Housing for breeding animals

Abstract

Housing (1) for breeding animals, comprising a plurality of dividing elements (2) delimiting the standing and lying area of ​​the breeding animal, wherein the floor (3) of the housing (1) has at least one floor plate (5, 6) equipped with drainage openings (4), characterized in that a recess (7) is made in the floor (3), in which a mat (8) made of a material which is softer than the rest of the floor (3) is arranged.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a housing for breeding animals according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] DE 7 523 117 U1 already discloses a housing system for breeding animals in which several barrier fences anchored in the floor of the housing act as dividing elements to delimit the standing and lying areas of the breeding animal. It is generally known to construct the floor of the housing system from a multitude of floor panels, usually with slot-shaped drainage openings. These are generally metal panels, metal grids, or plastic panels. These drainage openings serve to drain excreta, especially liquids such as urine or cleaning fluids, into a slurry channel located below the floor. Bedding materials such as straw, hay, or sawdust are also spread on the floor to improve the animals' quality of life and comfort.It is often observed, especially in pig breeding, that pregnant sows exhibit increased restlessness about 3-4 days before farrowing and, for example, begin to push the bedding material together to create a kind of hollow, which is why this trait is also referred to as "nesting." During this phase, the breeding animals require increased attention and comfort, which conventional housing designs with plastic or metal floor panels only inadequately provide.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of creating a housing for breeding animals, in particular for pigs, which ensures an overall improvement in the well-being of the animals.

[0004] The invention solves this problem with the features of claim 1. Further embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subsequent subclaims.

[0005] A housing for breeding animals, comprising a plurality of dividing elements delimiting the standing and lying area of ​​the breeding animal, wherein the floor of the housing has at least one floor plate equipped with drainage openings, was further developed according to the invention in such a way that a depression is made in the floor in which a mat made of a material which is softer than the rest of the floor is arranged.

[0006] The mat according to the invention creates an area in the stable that significantly improves the lying comfort of the draft animal and thus enhances the animals' well-being. The created recess and the mat inserted into it also improve hygiene conditions, because the mat can be easily removed from the recess and thus easily cleaned and, if necessary, disinfected. Furthermore, the mat can also be easily replaced if it becomes damaged.

[0007] Since pigs are unable to sweat and therefore avoid high temperatures, adult pigs tend to prefer cooler places. As a result, adult pigs prefer floor panels made of metal materials and prefer to stay in these areas. Young animals, on the other hand, tend to avoid metal floor panels because they seek warmth. For this reason, plastic floor panels are particularly advantageous in young animal areas because this material creates a better feeling of warmth than metal. These circumstances can be exploited by laying plastic floor panels within the housing in such a way that the resulting path leads directly to a separate young animal area and ultimately, for example, to a protective box for young animals. The young animals instinctively follow the prescribed path and thus reach this protective box directly and undisturbed.Such a simple measure ensures the survival of the young animals, as they cannot be crushed by adult animals when they rest inside the enclosure and possibly overlook the young. Accordingly, barrier grids or barrier panels are used as separating elements in the enclosures according to the invention, with the floor comprising several interconnected metal and / or plastic panels. For connecting the floor panels, a puzzle-like interlocking of corresponding structures can be used, for example.

[0008] A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is designed as a trough in the floor. The advantage of such a solution is the possibility of retrofitting the entire trough in an existing stable or housing facility, or, if necessary, replacing an old trough with a new one.

[0009] Since it cannot be ruled out that contaminants such as feces, urine, or cleaning agents will come into contact with the tub in a stable, suitable materials should be selected for its construction. For this reason, the tub can be made of plastic, aluminum, or non-corrosive steel, for example. Plastic and aluminum, in particular, have the advantage of being lightweight, and plastic, in particular, offers considerable design flexibility.

[0010] As previously stated, the presence of aggressive media such as cleaning fluids, urine, or feces in a housing system is unavoidable. Therefore, a further development of the invention provides that the depression in the floor of the housing system has at least one drainage opening for liquids to transport them into a slurry channel located below the floor. To improve drainage properties, the floor of the depression can also be inclined toward the drainage opening. Furthermore, the drainage of liquids is improved if multiple drainage openings are provided.

