pigsty

Abstract

Pigsty with at least one pen unit, each pen having at least one living area for sows and piglets, at least one piglet nest and at least one feeding and toilet area furnished on slatted flooring, characterized by that each occupancy area (5, 6, 7, 8) has underfloor heating, which has a pipe (17, 18) laid in the floor to at least one heating circuit (15, 16), that each occupancy area (5, 6, 7, 8) has underfloor cooling, which has a pipe (21, 22) laid in the floor to at least one cooling circuit (19, 20) and, that a common heat exchange surface (23, 24) is formed at least partially on the floor of each occupancy area (5, 6, 7, 8) with the heating circuit (15, 16) and the cooling circuit (19, 20).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a pigsty with at least one pen unit, the pens of which each have at least one living area for sows and piglets, at least one piglet nest and at least one feeding and toilet area arranged on a slatted floor.

[0002] It is well known that the domestication of wild boars into domestic pigs came at the expense of their resistance to various weather influences. As a result, domestic pigs required stables to protect them from the elements. As livestock farming became more intensive, such stables were further developed into special pigpens, which significantly increased the efficiency of meat production. For reasons of efficiency, particular emphasis was placed on the use of large housing units with high stocking densities, although the increased ammonia formation and spatial constraints lead to considerable stress and ultimately to an increased risk of infection. This ultimately led to the animals in intensive livestock farming being exposed to suffering, which was also reflected in the quality of the meat.Educational work by animal and environmental activists, health experts, and nutritionists has finally led to a shift in public attitudes, so that ever-increasing segments of the population are paying attention to the treatment of the animals whose meat they eat up until their slaughter. Of particular note is the "Animal Welfare Initiative," which promotes the awarding of a seal of approval to farms that have committed to adhering to defined standards. Unfortunately, all efforts to improve animal husbandry conditions are accompanied by rising meat costs. However, the willingness to accept such price increases is often less than the desire for better animal welfare.

[0003] The invention is therefore based on the object of demonstrating a pig sty of the type mentioned at the outset, with which the additional costs for pork can be kept within acceptable limits while significantly improving animal welfare.

[0004] This object is achieved according to the invention by a pig sty having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0005] The pig sty according to the invention is characterized in that each living area has a floor heating system which has a pipe laid in the floor to at least one heating circuit, that each living area has a floor cooling system which has a pipe laid in the floor to at least one cooling circuit, and that a common heat exchange surface is formed with the heating circuit and the cooling circuit on the floor of each living area, at least in some areas.

[0006] The cooling circuit allows for the creation of a cooled resting area within the sow housing area, which significantly improves the well-being of the sows. However, for farrowing, the housing area should be temporarily heated to prevent the piglets from cooling down immediately after weaning. Just a few hours after birth, the piglets should leave the housing area and seek out the piglet nest, where there is no danger of suffocation by the sow and where the nest temperature still required by the piglets can be easily and cost-effectively maintained. If the heating circuit is switched off or lowered again, the piglets will move to the piglet nest on their own in search of a warmer location.The heat exchange surface formed by the heating circuit is preferably larger than the heat exchange surface formed by the cooling circuit; however, other size ratios are within the scope of the invention. The common heat exchange surface is the area in which the heat exchange surface formed by the heating circuit and the heat exchange surface formed by the cooling circuit overlap. This overlap area preferably has the full size of the heat exchange surface formed by the cooling circuit and can thus be located in the middle of the heat exchange surface formed by the heating circuit.

[0007] According to a first refinement of the invention, the heating circuit piping and the cooling circuit piping run alongside each other in an alternating arrangement in the areas of a common heat exchange surface. For this purpose, the piping can have either spiral or meandering courses. However, it is within the scope of the invention to lay the heating circuit piping and the cooling circuit piping at different levels of the floor.

[0008] According to a further development of the invention, the heating circuit piping and the cooling circuit piping are interconnected via a heat pump in a heat recovery system. If the heating circuit piping is designed as a water pipe and the cooling circuit piping as a brine pipe, it is advantageously possible to use the heat dissipated via the brine pipe to create the cooled lying area to heat the piglet nest. During the farrowing period, it is advantageous to use the heat supplied via the water pipe to the living area to increase the floor temperature from low-energy waste heat processes, for example, from pig manure.

[0009] To keep the additional costs for improved animal welfare within acceptable limits, the heat pump is preferably connected to at least one photovoltaic system installed on the roof of the pigpen. Depending on the latitude line running through Germany, the roof of the pigpen according to the invention preferably has a roof pitch of between 30 and 40 degrees with an azimuth angle of between +45 and -45 degrees. Accordingly, the orientation of the roof surfaces comprising the pigpen roof should already be part of the construction planning for the pigpen according to the invention.

