Rearing facility for rearing poultry, corresponding poultry house, and use thereof

Abstract

To provide a rearing facility with a door arrangement, which can be configured flexibly and has high operating comfort and which, if possible, has no or little impact on accessibility of poultry.SOLUTION: A first rearing plane 6 has a first lateral opening 11a towards at least one side 10 of a rearing facility 2, and a second rearing plane 8 has a second lateral opening 11b towards the side 10. A door arrangement 12 is included for closing the openings 11a, 11b. The door arrangement 12 has closure means 13 arranged in a vertically displaceable manner with respect to the two openings 11a, 11b and configured for releasing or closing the first opening 11a, the second opening 11b, and both openings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rearing facility for staggered rearing of poultry animals, in particular a rearing aviary, comprising at least one first rearing plane and a second rearing plane arranged above the first rearing plane, the rearing planes being configured for rearing poultry animals, the first rearing plane having a first lateral opening towards at least one side of the rearing facility and the second rearing plane having a second lateral opening towards the side and having a door arrangement for closing the openings. [Background technology]

[0002] Rearing devices of this kind are known from the prior art. They are used for the so-called staged rearing of poultry animals. This means that, depending on the growth stage, the poultry animals are either reared on individual rearing planes or the lateral openings of the rearing planes are opened by opening and closing means, so that the animals can leave the rearing facility and move between the individual rearing planes or to a lower floor of the rearing facility. To close the lateral openings of the rearing planes, it is known to use foldable, collapsible or sliding gratings as closing means, which are provided separately for the individual rearing planes and are configured to close the respective lateral openings.

[0003] Although these solutions have generally proven effective, there is still room for improvement. Therefore, separate closure means, which increase the mechanical complexity of the breeding facility, are generally provided for opening and closing the lateral openings of each breeding plane. The operator must furthermore frequently open and close the multiple closure means, which entails considerable operating effort. Apart from this, there is also the problem of storing the removed closure means when not in use. In the case of breeding facilities with displaceable closure means, the entry and exit of poultry animals is often at least partially blocked.

[0004] In light of the above, the present invention was based on the object of further developing a breeding facility of the above-mentioned type in a manner which as far as possible eliminates the drawbacks found in the prior art, in particular a breeding facility which can be flexibly configured, has a high operational comfort and, if possible, is equipped with a door arrangement which does not or only slightly affects the accessibility of the poultry animals.

[0005] According to the invention, for a breeding facility of the above mentioned type, the object is achieved in that the door device is arranged vertically displaceable relative to the two openings and has a closing means configured to open or close the first opening, the second opening and both openings, in a sense the first opening being the lower opening of the breeding facility and the second opening being the upper opening of the breeding facility.

[0006] The invention makes use of the knowledge that by using a single vertically displaceable closure means in the form of a door or gate, the lateral openings of both rearing planes can each be flexibly opened and closed. For example, by arranging the closure means so that both openings are free, it is possible for the vaccinator to more easily remove the animals from the plant when capturing and vaccinating the animals. As the closure means are completely removed from the area of ​​the two openings towards the rearing planes, no barrier is formed for the personnel, who can enter the rearing plant partially or completely as required. In one operating scenario, only the second upper opening is closed by the closure means, ensuring that young animals cannot jump from the upper rearing plane to the floor below the rearing plant where they can injure themselves. On the other hand, it simplifies the task of initially removing the poultry animals from the lower rearing plane, whereby the poultry animals can be reared safely in the upper rearing plane. If the closure means is arranged so that both openings are blocked, it is possible to prevent the poultry animals from reaching the floor below the rearing plant, especially in the early stages of the rearing process. To that extent, the requirements of staged rearing can be addressed by a single closure means in a particularly flexible way for the operator. When using a foldable or collapsible grid, the accessibility to the entire facility is significantly improved compared to the solutions known from the prior art, in particular due to the fact that the closure means are preferably completely removable from the area of ​​the lateral openings.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the door device has a guide arrangement for guiding the closing means, which is arranged on the base frame of the breeding facility. The guide arrangement ensures in a safe manner that the closing means can be displaced relative to the opening. In particular, a space-saving design of the guide arrangement is further achieved by the arrangement on the base frame.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the guide device has oppositely arranged guide rails on which the closing means are displaceably guided, adjacent to the lateral opening the guide rail has a substantially vertical guide rail section which is configured to guide the closing means for closing and opening the lateral opening. The guidance of the closing means by the guide rail provides a safe guidance of the guide means, whereby the guide means can be displaced in a simple manner by the operator, thereby ensuring that the poultry animals are maintained in the respective rearing plane when the lateral opening is closed.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the guide rail has a substantially horizontal guide rail section on the upper side of the base frame, which guide rail section is dimensioned in particular such that the closure means is fully received in the horizontal guide rail section. The horizontal guide rail section arranged on the upper side in the base frame allows the closure means to be moved into a rest position, in which the closure means is arranged in such a way that it does not or only slightly limits the accessibility of the breeding facility, in particular when the lateral opening is fully released.

