Apparatus for reducing eimeria tenella using microwaves

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing Eimeria tenella, using microwaves and, more specifically, is characterized in that, in raising broiler chickens, straw litter is recycled for second to fifth rearings after the first rearing, wherein, by pulverizing hardened straw litter through a pulverizing device and creating a bottom similar to the environment of the first rearing and, at the same time, irradiating the pulverized straw litter with microwaves from a microwave device, the number of Eimeria tenella in the straw litter, as well as various pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi is reduced or killed, resulting in low pathogenicity and a low mortality rate, thus enabling broiler chickens to be raised healthily and safely, which therefore provides great economic help to poultry farms.

Description

Microwave-based chicken coccidium parasite reduction device

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for reducing chicken coccidium protozoa using a microwave field, and more specifically, to a device for reducing chicken coccidium protozoa using a microwave field, which recycles litter for 2nd to 5th rearing after the 1st rearing when raising broilers, crushes hardened litter through a crushing device to create a floor similar to the 1st rearing environment, and at the same time, irradiates the crushed litter with a microwave field of a microwave device, thereby reducing or killing the number of chicken coccidium protozoa, as well as various pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, in the litter, thereby lowering pathogenicity and lowering the mortality rate, enabling broilers to be raised healthily and safely, and thus providing great economic help to poultry farms.

[0002]

[0003] This work was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology Planning and Evaluation (Project No. 1545027936, Subproject No. 322056022SB020).

[0004] Protozoans of the genus Eimeria are important protozoans that cause economic losses of approximately USD 3 billion per year in the global poultry industry (Dalloul and Lillehoj, 2006; Williams, 1999). Chickens infected with Eimeria spp. show diarrhea, weakness, and weight loss due to reduced feed efficiency, are prone to bleeding due to intestinal lesions, and are susceptible to infections by other pathogens such as bacteria and viruses (Morris and Gasser, 2006; Min et al., 2013). The infection rate of Eimeria spp. in domestic poultry farms is approximately 70% to 80% (Du and Hu, 2004; Lee et al., 2010; Flores et al., 2022).

[0005] In addition, seven species of protozoa (E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E maxima, E mitis, E. necatrix, E. praecox, and E. tenella) are mainly problematic in causing coccidiosis in chickens, and among these, the chicken cecal coccidiosis (Eimeria tenella), which parasitizes the cecum, is the most pathogenic and has a high mortality rate, causing significant economic damage to poultry farms (Allen and Fetterer, 2002).

[0006] Anticoccidial agents to prevent this are effective in suppressing chicken coccidiosis, as in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0145328, but are prone to the emergence of drug-resistant protozoa strains due to long-term use (Chapman, 1997; Usman et al., 2011; Flores et al., 2022), and have been completely banned in the European Union since 2006 due to the problem of antibiotic residues in livestock products.

[0007] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems,

[0008] When raising broilers, litter is recycled for the 2nd to 5th rearing after the 1st rearing, and the hardened litter is crushed through a crushing device to create a floor similar to the 1st rearing environment, and at the same time, the microwave field of a microwave device is irradiated on the crushed litter, thereby reducing or killing various pathogenic bacteria such as chicken coccidium protozoa, viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the litter, thereby lowering pathogenicity and mortality, enabling broilers to be raised healthily and safely, and thereby providing a device for reducing chicken coccidium protozoa using microwave fields that is of great economic help to poultry farms.

[0009] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention comprises a main body having a plurality of wheel parts installed on the lower side to enable movement, and a handle part installed on the upper side to control the direction of movement;

[0010] A crushing device installed on the front lower side of the main body to crush and turn over the chicken coop bedding as it moves;

[0011] A microwave device installed on the lower side of the main body to reduce coccidium parasites in chickens by irradiating microwave fields on the overturned chicken litter crushed by the crushing device;

[0012] The present invention relates to a device for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field, characterized in that it comprises a control unit installed on the upper surface of the main body and connected to a microwave device, and controlling the microwave field of the microwave device.

