WO1990003108A1

WO1990003108A1 - Booth for pigs

Info

Publication number: WO1990003108A1
Application number: PCT/SE1989/000466
Authority: WO
Inventors: Åge Kålhus
Original assignee: Alfa-Laval Agriculture International Ab
Priority date: 1988-09-26
Filing date: 1989-09-04
Publication date: 1990-04-05
Also published as: FI911432A0; SE8803394D0; FI90491B; DK36791A; DK166643B1; SE8803394L; SE462072B; DK36791D0; FI90491C

Abstract

A booth for breeding pigs has an entrance (10) with a gate (12), which can be opened by a sow. A threshold (8), which is passable by the sow but not by piglets, extends across the entrance. According to the invention the gate is arranged displaceable in an opening direction along the threshold against the action of a force acting to displace the gate in a closing direction opposite said opening direction and which is dimensioned, such that a sow by means of its snout in engagement with the gate easily is able to displace the gate in the opening direction.

Description

Booth for pigs

The present invention relates to a booth for breeding pigs with an entrance, which normally is kept closed by a gate. The gate is operable by a sow but not by a piglet for opening of the entrance, so that said sow can pass into and out of the booth. The booth also has a threshold extending across the entrance, the threshold being designed with a height, which allows a sow but substantially obstructs a piglet to pass the threshold when the entrance is open.

Pig booths of this kind are utilized to allow the sows to leave the booths when they want and stroll around freely in a common relatively large enclosure, in which the sows can have their feed at for instance automatic feeding stations and can relieve themselves without being disturbed by their piglets. By the fact that the sows can freely follow their natural social behaviour in a stressless environment, the advantage is obtained that the sows will be more harmonious and calm, than if they were forced to spend the entire nursing period in the narrow booths, whereby the risk of the sows injuring their piglets is substantially reduced.

In a known booth of this kind, according to SE 445 872, the gate is divided into two self-closing pivotable doors, one of the doors only being pivotable into the booth to an open position by a sow entering the booth, while the other door only is pivotable out of the booth to open position by a sow leaving the booth. A sow can easily learn to operate such pivotable doors.

However, the known pig booth has the drawback that the pivotable doors may injure the piglets, when the sow passes into and out of the booth. A great risk of injury is especially constituted by the inwardly pivotable door, since this during pivoting intrudes on the space where the piglets are, but also the outwardly pivotable door may injure these when it closes the entrance.The fact is that the piglets want to follow the sow, when she leaves the booth, and try to jump over the threshold, whereby the piglets can be hit and injured by the outwardly pivotable door, when this pivots to close the entrance. Since the height of the threshold is limited, in order that the sow easily can pass it, the protection of the piglets against the outwardly pivotable door cannot be improved by increasing the height of the threshold.

The object of the present invention is to provide a new pig booth of the kind here present, in which the risk of the gate injuring the piglets during the passage of a sow into and out of the booth is substantially reduced.

This object is obtained by means of a pig booth of the kind initially mentioned, which is mainly characterized in that the gate is arranged displaceable in an opening direction along the threshold against the action of a force, which acts to displace the gate in a closing direction opposite to said opening direction and which is dimensioned, such that a sow by means of its snout in engagement with the gate easily is able to displace the gate in the opening direction.

Hereby, the advantage is obtained that for opening and closing the entrance of the booth, the gate need not be moved within the booth where the piglets are. The risk of injuring the piglets by gate movements within the booth is thus completely eliminated. In addition, the gate is space saving compared to the above described known pivotable doors, since these for their pivoting movements require free spaces inside and outside of the booth.

Preferably, the gate is displaceable along a rail and joumalled in the latter, the rail having such an inclination downwards in the closing direction of the gate, that the force of gravity acting on the gate acts to displace the gate to close the entrance. (Alternatively, the closing force acting on the gate may be provided by other means, for instance by means of springs acting between the booth and the gate or by means of a weight, which via ropes and pullies is connected to the gate.) The gate is suitably journalled at its upper part in the rail, whereby the journal surfaces are protected against dirt.

According to a preferred embodiment of the pig booth according to the invention, an elongated roll is rotatably journalled in the booth and extends along the threshold in the vicinity of its upper edge, the roll being located inside of the gate when the entrance is closed. Hereby, the advantage is obtained that if a piglet tries to pass over the threshold, when the sow leaves the booth, the piglet also must pass the roll, which, however, starts rotating when acted upon by the piglet, so that the piglet falls back down to the floor of the booth. Thus, the risk of the gate injuring the piglets when the gate moves in the closing direction is substantially reduced, since the piglets by means of the roll are prevented from, for instance by using their front feet, being caught on the threshold in the path of movement of the gate.

In addition, the roll will make it easier for a sow to pass the thres¬ hold, since the sow's stomach can be supported by the roll during said passage. Hereby, the stomach and teats of the sow are protected against the arise of sores on the latter when passing the threshold.