[0010] The closure means is movable from a substantially vertical guide rail section to a substantially horizontal guide rail section and vice versa.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the guide rail has, between the substantially vertical and the substantially horizontal guide rail sections, a curved guide rail section which connects the vertical and the horizontal guide rail sections. In this way, the closure element can be advantageously transferred from the horizontal guide rail section to the vertical guide rail section and vice versa. The provision of the curved guide rail section allows the closure means to be moved between the operating positions more easily and with greater maneuverability.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the closing means is formed in the form of a grid. The use of a grid has proven to be particularly effective for, on the one hand, keeping the poultry animals safely in the respective rearing plane and at the same time ensuring visibility and ventilation of the rearing plane. According to one embodiment, the grid is coated, in particular with zinc-aluminum. This results in an increased corrosion resistance and an increased service life of the grid.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the grid is formed from at least two grid segments, which are connected by a connecting means and are in particular movable relative to one another, in particular rotatable. In a sense, the grid is formed in the form of a sectional door. According to one embodiment, the connecting means are arranged to reversibly connect the grid segments and to release the connection between the grid segments, in particular by means of a latch mechanism. The mobility or pivotability, respectively, ensures that the grid runs along the course of the guide rail.

[0014] In this way, individual lattice segments or groups of lattice segments can be easily separated. In a way, the lattice segments can form a lattice section, for example a first lattice section formed from several lattice segments can be used to close the lateral openings of the lower rear plane, and a second lattice section, also preferably composed of several lattice segments, can be transferred, for example, to the horizontal guide section, so that the lattice sections not required in this configuration can be stored in this position. When the rearing phase begins, this ensures that young poultry animals cannot escape from the first rearing plane, but nevertheless allows the operator to quickly access the poultry animals through the released lateral openings. The operator can easily combine the lattice segments to form a composite structure and separate them from each other by means of a latching mechanism.

[0015] According to one embodiment, at least two laterally opposing guide means are assigned to each lattice segment, in which the lattice segments are guided on opposing guide rails. In particular, the guide means have pins that encircle the guide rails on both sides. Using the guide means, the lattice segments are safely guided on the guide rails. The guide means are furthermore designed in such a way that they can be guided in a simple manner along the curved guide rail sections, so that the lattice as a whole can move from a vertical guide rail section to a horizontal guide rail section and vice versa, as well as within the respective guide rail section.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the connection means of two adjacent lattice segments are formed on the guide means, i.e. the guide means in a sense has two functions: on the one hand it serves the purpose of guiding the lattice segment relative to the guide rail, and, in addition, it serves the purpose of establishing a reversible connection with the adjacent lattice segment. Due to the functional integration, the total number of animals can be reduced.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the guide rails are assigned stops which limit the range of movement of the grid in the vertical and / or horizontal guide rail sections, thus ensuring that the grid does not inadvertently leave the respective guide rail section and is reliably kept within the desired range of movement.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the rearing planes each have a lateral opening towards at least a second side and the rearing facility has a second door device with a closing means, which is accommodated vertically displaceable relative to the two openings and configured to open or close the first opening, in particular the lower opening, the second opening, in particular the upper opening and both openings.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the second surface is arranged opposite the first surface. The second door arrangement utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the first door arrangement. To avoid repetition, reference is made to the above description.

[0020] By using a second closure means at the opening on the opposite side of the breeding house, the breeding house can be accessed from both sides. According to one embodiment, the horizontal guide part of the first door device and the horizontal guide part of the second door device are arranged at a distance from each other on the upper side of the base frame, one above the other. In this way, the closure means or the grille of the two door devices, respectively, can overlap each other in the upper area of ​​the breeding house, thereby achieving a particularly space-saving construction.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the rearing facility has in each case a plurality of lateral openings in the first rearing plane and in each case a door device with a closing means is provided at adjacent lateral openings in the first rearing plane and in each case a respective second rearing plane, for example two or more door devices can be arranged in this way next to each other and also facing each other on the rearing facility.

