with respect to the respective side gate to adjust the positions of said bars to provide adjustable mounting points to suit the shape and size of the animal to be secured or the position of particular limbs of the animal to be restrained.

In one embodiment drop down trays may be pivotally mounted on one or more of the side gates, preferably on the upper front side gates, via hinges located at a lower side of each tray such that each tray is moveable between an upright out of use position, lying within the plane of the respective side gate, and a horizontally extending operative position for holding veterinary tools or other objects. The trays may be arranged to be lowered both inwardly and outwardly of the respective side gates to provide two operative positions. Support members, such as straps, may be provided for supporting the trays in their operative positions. Latches may be provided for retaining the trays in their upright out of use positions.

The closure gate assembly may comprise an opposing pair of closure gates, portions of the closure gates defining a space therebetween through which an animal can extend its neck when it enters the pen. A portion of at least one of the closure gates may be adapted to be displaceable towards the opposite gate to adjust the width of said space. The displaceable portion may be adapted to release to a rest position automatically upon opening of the closure gates. Preferably the closure gates of the closure gate assembly are secured in a closed position by a latch operable from a rear of the pen, behind the animal once an animal is in the pen, so that the operator is behind animal when opening the closure gates and does not distract animal from leaving pen once the closure gates have opened.

Leg stirrups may be mounted on the side frame members adapted to support a limb of an animal held in the pen with the limb in a raised position to facilitate operations on said limb or adjacent parts of the animal. The leg stirrups may be pivotally mounted on the side frame members coaxially with the side gates. The leg stirrups may be height adjustable or may be at fixed optimal height.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An animal restraining pen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :Figure 1 is a side view of an animal restraining pen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a further end view of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 showing the head lift in raised position;

Figure 4 is a side view of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 showing the rear side gate in an open position;

Figure 5 is a side view of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 illustrating use of the rear leg stirrup;

Figure 6 is a side view of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 showing the lower front side gate in an open position and illustrating the use of the front leg stirrup;

Figures 7 and 8 are side views of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 illustrating the use of the drop down tray of the upper front side gate; and

Figures 9 and 10 are side views of the animal restraining pen of Figure 1 showing the closure gates in their open positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As illustrated in the drawings, an animal restraining pen in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention comprises an elongate cage like structure comprising a pair of rectangular side frame members 2,4 mounted parallel to one another and an upper frame member 6 extending therebetween the upper sides thereof to define a passage through which an animal can pass.

Side gates 8,10,12 are pivotally mounted on each side frame member for selectively closing said side frame members 2,4. The side gates 8,10,12 are respectively hingedly mounted on the side frame members 2,4 at either end of the pen to be swung between closed positions, wherein the side gates close the sides of the passage, and open positions, providing access to an animal located within the passage. Retaining latches 14 may be provided for securing the side gates in their closed positions. In the embodiment shown, each side of the pen comprises a large rear side gate 8, pivotally mounted on a rear end of the pen and extending approximately two thirds of the distance along the side of the pen when in its closed position, and a smaller pair of upper and lower front side gates 10,12, pivotally mounted on a front end of the pen.

Each of the side gates 8,10,12 comprise an array of horizontal and vertically arranged bars permitting access to the body of the animal within the pen when side gates 8,10,12 are in their closed position, while retaining an animal within the pen.

At least some of the bars 16 of one or more of the side gates 8,12,14 are preferably shaped and positioned to provide anchor points for securing selected limbs of an animal thereto. Some ofthe bars 18 forming one or more ofthe side gates 8,10,12, preferably the larger rear side gates 8, may be mounted to be longitudinally displaceable with respect to the respective side gate to adjust the positions of said bars 18 to provide adjustable mounting points to suit the shape and size of the animal to be secured or the position of particular limbs of the animal to be restrained. Latches 19 are provided for securing the moveable bars 18 in a selected position.

The side gates 8,10,12 may be moved inwardly to suit smaller animals.

Drop down trays 20 are pivotally mounted on one or more of the side gates, preferably on the upper front side gates 10, via hinges located at a lower side of each tray such that each tray 20 is moveable between an upright out of use position, lying within the plane of the respective side gate 10, and a horizontally extending operative position for holding veterinary tools or other objects. The trays 20 may be lowered both inwardly and outwardly of the respective side gates to provide two operative positions. Straps 22 may be provided for supporting the trays 20 in their operative positions. Latches 24 may be provided for retaining the drop down trays 20 in their upright out of use positions.

A closure is provided between the side frame members at an exit end of the passage. The closure comprises an opposing pair of closure gates 26,28, portions of the closure gates 26,28 defining a space therebetween through which an animal can extend its neck when it enters the pen. A portion 30 of at least one of the closure gates 26 may be adapted to be displaceable towards the other gate 28 so that the sides of the closure gates 26,28 engage either side of an animal’s neck extending therethrough to prevent the animal from exiting the pen while facilitating access to the animal’s head. The displaceable portion 30 may be moveable from a rest position, spaced from the other gate 28, and an operative position, closer to the other gate 28, and may be arranged to automatically return to its rest position as the closure gates 26,28 are opened.

The closure gates 26,28 are secured in their closed position by a latch which is preferably operable remotely by an operating lever 29 located at the rear of the pen, behind the animal once an animal is in the pen, so that the operator is behind animal when opening the closure gates 26,28 and does not distract animal from leaving pen once the closure gates have opened.

Preferably a laterally extending stop bar (not shown) extends between the side frame member 2,4, adjacent a rear of the pen to prevent the animal from reversing out of the pen. The stop bar may be adjustably positioned to allow adjustment to suit the size of the animal to be held within the pen.