With the object that a sow easily shall be able to open the entrance to the booth, the gate and the booth are suitably designed, such that when the entrance is closed a hole is formed between the gate and the booth, in which hole the sow can insert its snout and press this against the gate in the opening direction of the gate. For instance, the gate may be provided with a recess, which forms said hole when the entrance is closed.

The invention will be described more closely in the following with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which figure 1 shows a pig booth according to the invention, figure 2 shows in detail the gate construction of the pig booth according to figure 1 seen from outside of the pig booth, and figure 3 shows the same gate construction as figure 2 but seen from inside of the pig booth. The gate construction of the pig booth shown in the figures comprises two vertical pipes 1, 2 with square cross-section, which are connected to each other at their upper ends by means of a horizontal pipe 3 with likewise square cross-section and in the vicinity of their lower ends by means of four horizontal pipes 4-7 with circular cross-section. The pipes 4-7 form a threshold 8 of about 35 cm height, which easily can be passed by a sow but not by piglets. A post 9 has its ends connected to the pipes 3 and 7, respectively, and extends vertically between these, an entrance 10 with rectangular shape being formed between the pipes 1, 3, 7 and the post 9. The hole which is formed between the pipes 2, 3, 7 and the post 9 is partly covered by a sheet 11.

The pipes 4-7 of the threshold 8 extend spaced from each other so that interspaces are formed between these. Through these interspaces visual contact can be maintained between the piglets in the booth and the sow, when the sow is outside of the booth.

A grating gate 12 with rectangular shape is by means of two roller bearings 13 and 14, which are connected to the gate 12 at its upper part, arranged displaceable along a rail 15 with U-shaped cross-section between a closed position, in which the gate 12 covers the entrance 10 and abuts against the pipe 1, and an open position, in which the entrance 10 is uncovered. The rail 15 extends parallelly with the threshold 8 from the pipe 2 to the pipe 1 and inclines downwards in about 7° to the horizontal plane in the closing direction of the gate 12, whereby the force of gravity acting on the gate acts to displace the gate to close the entrance 10.

Downwards from the lower part of the gate 12 two guide members 16, 17 extend, which guide the gate along the outside of the threshold 8.

The gate 12 is provided with a recess 18 at its front side edge seen in the closing direction of the gate. The recess 18 is dimensioned so that a sow, whether it is within or outside of the booth, can insert its snout into the hole formed by the recess between the gate 12 and the pipe 1, when the entrance is closed, and can press its snout against the gate 12, so that the latter is displaced and uncovers the entrance 10.

An elongated horizontal roll 19 with a diameter of about 10 cm is rotatably journalled on the pipe 1 and the post 9 (see figure 2), and extends along the inside of the threshold 8 in the vicinity of the uppermost pipe 7 of the threshold. If the piglets in the booth would try to pass over the threshold 8, when the entrance 10 is open, they are prevented by the roll 19 from grasping of the uppermost pipe 7. Since the piglets first must pass⁷ the roll 19, this will rotate when acted upon by the piglets, so that the piglets will lose their hold of the roll and fall down on the floor of the booth. Thus, it is avoided that the piglets can hang with their front feet over the pipe 7 and be injured by the gate 12, when the latter is displaced to closing position.

Claims

1. A booth for breeding pigs, comprising an entrance (10), a gate (12), which is arranged to normally keep the entrance closed, which gate is operable by a sow but not by a piglet for opening the entrance, so that said sow can pass the entrance into and out of the booth, and a threshold (8) extending across the entrance, the threshold being designed with a height, which allows a sow but substantially obstructs a piglet to pass the threshold when the entrance is open, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the gate (12) is arranged displaceable in an opening direction along the threshold (8) against the action of a force, which acts to displace the gate (12) in a closing direction opposite said opening direction and which is dimensioned, such that a sow by means of its snout in engagement with the gate (12) easily is able to displace the gate (12) in the opening direction.

• 2. A pig booth according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the gate (12) is displaceable along a rail (15) and journalled in this, the rail (15) having such an inclination downwards in the closing direction of the gate (12), that the force of gravity acting on the gate (12) acts to displace the gate (12) to close the entrance (10).

3. A pig booth according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the gate (12) at its upper part is journalled in the rail (15).

4. A pig booth according to any of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d i that an elongated roll (19) is rotatably journalled in the booth and extends along the threshold (8) in the vicinity of its upper edge of the latter, the roll (19) being located inside of the gate (12), when the entrance (10) is closed.

5. A pig booth according to any of claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d i n that the gate (12) and the booth are designed, such that when the entrance (10) is closed, a hole is formed between the gate (12) and the booth, in which hole a sow can insert its snout and press this against the gate (12) in the opening direction of the gate.

6. A pig booth according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the gate (12) is provided with a recess (18), forming said hole when the entrance (10) is closed.