WO2004002217A1

WO2004002217A1 - Arrangements for housing resting animals and devices for partitioning such arrangements

Info

Publication number: WO2004002217A1
Application number: PCT/SE2003/001101
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran Larsson
Original assignee: Delaval Holding Ab
Priority date: 2002-07-01
Filing date: 2003-06-25
Publication date: 2004-01-08
Also published as: SE0202038D0; AU2003243100A1

Abstract

A resting stall for housing a resting animal, particularly a cow, comprises a floor (4); first and second sidewalls (1) arranged in parallel at two opposite sides of the floor; elongated means (5; 6) arranged at the floor between the first and second sidewalls for dividing the resting stall into a first section (7) intended to house the body of the resting animal when it is lying down, and a second section (8) intended to substantially house the head of the animal; and a front rail (9) attached to the first and second sidewalls to cooperate with the elongated means to prevent the resting animal from walking into the second section. Each of the first and second sidewalls is mounted at the floor in the second section of the resting stall to provide for uncomplicated application and removal of a mat (11) in the first section of the resting stall.

Description

ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOUSING RESTING ANIMALS AND DEVICES FOR PARTITIONING SUCH ARRANGEMENTS

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of animal arrangements, preferably but not exclusively intended for cows, and more specifically the invention relates to resting stalls and resting barns, respectively, for housing resting animals, and to partition-walls of such resting stalls .

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

In prior art two kinds of partition-walls for partitioning adjacent resting stalls are known: the floor-mounted partition- wall and the freely hanging front-mounted partition-wall.

The floor-mounted partition-wall is typically comprised of one or several substantially horizontally arranged rails attached to two or more substantially vertically arranged rails, which are attached to the floor of the stall. Some kind of front and/or neck rail is provided to constitute front end of the stall.

The freely hanging front-mounted partition-wall is mounted at a front pipe assembly, railing, or similar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventor has discovered some drawbacks with the two known kind of partition-walls.

A drawback of the floor-mounted partition-wall is that the stall floor will not be free from mountings, wherein a precisely fitted mat is not easily applied to the stall floor. Holes and cut outs may have to be made in the mat, which adds time and cost, not at least if the mat shall be repetitively mounted and removed. In the holes and cut outs dirt and contaminants may be accumulated, and it may be difficult to keep the resting stall clean and hygienic.

Further, a long mat cannot be unrolled across a complete row of resting stalls due to the vertical rails mounted in the stall floor.

A drawback of the freely hanging front-mounted partition-wall is that it is unstable and wobbly. This is particularly problematic in barns with long rows of resting stalls. If the front pipe assembly is made stable and solid the manufacturing costs are increased.

Further, resting stalls in a row with freely hanging front- mounted partition-walls typically prevent a free passageway for inspection in front of the resting animals.

A drawback of both kinds of partition-wall designs is that they typically consist of a large number of details, which increase manufacturing and assembling costs.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a resting stall, which overcomes the above-identified problems associated with prior art.

It is a further object to provide such a resting stall, which is uncomplicated, reliable, and inexpensive to manufacture, assemble, and use.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a resting barn including a plurality of resting stalls that fulfill the above-identified objects. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a partition-wall to be used in a resting stall and a resting barn, respectively, which fulfill the above-identified objects.

These objects, among others, are according to the present invention attained by resting stalls, resting barns and partition-walls as specified in the appended claims.

Further characteristics of the invention, and advantages thereof, will be evident from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention given hereinafter and the accompanying Figs. 1-6, which are given by way of illustration only, and shall thus not limit the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figs, la-d illustrate, in perspective, side-elevation, front, and top views, a partition-wall for partitioning two resting stalls intended to house a respective resting animal, particularly a cow, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates, in a side-elevation view, the partition-wall of Figs, la-d with front and neck rails mounted.

Figs. 3a-b illustrate, in perspective and side-elevation views, a resting stall according to yet a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 illustrates, in a side-elevation view, a partition-wall of Figs, la-d with front and neck rails mounted according to still a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 5a-b illustrate, in perspective and side-elevation views, a resting stall according to yet a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 illustrates, in a top view, a resting barn according to still a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Figs, la-d illustrate a partition-wall 1 for partitioning two resting stalls intended to house a respective resting animal, particularly a cow, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The partition-wall 1 may additionally or alternatively be used as a sidewall in the far ends of a row of resting stalls, or as a sidewall of a single resting stall.

The term resting animal is in the present description used for denoting an animal, which rests or intends to rest in a resting stall. Thus the term includes animals, which are lying down in a resting stall, animals standing in a resting stall, as well as animals moving from one to the other one of the two positions .