[0022] The present invention has been described above with reference to a breeding facility. In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for configuring a breeding facility according to at least one of the aforementioned exemplary embodiments. With respect to said method, the present invention solves the above object by the following steps: positioning the lattice such that the lateral openings are open, and / or positioning the lattice such that the lateral openings of the first breeding plane are closed and the lateral openings of the second breeding plane are open, and / or positioning the lattice such that the lateral openings of both the first and second breeding planes are closed, and / or dividing the lattice into lattice sections and moving the lattice sections of the lattice such that the lateral openings of the second breeding plane are closed and the lateral openings of the first breeding plane are open.

[0023] This method utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the breeding facility of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0024] In this respect, reference is made to the above explanations, the content of which is included here. In summary, it becomes possible to set up the rearing facility in a particularly flexible manner according to the development stage of the poultry animals or according to the respective operations to be carried out, such as, for example, catching or vaccination.

[0025] In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a poultry house for rearing poultry animals, in particular a pullet house. With regard to the poultry house, the present invention solves the above object by providing said poultry house with a rearing facility according to at least one of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments. The poultry house according to the invention also utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the rearing facility according to the invention and the method according to the invention, and vice versa. In this respect, reference is made to the above description, the content of which is also included herein.

[0026] In a further aspect, the present invention relates to the use of a rearing facility according to at least one of the preceding embodiments for rearing poultry animals, in particular pullets, in a poultry house, preferably a poultry house according to any one of the preceding claims, which use also utilizes the same advantages and preferred embodiments as the rearing facility according to the invention, the method according to the invention and the poultry house according to the invention, and vice versa. In this regard, reference is made to the above description, the content of which is also included here.

[0027] The present invention will now be described in more detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a poultry house according to the invention with rearing facilities, in which the closing means release a lateral opening. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the horizontal guide rail portion of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the breeding facility according to the invention according to FIG. 1, in which the closing means closes the lateral opening. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the operating state according to FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of the operating state according to FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of the breeding facility according to the invention of FIG. 1, where the closing means closes the second top opening. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of the breeding facility according to the invention of FIG. 1, in which the closing means is split, thereby closing the first lower opening and opening the second upper opening. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] 1 to 7 show a poultry house 100 for rearing poultry animals, which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The poultry house 100 is a pullet house. With reference to FIG. 1, the poultry house 100 comprises a rearing facility 2. The rearing facility 2 is intended for staged rearing of poultry animals and is formed in particular as a rearing hen house 2. The rearing facility 2 comprises a base frame 4. A first rearing plane 6 and a second rearing plane 8 are formed on the base frame 4, respectively. The second rearing plane 8 is arranged above the first rearing plane 6. The rearing planes 6, 8 are configured for rearing poultry animals. The rearing planes 6, 8 are formed to open towards at least one side 10 of the rearing facility via lateral openings 11a, 11b, respectively. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each rearing plane 6, 8 has an opening 11a in the first rearing plane 6 and an opening 11b in the second rearing plane 8, which are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0030] The breeding facility 2 further comprises a door device 12 with a closing means 13, which is vertically displaceably accommodated relative to the two openings 11a, 11b and configured to open or close the first lower opening 11a, the second upper opening 11b, or both openings 11a, 11b simultaneously. In the operating state shown in Figure 1, both openings 11a, 11b are opened by the closing means 13.

[0031] The door arrangement 12 further comprises a guide device 16 for guiding the closing means 13. The guide device 16 is arranged on the base frame 4 of the breeding facility 2. In FIG. 1 and in the other figures the door arrangement is detailed with respect to the lateral openings 11a, 11b which are in each case shown on the right side of the figure.

[0032] The guide device 16 has oppositely arranged guide rails 18. The closing means 13 is displaceably guided on the guide rails 18. Adjacent to the lateral openings 11a, 11b, the guide rails 18 have a substantially vertical guide rail section 20. The substantially vertical guide rail section 20 is configured to guide the closing means 13 for closing and opening the lateral openings 11a, 11b. On the upper side of the base frame 4, the guide rails 18 further have a substantially horizontal guide rail section 22. The substantially horizontal guide rail section 22 is dimensioned such that the closing means 13 is fully received in the horizontal guide rail section 22. This state is shown in FIG. 1. Here, the upper horizontal guide rail section 22 can fully receive the closing means 13, so that the closing means is received horizontally and above the second feeding plane 8.