[0010] A particularly significant improvement in animal welfare results from the fact that the underfloor heating system has at least three independently controllable heating circuits, with at least one of the heating circuits being the heating circuit located in the living area for sows and piglets and at least two of the heating circuits being located in the piglet nest. The various heating circuits enable demand-oriented heat supply, which takes into account the different needs of sows and piglets as well as the changes in needs that occur in the piglets as they develop. An example of demand-oriented heat supply is the temporary heating of the living area for sows around the time of birth. By activating the second heating circuit located in the piglet nest, the size of the heated area of ​​the piglet nest can be adjusted to the age and thus the space requirements of the piglets.However, the two heating circuits of the piglet nest also offer the possibility of creating different temperature ranges. To minimize heat loss from the piglet nest to the surrounding areas of the pen containing the piglet nest, the piglet nest features, for example, a reduced ceiling height and a louvre curtain. The reduced ceiling height can be achieved, for example, with a hinged lid that allows the pig barn operator's staff to inspect and access the piglet nest.

[0011] To ensure the most dynamic adaptation of the pigpen according to the invention to the needs of the piglets, it is proposed that the two heating circuits arranged in the piglet nest form at least one larger nesting area and at least one smaller nesting area, with an infrared lamp suspended at least above the smaller nesting area. In conjunction with the floor heating system in the piglet nest, the infrared lamp, with its downward-directed heat radiation, creates a spatially limited microclimate that is beneficial for the piglets' healthy development.

[0012] According to a further development of the invention, each pen unit has four pens that are functionally doubly symmetrical to one another, with at least one of the axes of symmetry lying on the center line of a connecting corridor, via which the entrances to the pens are connected, and the other axis of symmetry running in an intermediate wall that is formed on either side of the connecting corridor between the feeding and toilet areas of two pens. A functionally doubly symmetrical arrangement of the pens to one another does not necessarily require a structurally doubly symmetrical arrangement within the scope of this invention. The doubly symmetrical arrangement enables an advantageously compact pen unit, which can reduce construction and operating costs. At the same time, the doubly symmetrical arrangement enables the pigs to form herds that are specific to their species.The expression of species-specific behaviors reduces stress levels and strengthens the immune system, so that illness-related losses are almost completely avoided without the use of antibiotics. The symmetry axis along the centerline of the connecting corridor allows for shared use of the connecting corridor by four sows and their piglets, thus promoting herd formation and ultimately the natural social behavior of the pigs as a whole. The symmetry axis running in the partition wall between the feeding and toilet areas, on the other hand, advantageously allows for shared use of the partition wall as a visual barrier and support structure for a feeding trough located in each pen.

[0013] According to a particularly advantageous development of the invention, the pen unit is assigned a central aisle and an outdoor run, wherein the central aisle and the outdoor run are connected to one another via the connecting aisle. The central aisle and the outdoor run are not part of the pen unit with its four pens in a double-symmetrical arrangement. Preferably, the central aisle runs through the pigpen according to the invention on a longitudinal axis and thus serves to connect pen units arranged on either side of the central aisle to one another. The outdoor run is located in front of the respective pen unit on the long side of the pigpen and is at least partially covered in order to offer the pigs partial protection from sunlight or precipitation even when outside in the fresh air.

[0014] To prevent pigs from gaining unauthorized access to the central aisle, a further development of the invention provides for the connecting aisle to have at least one interior door located between the entrances to the pens on the one hand and the central aisle on the other. The interior door primarily serves as access to the pen unit for the pig farm operator's staff and as a lock gate for moving pigs into and out of the pen unit.

[0015] To further improve animal welfare, according to another embodiment of the invention, the connecting corridor has at least one outer door, which is located between the entrances to the pens on the one hand and the outdoor run on the other. In its basic position, the outer door is kept closed, thus protecting the pen unit and its pens from cooling, overheating, and drafts. To open the outer door, it has a door opener whose operation is particularly easy for the pigs to learn. Subsequent closing of the door occurs automatically, for example, via a so-called time-delay relay.

[0016] The economic advantage achievable with the pigpen according to the invention increases with the number of pen units combined in a stable building. Therefore, the pen unit is arranged together with similar pen units in a single-symmetrical arrangement on both sides of the central aisle forming the axis of symmetry. Depending on the orientation of the central aisle to the cardinal directions, it is possible to design the outdoor runs of the pen units located on one side of the central aisle differently from the outdoor runs of the pen units located on the other side of the central aisle, for example, to compensate for different weather conditions or hours of sunshine.