The partition-wall comprises a bar 1, preferably a single piece of steel pipe, having vertical end portions la, lb and an intermediate portion lc, where the vertical end portions are welded to a bottom plate 2 provided with four through holes to receive four bolts while being mounted. The partition-wall 1 is a floor-mounted wall.

The intermediate portion lc extends from one of the vertical end portions la substantially horizontally, is bent in a U-shaped manner, and extends back to the other one of the vertical end portions lb, and is there to prevent a resting animal in a resting stall delimited by the partition-wall from leaving it sideways. The lower part of the intermediate portion lc may be elevated in the front and rear ends of the partition-wall 1, i.e. define a V-shaped portion Id as illustrated, to allow the resting animals to move its front and rear legs sideways while lying down. The V-shaped portion Id prevents the bodies of the 5 resting animals from getting caught between the partition-wall 1 and the floor on which the partition-wall 1 is mounted.

For the very same reason, the vertical end portions la, lb are in an uppermost part joined by a crossbar 3, which is conveniently welded to the steel pipe. The crossbar 3 prevents 0 an animal from raising one of its front legs and subsequently getting caught in the space between the vertical end portions la, lb. Further, the crossbar 3 provides for improved steadiness and stability of the partition-wall construction.

Thus, a very effective and flexible partition-wall design is 5 provided, which involves only three components: a bent bar (preferably of steel pipe), a bottom plate and a crossbar. This enables a cheap manufacture and assembly of the partition-wall.

Fig. 2 illustrates, in a side-elevation view, the partition-wall 1 of Figs, la-d with front 9 and neck 10 rails or bars mounted. 0 The front 9 and neck 10 rails may be made of steel pipe and may be welded to the partition-wall 1 or removably attached thereto in any suitable manner.

The front rail 9 may preferably be mounted at a height of about 0.6—0.8 m above the floor and the neck rail 10 may preferably be '.5 mounted behind and above the front rail 9 at a height of about 0.8—1.0 m above the floor.

Figs. 3a-b illustrate, in perspective and side-elevation views, a resting stall according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein two of the partition-walls 1 are used as sidewalls. The resting stall comprises a stall floor 4 preferably of concrete, two sidewalls 1 arranged in parallel on two opposite sides of the stall floor; an elongated means 5; 6 arranged at or on the stall floor 4, and the front 9 and neck rails 10 of Fig. 2.

The elongated means, which may be constituted by a floor elevation 5 and/or a bar 6 is extended between the sidewalls 1 for dividing the resting stall into a first section 7 intended to substantially house the body of the resting animal when the resting animal is lying down in the resting stall, and a second section 8 intended to substantially house the head of the lying animal. The elevation 5 of the stall floor 4 is preferably such that the stall floor in the second section 8 is elevated with respect to the stall floor in the first section 7. It shall be appreciated by the man skilled in the art that the bar 6 may be a steel pipe attached to the sidewalls 1 just above the floor 4.

The front rail 9, which is attached to the sidewalls 1, cooperates with the floor elevation/bar 5, 6 arranged at the stall floor 4 to prevent the animal from walking into the second section 8 of the resting stall. The neck rail 10, arranged parallel with and above the front rail 9 in a front portion of the first section 7 of the resting stall, prevents an animal entering the resting stall from jumping over the front rail 9 and contributes also to the steadiness and stability of the resting stall construction.

According to the present invention each one of the sidewalls 1 is mounted at or on the stall floor 4 in the second section 8 of the resting stall. Hereby, the floor in the first section 7 of the resting stall is completely unobstructed, which in turn provides for uncomplicated application and removal of a mat 11 in the first section 7 of the resting stall. It also facilitates the cleaning of the resting stall since it is the first section 7 of the resting stall, which primarily becomes contaminated by the animals. The present invention allows for the use of a mat 11 precisely fitted to the first section 7 of the resting stall without any through holes or recesses, wherein dirt may be accumulated. Thus, given a rectangular shape of the floor 4 of the first section 7, the mat 11 will have a rectangular shape. The purpose of the mat is to provide a softer and more comfortable bed for the resting animal.

The bottom plates 2 welded to the vertical end portions la, lb of the sidewalls 1 are preferably mounted at the stall floor 4 in the second section 8 of the resting stall in vicinity of the floor elevation/bar 5, 6 to provide for a passageway through the second section 8 of the resting stall parallel with the floor elevation/bar 5, 6 and the front rail 9. Preferably, the distance from the floor elevation/bar 5, 6 to the vertical end portion la furthest away shall not be more than 15-20 cm. To this end the distance between the vertical end portions la, lb of each sidewall 1 shall be short, while a too short distance result in an unsteady or wobbling sidewall 1, which is easily moved in its rear end. The inventor has found that a distance of 3-10 cm, particularly about 5 cm, in between the vertical end portions la, lb for steel pipe 060.3x3.6 (mm) is an optimum choice. Further, the bottom plate 2 is preferably slightly extended in its front end to achieve a larger distance between the front and rear bolt holes as illustrated in Figs, la-d, and thereby a more solid mounting to the floor is achieved.