[0033] Between the substantially vertical guide rail section 20 and the substantially horizontal guide rail section 22, the guide rail 18 further comprises a curved guide rail section 24. The curved guide rail section 24 connects the vertical guide rail section 20 and the horizontal guide rail section 22. The curved guide rail sections 24 formed on both opposing guide rails 18 allow the closure means 13 to move back and forth between the horizontal guide rail section 22 and the vertical guide rail section 20 in a particularly comfortable manner.

[0034] In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the closure means 13 is formed as a grid 14. The grid 14 is made up of a number of grid segments 26, in which, as is clear from figures 2, 4 and 5, two grid segments 26 are in each case connected by a respective connecting means 28. The connecting means 28 are arranged in particular to reversibly connect the grid segments 26 to one another and to reversibly release the connection between the grid segments 26 by means of a latch mechanism 32. The grid segments 26 can thus be connected to form the grid 14 and can also be connected to individual grid sections 27, as shown in figure 7.

[0035] The provision of a latch mechanism 32 allows the grid segments 26 to be adjusted as desired by the operator. Two laterally opposed guide means 30 are assigned to each grid segment 26. Each grid segment 26 is guided in the opposite guide rails 18 by the guide means 30. In particular, the guide means 30 have two opposed guide pins 40 which contact opposite sides of the guide rails 18, so that the guide means 30 is guided reliably on the guide rails 18. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the connection means 28 for two adjacent grid segments 26 are formed on the guide means 30. In a sense, the guide means 30 thus fulfill two functions. On the one hand, it serves as a guide for the guide rails 18 and, on the other hand, it serves to reversibly connect the adjacent grid segments 26 to one another. Furthermore, the adjacent grid segments 26 are guided in the connection means 28 in a relative pivotable or rotatable manner, respectively, so that the entire grid 14 can pass through the curved guide rail section 24, as shown in FIG. 4, without the composite structure of the grid segments 26 being disassembled.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the guide rail 18 is assigned a stop 34. The stop 34 limits the range of movement of the grid 14 to the vertical guide rail section 20 and / or the horizontal guide rail section 22. In this way, it is ensured that the grid 14 is in reliable contact with the guide rail 18 and remains in a predefined range of movement. As can be seen in particular in FIG. 1, the rearing planes 6, 8 each have at least one, in particular two lateral openings 37a, 37b on a second side 36 lying opposite the first side 10. The rearing facility 2 has at least one, in particular two second door devices 38 with a closing means 39, which is accommodated vertically displaceable relative to the two openings 37a, 37b and is configured for opening or closing the first lower opening 37a, the second upper opening 37b and the two openings 37a, 37b. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, two lateral openings 11a are provided in the first rearing plane 6 and two lateral openings 11b are provided in the second rearing plane 8 on each side 10, 36. A door device 12 is thus assigned to each adjacent lateral opening 11a, 11b. This also applies to the second side 36. A second door device is also assigned to each adjacent lateral opening 37a, 37b. The horizontal guide rail sections 22 of the door device 12 and the horizontal guide rail sections 22 of the second door device 38 run in particular parallel to each other and overlapping each other, as is clearly shown in FIG. 1. The grille 14 or the closing means 13, respectively, can also be moved parallel to each other into a rest position in the region above the second rearing plane 8, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0037] When, in the operating position shown in Fig. 1, the grid 14 is completely open and located in the upper horizontal area of ​​the horizontal guide rail section 22, the vaccinator can particularly well capture and vaccinate the animals admitted to the breeding facility 2. Furthermore, the door device 12 hardly creates a barrier for the worker. In the closed position of the door device 12 shown in Fig. 3, the animals are prevented from reaching the lower floor of the breeding facility 2. In the position shown in Fig. 6, when the grid 14 or the closing means 13 are partly on the vertical guide rail section 20, the horizontal guide rail section 22 and the curved guide rail section 24, the first breeding plane 6 is opened and the upper breeding plane is closed.

[0038] This prevents animals located in the area of ​​the upper second rearing plane 8 from jumping onto the floor below the rearing facility 2 and also ensures that, for example, the animals are first trapped in the externally accessible first rearing plane 6 before they are trapped in the second rearing plane 8. In the operating state shown in FIG. 7, the grid 14 is divided into grid sections 27, each of which in turn consists of a number of grid segments 26. In this way, the lower first rearing plane 6 is closed and the second rearing plane 8 is released. The unnecessary grid sections 27 can further be moved in the area of ​​the horizontal guide rail sections 22 and in this respect do not have an interfering effect on the accessibility of the rearing facility 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 2. Breeding facilities (bird houses) 4 Base Frame 6 First Rearing Plane 8 Second Rearing Plane 10 First Side 11a, b first side lateral opening (first, lower opening) 11b First side lateral opening (second, upper opening) 12 Door device 13 Closing means 14 Lattice 16 Lattice guide device 18 Guide rail 20 Vertical guide rail section 22 Horizontal guide rail section 24 Curved guide rail section 26 Lattice Segments 27 Lattice section 28 Lattice segment connection means 30 Lattice segment guide means 32 Latch mechanism 34 Upper guide rail stop 36 Second Side 37a, b Second side lateral opening 38 Second Door Arrangement 39 Secondary Closure Means 40 Guide pin 100 Poultry house

