IES65978B2 - Improvements relating to animal husbandry - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor slat (1) for cattle sheds has a reinforced concrete body (2) with an upper surface (3) and a bottom surface (4). A number of narrow slots (5) pass through the body (2). A main drainage opening (7) is provided at a front end of the body (2) passing through the body (2) between the upper surface (3) and bottom surface (4) for through passage of bulky waste materials. Preferably, a galvanised steel grid is hingedly mounted across an inlet of the opening (7).

Description

Improvements relating to animal husbandry The invention relates to improvements relating to animal husbandry and in particular to the handling of cattle and other livestock.

In cattle sheds, cubicles or stalls are provided in sets extending along each side of a waste collection pit. Periodically, a scraper is drawn along the pit to remove animal waste collected in the pit, the waste being drawn onto a slatted floor extending over a slurry tank. The slatted floor has narrow slots through which the waste can fall while at the same time allowing animals and personnel to walk on the slatted floor. A disadvantage of the narrow slots is that it effectively means that the animal waste transferred onto the slatted floor has to be walked into the slurry tank, i.e. pushed down through the slots by the animals walking over the slatted floor. This means that cattle are walking on a dirty floor leading to poor hygiene and often extra work for a farmhand.

The present invention is directed towards overcoming this problem.

According to the invention, there is provided a slat having a body with an upper surface and a bottom surface, a number of slots passing through the body between the upper surface and the bottom surface, and a main drainage opening passing through the body between the upper surface and the bottom surface. Advantageously, the main drainage opening is large enough for through passage of any solid animal waste. Thus, advantageously, when positioned at the end of a waste collection pit, in a cattle shed, for example, when waste is drawn along the pit by a scraper onto the slat, it can pass directly through the main drainage opening into a slurry pit beneath the slat. 365978 Ideally, the main drainage opening is provided at a front end of the body.

Preferably, the main drainage opening extends between opposite sides of the slat. Ideally, the main drainage opening is sized in the range 100-300mm longitudinal width and 500-1000mm transverse width. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the main drainage opening is 250mm x 960mm.

Preferably, for safety, a grid is mounted across an inlet of the main drainage opening. Conveniently, the grid is hingedly mounted on the body of the slat. Ideally also, locking means is provided for the grid.

Preferably, the grid is of galvanised steel material.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, sidewalls of the main drainage opening taper outwardly from an inlet end of the opening at an upper surface of the body towards an outlet end of the opening at the bottom surface of the body.

Preferably, the slat body is of reinforced concrete material.

In another aspect, the invention provides a livestock cubicle comprising a portable base forming a platform for reception of an animal and a rail mounted on the base for tethering an animal.

In a preferred embodiment, an upstanding wall is provided at a front end of the base.

Ideally, the rail extends along one side of the base.

Preferably, the base is of reinforced concrete material.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slat according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of portion of the slat; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portable cubicle according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Figs. 1 to 4 thereof, there is illustrated a reinforced concrete slat according to the invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1. The slat 1 has a body 2 of reinforced concrete material having an upper surface 3 and a bottom surface 4. A number of narrow slots 5 pass through the body 2 between the upper surface 3 and bottom surface 4. A main drainage opening 7 is provided at a front end 8 of the body 2 passing through the body 2 between the upper surface 3 and bottom surface 4.

In this case, the overall width of the slat is 1260mm and the dimensions of the main drainage opening are 250mm x 960mm. It will be appreciated that the main drainage opening 7 extends across a major portion of the front end 8 of the slat 1.

It will be noted that the main drainage opening 7 tapers outwardly from an upper inlet end 12 of the opening 7 adjacent the upper surface 3 of the body 2 towards an outlet end 14 of the opening 7 at the bottom surface 4 of the body 2.

Preferably, a galvanised grid (not shown) is hingedly mounted across the inlet 12 of the opening 7. The grid is lockable.

In use, one or more of the slats 1 are mounted at an end of a waste collection pit in a cattle shed or the like. A scraper drawn through the waste collection pit draws the waste to the end of the pit and onto the slat 1 where it immediately falls through the main drainage opening 7 into a slurry pit located beneath the slat 1. Thus advantageously, the slat 1 remains clean and the cleaner slat condition promotes greater animal comfort and hygiene.

Referring now to Fig. 5, there is illustrated a portable cubicle according to another aspect of the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 30. The cubicle 30 comprises a portable reinforced concrete base 31 forming a platform for reception of an animal. An upstanding wall 32 is provided at a front end of the base. A rail 33 is mounted on the base 31 and extends along one side of the base 31.

In use, the cubicle 30 can be readily easily lifted and transported, for example, for providing a temporary line of cubicles in a shed or providing a cubicle in a small house for an animal needing individual attention. The cubicle can be easily and quickly set up in any kind of shed or in any situation.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments 5 hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (5)

1. A slat having a body of reinforced concrete 4 material, the body having an upper surface and a bottom surface, a number of narrow slots passing 5 through the body between the upper surface and the bottom surface, and a main drainage opening passing through the body between the upper surface and the bottom surface.

2. A slat as claimed in claim 1 wherein the main 10 drainage opening is sized at least 100 mm wide and 500 mm in length, and most preferably is 250 mm wide and 960 mm long.

3. A slat as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein sidewalls of the main drainage opening tapers 15 outwardly from an inlet end of the opening at the upper surface of the body towards an outlet end of the opening at the bottom surface of the body.

4. A slat as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein a grid is mounted across an inlet of the main 20 drainage opening, and preferably the grid is hingedly mounted on the body.

5. A slat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.