The length of the floor of the first section 7 of the resting stall (together with the positions of the front 9 and neck 10 rails) is adapted to the species and optionally the breed of the resting animal to provide for (i) sufficient space for the resting animal when it is lying down in the first section 7 of the resting stall with its head protruding into the second section 8 of the resting stall, and (ii) that an animal standing in the resting stall will be sufficiently close to the rear edge 4a of the floor 4 to drop its excrements substantially behind the rear edge 4a of the floor 4.

If the animal is a cow having a weight above about 500 kg the length of the floor of the first section 7 of the resting stall may be about 1.6—1.8 m, and if the animal is a calf or a calf- cow having a weight above about 250 kg, the length of the stall floor of the first section 7 of the resting stall may be about 1.3—1.6 m.

The length of the floor of the second section 8 of the resting stall may typically be 0.5-1 m for cows, wherein the total length of the stall floor 4 and thus the resting stall may typically be 1.8-2.8 m, and most typically 2.3-2.5 m.

Fig. 4 illustrates, in a side-elevation view, the partition-wall of Figs, la-d with an alternative neck rail mounted, and Figs. 5a-b illustrate, in perspective and side-elevation views, a resting stall encompassing the alternative front and neck rails of Fig. 4.

The front rail 9 is identical with the one illustrated in Figs . 2-3, whereas the neck rail 10 here is provided with an upside- down turned V-shaped portion 10a. The purpose of the upside-down turned V-shaped portion 10a is to guide a resting animal towards a position right between the sidewalls 1 when entering the resting stall.

The resting stall of Figs. 5a-b is identical with the resting stall of Figs. 3a-b except for the design of 'the neck rail 10. Fig. 6 illustrates, in a top view, a resting barn for housing a plurality of resting animals according to still a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The resting barn comprises generally a plurality of the resting stall illustrated in Figs. 3a-b or Figs . 5a-b arranged side-by-side in a first row 12 , where each two adjacent resting stalls have a respective intermediate sidewall 1 in common.

Conveniently, a further plurality of the resting stall illustrated in Figs. 3a-b or Figs. 5a-b is arranged side-by-side in a second row 13, where each two adjacent resting stalls in the second row 13 have a respective intermediate sidewall 1 in common. Each resting stall in the first row 12 is oriented with its second section 8 facing the second row 13 and each resting stall in the second row 13 is oriented with its second section 8 facing the first row 12 to define a passageway 14 between the first and second rows. The width of the passageway 14 corresponds approximately to two times the length of the second section 8 of the respective resting stalls. Thus, given a length of the second section 8 of about 0.5—1 , the width of the passageway 14 will be about 0.7-1.7 m, which is sufficient for use by the farmer when inspecting the barn and/or the animals despite there being animals lying down with their heads protruding into the space delimiting the passageway 14.

The resting barn may comprise a single mat 11a for each row 12, 13 arranged on the stall floors 4 in the first sections 7 of the resting stalls in each row ^'12, 13. Conveniently, each mat 11a extends along substantially the complete length of the respective row 12, 13. This facilitates application and removal of the mats 11a since they can be provided as rolls and then, during application, unrolled on the stall floors 4 along the rows 12, 13 and, during removal, rolled. Further, the use of one single mat 11a for each row of resting stalls provides for a highly hygienic environment and possibilities for effective cleaning of the resting stalls .

While each row in Fig. 6 comprises three resting stalls, it shall be appreciated by the man skilled in the art that a resting barn of the present invention may comprise an arbitrary number of resting stalls in any configuration. Preferably, however, the resting stalls are arranged in rows as being illustrated in Fig. 6.

It will be obvious that the invention may be varied in a plurality of ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the scope of the invention. All such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims .

Claims

1. A resting stall for housing a resting animal, particularly a cow, comprising:

- a stall floor ( 4 ) ;

- first and second sidewalls (1) arranged in parallel on two opposite sides of said stall floor;

- elongated means (5; 6) arranged at said stall floor from said first to said second sidewalls for dividing said resting stall into a first section (7) intended to substantially house the body of said resting animal when it is lying down, and a second section (8) intended to substantially house the head of said lying animal; and

- a front rail (9) attached to said first and second sidewalls to cooperate with said elongated means arranged at said stall floor to prevent said resting animal from walking into the second section of said resting stall,

characterized in that

- each one of said first and second sidewalls is mounted at said stall floor in the second section of said resting stall to provide for uncomplicated application and removal of a mat (11) in the first section of said resting stall.