[0017] According to a particularly advantageous development of the invention, a manure cellar with heat recovery is provided beneath the feeding and toilet areas. With heat recovery, the heat contained in the animals' excrement can be transferred via a heat exchange surface to fresh air, which is needed for continuous ventilation of the pigpen. Another possibility is to use the heat contained in the animals' excrement to heat the floor. Heat recovery advantageously reduces the operating costs of the pigpen according to the invention.

[0018] In order not to impede the natural behavior of sow and piglets during the joint feeding process, another development of the invention provides for at least one communal feeding trough in each pen, comprising a trough section located in the feeding and toilet area and a trough section located in the piglet den. The communal feeding trough thus serves as a link between the piglet den and the feeding and toilet area, allowing weaning from feeding from the piglet den to occur gradually, naturally, and thus virtually stress-free for the animals.

[0019] To meet the ever-increasing space requirements of piglets competing with each other at the communal feeding trough, a particularly expedient development of the invention provides for at least one foldable functional rod in each feeding and toilet area, which, when folded down, forms a laying aid for sows and, when folded up, a feeding trough for piglets. As a laying aid, the functional rod advantageously prevents very young piglets from falling under the sow when she lies down against the barn wall. As a feeding trough, the functional rod allows for an increase in the space available for larger piglets, especially weaners, to feed.

[0020] An embodiment of the invention, from which further inventive features emerge, is shown in the drawing.

[0021] The single figure shows a schematic room layout of a pigpen according to the invention in a partially sectioned plan view. The partial section shown shows that the pigpen has several pen units, each of which has four pens 1, 2, 3, 4, each with a living area 5, 6, 7, 8 for sows and piglets, a piglet nest 9, 10, and a feeding and toilet area 11, 12, 13, 14 arranged on a slatted floor. The living areas 5, 6, 7, 8 each have a floor heating system with a pipe 17 or 18 laid in the floor to a heating circuit 15 or 16, respectively. In addition, each living area 5, 6, 7, 8 has a floor cooling system with a pipe 21 or 22 laid in the floor to a cooling circuit 19 or 20, respectively. With the heating circuit 15, 16 and the cooling circuit 19, 20, a common heat exchange surface 23 or 24 is provided on the floor of each living area 5, 6, 7, 8.24, wherein the pipes 17 and 18 of the heating circuit 15 and 16, respectively, and the pipes 21 and 22 of the cooling circuit 19 and 20, respectively, run alongside one another in an alternating arrangement in the areas of a common heat exchange surface 23 and 24, respectively. The pipes 17 and 18 of the heating circuit 15 and 16, respectively, and the pipes 21 and 22 of the cooling circuit 19 and 20, respectively, are interconnected via a heat pump in a heat recovery system 25. Each floor heating system in one of the living areas 5, 6, 7, 8 has three independently controllable heating circuits 15, 26, 28 or 16, 27, 29, one of which is heating circuit 15 or 16 located in the respective living area 5, 6, 7, 8 for sows and piglets, and two of which are located in the respective piglet nest 9, 10. With the two heating circuits 26, 28 or 27, 29 located in the piglet nest 9 or 10, a larger nest area 30 or31 and a smaller nesting area 32 or 33 are formed, with an infrared lamp (not shown) suspended above the smaller nesting area 32 or 33. The figure also shows that the pens 1, 2, 3, 4 have a doubly symmetrical arrangement with respect to one another, with one of the axes of symmetry lying on the center line of a connecting corridor 34, via which the entrances 35, 36, 37, 38 to the pens 1, 2, 3, 4 are connected to one another. The other axis of symmetry runs in an intermediate wall 39, 40, which is formed on both sides of the connecting corridor 34 between the feeding and toilet areas 11, 12 of the pens 1 and 2 and the feeding and toilet areas 13, 14 of the pens 3 and 4. At the entrances 35, 36, 37, 38 to pens 1, 2, 3, 4, height-adjustable piglet barriers 41, 42, 43, 44 are arranged in the slatted floor.The bay units are assigned a common central aisle 45 and each have an external outlet 46, with the central aisle 45 and the external outlet 46 being connected to each other via the connecting aisle 34. The connecting aisle 34 has an internal door 47, which is arranged between the entrances 35, 36, 37, 38 to bays 1, 2, 3, 4 on the one hand, and the central aisle 45 on the other. Furthermore, the connecting aisle 34 has an external door 48, which is formed between the entrances 35, 36, 37, 38 to bays 1, 2, 3, 4 on the one hand, and the external outlet 46 on the other. Furthermore, in each feeding and toilet area 11, 12, 13, 14, a functional rod 49 or 50 is arranged which is held in a foldable manner on the intermediate wall 39 or 40, with which in the illustrated folded-down position a laying aid for sows and in the folded-up position a feeding trough for piglets is formed.