Claims

1. A breeding facility (2), in particular a breeding henhouse (2), for the staged breeding of poultry animals, comprising: at least one first rearing plane (6) and a second rearing plane (8) arranged above said first rearing plane (6), said rearing planes (6, 8) being configured for rearing poultry animals, said first rearing plane (6) having a first lateral opening (11a) towards at least one side (10) of said rearing facility (2) and said second rearing plane (8) having a second lateral opening (11b) towards said side (10); a door device (12) for closing the openings (11a, 11b); the door device (12) has a closing means (13) arranged vertically displaceably relative to the two openings (11a, 11b) and configured to open or close the first opening (11a), the second opening (11b) and both openings (11a, 11b), Breeding facility (2).

2. the door device (12) has a guide device (16) for guiding the closing means (13), the guide device (16) being disposed on a base frame (4) of the breeding facility (2); A breeding facility (2) according to claim 1.

3. the guide device (16) has oppositely arranged guide rails (18) on which the closing means (13) is displaceably guided, the guide rails (18) having substantially vertical guide rail portions (20) adjacent the lateral openings (11a, 11b), the guide rail portions (20) being configured to guide the closing means (13) for closing and opening the lateral openings (11a, 11b); A breeding facility (2) according to claim 2.

4. the guide rail (18) has a substantially horizontal guide rail portion (22) on the upper side of the base frame, the guide rail portion (22) being dimensioned in particular such that the closure means (13) is completely received in the horizontal guide rail portion (22); A breeding facility (2) according to claim 3.

5. The guide rail (18) has a curved guide rail portion (24) between the substantially vertical guide rail portion (20) and the substantially horizontal guide rail portion (22) connecting the vertical guide rail portion (20) to the horizontal guide rail portion (22). A breeding facility (2) according to claim 4.

6. The closing means (13) is formed as a lattice (14), A breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the grid (14) is formed from at least two grid segments (26), said at least two grid segments (26) being connected by connecting means (28) and being movable, in particular rotatable, relative to one another, A breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the connecting means (28) are configured to reversibly connect and release the connection between the grid segments (26), in particular by means of a latch mechanism (32); A breeding facility (2) according to claim 7.

9. at least two laterally opposed guide means (30) are assigned to each lattice segment (26) for guiding said lattice segment (26) on the opposing guide rails (18), A breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. said connection means (28) for two adjacent lattice segments (26) are formed on said guide means (30); A breeding facility (2) according to claim 9.

11. stops (34) are assigned to the guide rail (18) which limit the range of movement of the grid (14) on the vertical guide rail section (20) and / or on the horizontal guide rail section (22), A breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. the rearing planes (6, 8) each have at least one lateral opening (37a, 37b) towards a second side (36), and the rearing facility (2) has a second door device (38) that is vertically displaceable relative to the two openings (37a, 37b) and has a closing means (39) configured to open or close the first opening (37a), the second opening (37b) and both openings, A breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A method for constructing a breeding facility (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising the following steps: Positioning the grid (14) so ​​that the lateral openings (11a, 11b) are open; and / or Positioning the grid (14) so ​​that the lateral openings (11a) of the first rearing plane (6) are closed and the lateral openings (11b) of the second rearing plane (8) are open; and / or Positioning the grid (14) so ​​that the lateral openings (11a, 11b) of both the first rearing plane (6) and the second rearing plane (8) are closed; and / or dividing the lattice (14) into lattice sections (27) and moving the lattice sections (26) of the lattice (14) such that the lateral openings (11b) of the second rearing plane (8) are closed and the lateral openings (11a) of the first rearing plane (6) are open, method.

14. A poultry house (100) for rearing poultry animals, in particular a pullet house, characterized in that it comprises a rearing facility (2) according to at least one of claims 1 to 12, Poultry house.

15. Use of a rearing facility (2) according to at least one of claims 1 to 12 for rearing poultry animals, in particular pullets, in a poultry house, preferably a poultry house (100) according to claim 14.

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