2. The resting stall of claim 1 wherein the length of the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall is adapted to the species and optionally the breed of said resting animal to provide for sufficient space for said resting animal when it is lying down in the first section of said resting stall with its head protruding into the second section of said resting stall.

3. The resting stall of claim 2 wherein said resting animal is a cow having a weight above about 500 kg and the length of the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall is about 1.6 — 1.8 .

4. The resting stall of claim 2 wherein said resting animal is a calf or a calf-cow having a weight above about 250 kg and the length of the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall is about 1.3 — 1.6 m.

5. The resting stall of any of claims 1-4 wherein said elongated means arranged at said stall floor from said first to said second sidewalls is an elevation (5) of said stall floor such that the stall floor in the second section of said resting stall is elevated with respect to the stall floor of the first section of said resting stall.

6. The resting stall of any of claims 1-4 wherein said elongated means arranged at said stall floor from said first to said second sidewalls is a bar (6).

7. The resting stall of any of claims 1-6 wherein said front rail is arranged at a height of about 0.6—0.8 from said stall floor.

8. The resting stall of any of claims 1-6 further comprising a neck rail (10) arranged parallel with and above said front rail in a front portion of the first section of said resting stall.

. The resting stall of claim 8 wherein said neck rail is arranged at a height of about 0.8—1.0 m from said stall floor.

10. The resting stall of claim 8 or 9 wherein said neck rail has an upside-down turned V-shaped portion (10a) to guide said resting animal when entering said resting stall.

11. The resting stall of any of claims 1-10 wherein each one of said first and second sidewalls comprises a bar having vertical end portions (la, lb) and an intermediate portion (lc), wherein

- said intermediate portion extends from one of said vertical end portions, along a main portion of the respective side of the first section of said resting stall, and back to the other one of said vertical end portions to prevent said resting animal from leaving said resting stall sideways; and

- said vertical end portions are mounted at said stall floor in said second section of said resting stall.

12. The resting stall of claim 11 wherein said vertical end portions are mounted at said stall floor in the second section of said resting stall in vicinity of said elongated means to provide for a passageway through the second section of said resting stall parallel with said elongated means.

13. The resting stall of claim 11 or 12 wherein said vertical end portions are in an uppermost part joined by a crossbar (3).

14. The resting stall of any of claims 11-13 wherein said intermediate portion includes a V-shaped portion (Id).

15. The resting stall of any of claims 11-14 wherein said bar is made of a single piece of steel pipe.

16. The resting stall of any of claims 1-15 wherein the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall is rectangular and wherein said resting stall further comprises a mat (11) removably applied on the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall, said mat being rectangular and precisely fitted to the stall floor in the first section of said resting stall.

17. A resting barn for housing a plurality of resting animals , particularly cows, comprising a plurality of the resting stall of any of claims 1-16 arranged side-by-side in a first row (12), wherein

5 - each two adjacent resting stalls share a respective intermediate sidewall in common.

18. The resting barn of claim 17 comprising a further plurality of the resting stall of any of claims 1-16 arranged side-by-side in a second row (13), wherein

0 - each two adjacent resting stalls in said second row share a respective intermediate sidewall in common; and

- each resting stall in the first row is oriented with its second section facing the second row and each resting stall in the second row is oriented with its second section facing the 5 first row to define a passageway (14) between the first and second rows.

19. The resting barn of claim 17 further comprising a mat (11a) arranged on the stall floors in the first sections of said plurality of resting stalls, said mat extending along 0 substantially the complete length of said first row (12).

20. A partition-wall (1) for partitioning two resting stalls intended to house a respective resting animal, particularly a cow, wherein the two resting stalls comprise a stall floor (4); elongated means (5; 6) arranged at said stall floor for dividing

:5 the two resting stalls into a first section (7) intended to substantially house the bodies of the resting animals when they are lying down, and a second section (8) intended to substantially house the heads of the lying animals; and a front rail ( 9 ) arranged to cooperate with said elongated means arranged at said stall floor to prevent the resting animals from walking into the second section of the two resting stalls, characterized in that said partition-wall comprises a bar (1) having vertical end portions (la, lb) and an intermediate portion ( lc ) , wherein

- said vertical end portions are mountable at said stall floor in the second section of the two resting stalls; and

- said intermediate portion extends into the first section of the two resting stalls when said vertical end portions are mounted at said stall floor in the second section of the two resting stalls.

21. The partition-wall of claim 20 wherein said bar is made of a single piece of steel pipe.