Claims

[1] Pig sty with at least one pen unit, each of which has at least one living area for sows and piglets, at least one piglet nest and at least one feeding and toilet area arranged on a slatted floor, characterized by , that each living area (5, 6, 7, 8) has a floor heating system which has a pipe (17, 18) laid in the floor to at least one heating circuit (15, 16), that each living area (5, 6, 7, 8) has a floor cooling system which has a pipe (21, 22) laid in the floor to at least one cooling circuit (19, 20) and, that a common heat exchange surface (23, 24) is formed at least in some areas on the floor of each living area (5, 6, 7, 8) with the heating circuit (15, 16) and the cooling circuit (19, 20). [2] Pigsty according to claim 1, characterized bythat the pipe (17, 18) of the heating circuit (15, 16) and the pipe (21, 22) of the cooling circuit (19, 20) run alongside one another in an alternating arrangement in the areas of a common heat exchange surface (23, 24). [3] Pigsty according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the pipe (17, 18) of the heating circuit (15, 16) and the pipe (21, 22) of the cooling circuit (19, 20) are interconnected via a heat pump in a heat recovery system (25). [4] Pigsty according to claim 3, characterized by that the heat pump is connected to at least one photovoltaic system installed on the stable roof. [5] Pigsty according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized bythat the floor heating has at least three independently controllable heating circuits (15, 26, 28 or 16, 27, 29), wherein at least one of these heating circuits is the heating circuit (15, 16) arranged in the living area (5, 6, 7, 8) for sows and piglets and at least two of the heating circuits are arranged in the piglet nest (9, 10). [6] Pigsty according to claim 5, characterized by that at least one larger nest area (30, 31) and at least one smaller nest area (32, 33) are formed by the two heating circuits (26, 28 and 27, 29) arranged in the piglet nest (9, 10), an infrared lamp being suspended at least above the small nest area (32, 33). [7] Pigsty according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized bythat each pen unit has four pens (1, 2, 3, 4) which have a functionally double-symmetrical arrangement with respect to one another, wherein at least one of the axes of symmetry lies on the center line of a connecting corridor (34) via which the entrances (35, 36, 37, 38) to the pens (1, 2, 3, 4) are connected to one another, and that the respective other axis of symmetry runs in an intermediate wall (39, 40) which is formed on both sides of the connecting corridor (34) between the feeding and toilet areas (11, 12 and 13, 14) of two pens (1, 2 and 3, 4). [8] Pigsty according to claim 7, characterized by that a central aisle (45) and an external outlet (46) are assigned to the bay unit, and that the central aisle (45) and the external outlet (46) are connected to one another via the connecting aisle (34). [9] Pigsty according to claim 8, characterized bythat the connecting corridor (34) has at least one inner door (47) which is arranged between the entrances (35, 36, 37, 38) to the bays (1, 2, 3, 4) on the one hand and the central corridor (45) on the other hand. [10] Pigsty according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by that the connecting passage (34) has at least one external door (48) which is formed between the accesses (35, 36, 37, 38) to the bays (1, 2, 3, 4) on the one hand and the external outlet (46) on the other hand. [11] Pigsty according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized by that the bay unit is arranged together with identical bay units in a simple symmetrical arrangement on both sides of the central aisle (45) forming the axis of symmetry of the arrangement. [12] Pigsty according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized by that a slurry cellar with heat recovery is provided below the feeding and toilet areas (11, 12, 13, 14). [13] Pigsty according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by that in each pen (1, 2, 3, 4) at least one communal feeding trough is arranged, which has a trough section arranged in the feeding and toilet area (11, 12, 13, 14) and a trough section arranged in the piglet nest (9, 10). [14] Pigsty according to one of claims 7 to 13, characterized by that in each feeding and toilet area (11, 12, 13, 14) at least one functional rod (49, 50) which is held in a foldable manner is arranged, with which in the folded-down position a laying aid for sows and in the folded-up position a feeding trough for piglets is formed.

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