[0011] As already explained at the beginning, pigs, especially shortly before farrowing, tend to scrape together bedding material to create a kind of nest. To facilitate this nest building, a very advantageous embodiment of the invention proposes that the surface of the mat inserted into the depression be level with the ground surface or, preferably, be lower than the ground surface. Nest building is particularly supported with a lowered mat, as the pig can gather the bedding material more easily. The lowered mat thus already forms a kind of "nest."

[0012] A special embodiment of the invention further consists in that the surface of the mat is arranged between 5 mm and 15 mm, but preferably 10 mm lower, than the surface of the floor of the stable.

[0013] To reduce the risk of injury to the animals within the housing, an advantageous feature of the invention is that the edge of the recess, designed as a trough, has a chamfered or rounded surface. This measure avoids sharp-edged transitions and also makes the edge of the recess flat or rounded. For example, the frame or the edge of the trough can be made of pipes or pipe sections. In this context, gaps between the edge of the recess and the floor of the housing, which could potentially create tripping hazards, must also be avoided.

[0014] Since hygienic conditions within a stable are of paramount importance, a highly advantageous embodiment of the invention provides a releasable mat fixation in the recess. This releasable fixation of the mat achieves two effects. Firstly, the mat can be removed from the recess and cleaned or disinfected more easily. Secondly, the breeding animal in the stable cannot easily remove the mat from the recess itself and, for example, nibble on it, thereby destroying it. Fixing the mat in place therefore serves as a protection for both the animals and the mat.

[0015] Such a fixation can generally consist of complementary structures of the depression and the mat, in accordance with a further training measure.

[0016] Specifically, the fixation can consist of a plug-in, snap-in, or locking connection. According to the invention, both positive and non-positive fixation of the mat within the recess are possible.

[0017] Making the mat from an elastomer material has proven particularly advantageous, as these materials offer sufficient strength while maintaining the desired elasticity to provide the breeding animal with the necessary comfort. Furthermore, elastomer materials are resistant to urine, feces, and cleaning agents, making them ideal for use in stables. Finally, elastomer materials also have the advantage of being able to be molded into any desired shape using vulcanization or injection molding, are cost-effective, and thus the mat can be replaced at any time.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the Shore hardness of the mat is between 68 and 78, preferably it is 70 Shore and is therefore classified as medium hard.

[0019] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments shown do not represent a limitation to the variants shown, but rather serve merely to explain a principle of the invention.

[0020] Identical or similar components are always designated by the same reference numerals. To illustrate the functionality of the invention, the figures show only highly simplified schematic diagrams, omitting components that are not essential to the invention. However, this does not mean that such components are not present in a solution according to the invention.

[0021] It shows: Fig. 1: a view into a stable with a mat inserted into a recess, Fig. 2: an enlarged view of the area of ​​the depression and the mat, Fig. 3: a section according to the section line III-III from Fig. 2 and Fig. 4: A detail of a special design variant of the edge of the recess for fixing the mat in an enlarged view.

[0022] The Fig. 1 allows a view into a stable 1 with a mat 8 inserted into a recess 7. The general structure of such a stable 1 is known per se. Thus, the exhibition 1 has various dividing elements 2, which in the representation of the Fig. 1 are so-called barrier fences, which are indicated here only by dashed lines. Furthermore, it is also known to make the barrier fences 2 at least partially movable in order to be able to adapt the dimensions of the housing 1 according to the specific needs of the animals. Within the housing 1, a feeding trough 14 is also indicated, which serves to feed the breeding animals. The floor 3 of the Fig. The housing 1 shown in Figure 1 consists of different floor panels 5 and 6, with the floor panels 5 being made of a metallic material and the floor panels 6 being made of plastic. This combination of metals and plastics has the advantage that, particularly in pig breeding, the needs of the animals can be met to the maximum, because adult pigs prefer the cooler, metallic floor panels 5 to lie down on, while young animals, i.e. piglets, tend to seek warmth and therefore prefer floor panels 6 made of plastic. Regardless of the material selected for the floor panels 5, 6, these have drainage openings 4 to drain impurities or liquids, such as urine, into a slurry channel 10 located below the floor 3. The special feature of the Fig. The housing 1 shown in Figure 1 consists in the fact that a depression 7 in the form of a trough has been introduced into the floor 3, which is equipped with a mat 8 made of a plastic or elastomer material. The clearly visible edge 13 of the depression 7 is flat and has only a very small gap to the adjacent floor panels 5, 6, which contributes to ensuring that there is no risk of injury to the breeding animals kept in the housing 1.