A head lift is mounted on one of the closure gates, said head lift comprising a vertically displaceable chin engaging trough 34 extending outwardly from between the closure gates 26,28 and adapted to engage beneath the chin of animal held within the pen to selectively raise and hold the animal’s head. The chin engaging trough 34 is mounted on a carriage 36 provided on one of the closure gates 28 to be vertically displaceable between lower and upper positions by means of a cable 38 wound around a winch 40. The winch 40 is preferably driven by means of an electric motor. The motor is preferably mounted on the upper frame member 6 of the pen.

In use, the head lift is raised towards its upper position so that the chin engaging trough 34 engages beneath the chin of the animal within the pen to raise and hold the animal’s head to enable an operator to perform various operations or treatments, such as applying an ear tag or orally dosing a medicine or supplement to the animal. The head lift can also be used to immobilise the animal’s head to facilitate access to the animal’s neck, for example to draw blood from the neck or administer an intravenous drug to the animal.

A shoulder bar 42 is mounted on one or both of the release gates 26,28 for limiting upper movement of the animal’s neck by engaging the upper side of the animal’s shoulders. Preferably the shoulder bar 42 is adjustably mounted on one of the closure gates 26,28 so that the height of the shoulder bar 42 can be adjusted to suit the size of the animal.

Leg stirrups 44,46 are mounted on the side frame members 2,4 adapted to support a limb of an animal held in the pen with the limb in a raised position to facilitate operations on said limb or adjacent parts of the animal. The leg stirrups 44,46 may be pivotally mounted on the side frame members 2,4, coaxially with the side gates 8,10,12. The leg stirrups 44,46 may be height adjustable.

Straps may be provided, depending from the upper frame member, for supporting an animal within the pen. The straps may mounted on motor driven pulleys 50,52 (see Figure 1), preferably powered by electric motors and/or by manually operated wheels.

The animal restraining pen enables one man operation to facilitate treatment and operations on an animal without risk of injury to either the animal or operator.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An animal restraining pen comprising a pair of side frame members mounted parallel to one another and an upper frame member extending therebetween to define a passage therebetween through which an animal can pass, a closure gate assembly being provided at one end of the pen to engage the sides of the animal’s neck, allowing the animal’s head to extend from the pen while selectively preventing the animal from leaving the pen, a head lift being mounted on or adjacent the closure gate assembly, said head lift comprising a vertically displaceable chin engaging trough extending outwardly from the closure gate assembly and adapted to engage beneath the chin of animal held within the pen to selectively raise and hold the animal’s head as the head lift is moved between a lower position and a raised position.

2. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head lift is mounted on a carriage guided for vertical movement between its lower and raised positions.

3. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 2, wherein said carriage is mounted on one side of said closure gate assembly.

4. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the head lift is vertically displaceable between its lower and raised positions by means of a cable wound around a winch.

5. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 4, wherein the winch is driven by means of an electric motor.

6. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 5, wherein the electric motor is mounted on the upper frame member of the pen.

7. An animal restraining pen, wherein openable side gates are pivotally mounted on each side frame member for selectively closing said side frame members.

8. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 7, wherein the side gates are respectively hingedly mounted on the side frame members at either end of the pen to be swung between closed positions, wherein the side gates close the sides of the passage, and open positions, providing access to an animal located within the passage.

9. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 8, wherein retaining latches are provided for securing the side gates in their closed positions.

10. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9, wherein each side of the pen comprises a rear side gate, pivotally mounted on a rear end of the pen and extending approximately two thirds of the distance along the side of the pen when in its closed position, and a pair of upper and lower front side gates pivotally mounted on a front end of the pen.

11. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any of claims 7 to 10, wherein each side gate comprises an array of bars, at least some of the bars of one or more of the side gates being shaped and positioned to provide anchor points for securing selected limbs of an animal thereto.

12. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 11, wherein some of the bars forming one or more of the side gates are mounted to be displaceable with respect to the respective side gate to adjust the positions of said bars to provide adjustable mounting points to suit the shape and size of the animal to be secured or the position of particular limbs of the animal to be restrained.

13. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any of claims 7 to 12, wherein drop down trays are pivotally mounted on one or more of the side gates, preferably on the upper front side gates, via hinges located at a lower side of each tray such that each tray is moveable between an upright out of use position, lying within the plane of the respective side gate, and a horizontally extending operative position for holding veterinary tools or other objects.

14. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 13, wherein the trays can be lowered both inwardly and outwardly of the respective side gates to provide two operative positions.

15. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein support members, such as straps, are provided for supporting the trays in their operative positions.

16. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15, wherein latches are provided for retaining the trays in their upright out of use positions.

17. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the closure gate assembly comprises an opposing pair of closure gates, portions of the closure gates defining a space therebetween through which an animal can extend its neck when it enters the pen.

18. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 17, wherein a portion of at least one of the closure gates is adapted to be displaceable towards the opposite gate to adjust the width of said space.

19. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 17 or claim 18, wherein the closure gates of the closure gate assembly are secured in a closed position by a latch operable from a rear of the pen, behind the animal once an animal is in the pen so that the operator is behind animal when opening the closure gates and does not distract animal from leaving pen once the closure gates have opened.

20. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any of claims 17 to 19, wherein the head lift is arranged to be automatically released, moving towards its lower position, simultaneously with the opening of the closure gates.

21. An animal restraining pen as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein leg stirrups are mounted on the side frame members adapted to support a limb of an animal held in the pen with the limb in a raised position to facilitate operations on said limb or adjacent parts of the animal.

22. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 21, wherein the leg stirrups are pivotally mounted on the side frame members coaxially with the side gates.

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23. An animal restraining pen as claimed in claim 22, wherein the leg stirrups are height adjustable.