[0023] In the Fig. 2 is a compared to the Fig. Figure 1 shows an enlarged view of the area of ​​the recess 7 and the mat 8, which shows the connection of the plastic floor panels 6 to each other in an improved manner. These panels fit together like a puzzle, forming a solid connection. Through the slot-shaped drain openings 4, liquids can be drained into the slurry channel 10 located below the housing 1 in the manner already mentioned.

[0024] The Fig. 3 shows a section along the line III-III of Fig. 2. From this, it can be seen that the mat 8 inserted into the trough-shaped recess 7 has a height difference to the floor surface 12 of the floor 3. In other words, this means that the surface 11 of the mat 8 is lower than the floor surface 12. The trough 7 itself is equipped with an edge 13 that rests on the floor plates 5, 6 of the floor 3, wherein the edge 13 is extremely flat and largely flush with the floor surface 12, thus eliminating any risk of injury to the breeding animals. The trough-shaped recess 7 also has drainage openings 9, through which liquids, such as those generated in a stable for breeding animals, are drained into the slurry channel 10 located below the floor 3 and fed for disposal. From the illustration of the Fig. 3 shows a further special feature that serves to improve the drainage of liquids into the slurry channel 10. The mat 8 has various knobs 15 on its underside opposite the surface 11, so that the mat 8 does not rest completely on the bottom of the recess 7. The resulting spacing, on the one hand, ensures that the mat 8 is designed to be somewhat flexible and thus has additional elasticity, and on the other hand, it can be achieved that the liquids are drained away via the drainage openings 9 in the manner already mentioned.

[0025] Finally, in the Fig. 4 shows a detail of a design variant of the edge 13 of the recess 7 for securing the mat 8 in an enlarged view. This version of the edge 13 of the recess 7 allows the mat 8 to be secured within the recess 7, as the edge 13 surrounds and thus encloses an edge section of the mat 8. In simple terms, one could say that the mat 8 is snapped into the recess 7. Of course, other fastenings for the mat in the recess can also be provided. The only important thing is that the breeding animals cannot detach the mat 8 from the recess 7 and, for example, chew it. This serves, on the one hand, to keep the breeding animals healthy and, on the other hand, to ensure a long service life of the mat 8. Another aspect of the Fig.4 furthermore consists in that the surface of the edge 13 of the recess 7 is flush, i.e. in one plane, with the bottom surface 12 of the bottom 3. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS: 1 housing 2 dividing elements (barriers) 3 Floor 4 drain openings 5 Base plate (made of metal) 6 Base plate (made of plastic) 7 recess (tub) 8 Mat 9 Drain opening 10 Slurry channel 11 Surface (of the mat) 12 Soil surface 13 Edge (of the recess) 14 feeding trough 15 studs QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 7 523 117 U1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Housing (1) for breeding animals, comprising a plurality of dividing elements (2) defining the standing and lying area of ​​the breeding animal, wherein the floor (3) of the housing (1) has at least one floor plate (5, 6) equipped with drainage openings (4), characterized by that a recess (7) is made in the floor (3), in which a mat (8) made of a softer material than the rest of the floor (3) is arranged. [2] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to claim 1, characterized by that the separating elements (2) are barrier grids or barrier plates and the floor (3) has several metal plates (5) and / or plastic plates (6) coupled to one another. [3] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the recess (7) in the base (3) is a trough. [4] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to claim 3, characterized bythat the tub is made of plastic, aluminum or non-corrosive steel. [5] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the depression (7) in the floor (3) of the housing (1) has at least one drain opening (9) for liquids for transporting the liquids into a slurry channel (10) located below the floor (3). [6] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the surface (11) of the mat (8) inserted into the recess (7) forms a common plane with the floor surface (12) of the housing (1) or is lower than this floor surface (12). [7] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the surface (11) of the mat (8) is arranged between 5 mm and 15 mm lower than the floor surface (12) of the housing (1). [8] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the edge (13) of the recess (7) designed as a trough has a broken or rounded surface. [9] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mat (8) is releasably fixed in the recess (7). [10] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to claim 9, characterized by that the fixation consists of complementary structures of the recess (7) and the mat (8). [11] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by that the fixation consists of a plug-in, snap-in or locking connection. [12] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the mat (8) is made of an elastomer material. [13] Housing (1) for breeding animals according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the Shore hardness of the mat is between 68 and 78, preferably 70 Shore.

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