[0013] In addition, the crushing device of the present invention has a plurality of connecting rods installed on the front lower side of the main body, and which are rotatable and connected to the main body by a gear;

[0014] A plurality of crushing blades connected between the above connecting members by a rotating shaft to directly crush and turn over the bedding of the chicken coop according to the rotation of the rotating shaft;

[0015] The present invention relates to a chicken coccidia parasite reduction device using microwaves, characterized in that it comprises a shield installed on a connecting member on the upper side of the plurality of grinding blades to protect the grinding blades from the outside and prevent litter ground by the grinding blades from flying upward.

[0016] In addition, the present invention relates to a device for reducing chicken coccidia parasites using microwaves, characterized in that a motor part is further installed on the upper side of the main body of the present invention to rotate the rotation shaft by being connected to the rotation shaft of the grinding blade, and the motor part is operated by the control of the control part.

[0017] In addition, the present invention relates to a device for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using microwave fields, characterized in that a battery unit for supplying power to a microwave device, a control unit, and a motor unit is further installed on the upper side of the main body of the present invention.

[0018] In addition, the present invention relates to a device for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field, characterized in that a plurality of microwave devices are installed on the lower side of the main body, and the plurality of microwave devices are connected to a control unit and controlled by the control unit.

[0019] As described above, the chicken coccidium parasite reduction device using a microwave field of the present invention recycles litter for the 2nd to 5th rearing after the 1st rearing when raising broilers, and by crushing the hardened litter through a crushing device to create a floor similar to the 1st rearing environment, and at the same time irradiating the microwave field of the microwave device to the crushed litter, the number of chicken coccidium parasites, as well as various pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi in the litter is reduced or killed, so that the pathogenicity is low and the mortality rate is low, so that broilers can be raised healthily and safely, and accordingly, there is an effect of great economic help to poultry farms.

[0020] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a chicken coccidium parasite reduction device using a microwave field according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a side view showing a crushing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 is an operational diagram showing the operation of a crushing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 is a front view showing a microwave device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 is a graph showing the destruction of chicken coccidium protozoa using a microwave field according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The present invention having such features can be explained more clearly through preferred embodiments thereof.

[0026] Before describing various embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the details of the construction and arrangement of the components set forth in the following detailed description or illustrated in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The present invention may be embodied and practiced in other embodiments and carried out in various ways. It is also to be understood that expressions and terminology used herein with respect to device or element orientation (e.g., “front,” “back,” “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “lateral”), and the like, are used merely to simplify the description of the invention and do not indicate or imply that the associated device or element must have a particular orientation. Furthermore, terms such as “first,” “second,” and the like are used herein and in the appended claims for descriptive purposes and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or intent.

[0027] Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a chicken coccidium parasite reduction device using a microwave field according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a grinding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is an operation diagram showing the operation of a grinding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a microwave device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the apparatus for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field of the present invention comprises: a main body (10) having a plurality of wheel parts (11) installed at the bottom to enable movement and a handle part (12) installed at the top to control the direction of movement; a crushing device (20) installed at the front lower side of the main body (10) to crush and overturn chicken coop litter as it moves; a microwave device (30) installed at the lower side of the main body (10) to irradiate microwave fields to chicken coop litter crushed by the crushing device (20) and overturned to reduce chicken coccidium parasites; and a control unit (40) installed at the upper side of the main body (10) and connected to the microwave device (30) and controlling the microwave field of the microwave device (30).

[0030]

[0031] As shown in Fig. 1, the main body (10) is formed as a square plate, and a handle (12), a control unit (40), a motor unit (50), and a battery unit (60) are formed on the upper part of the main body (10), and a wheel unit (11), a microwave device (30), and a grinding device (20) are formed on the lower part of the main body (10).

[0032] Here, the wheel part (11) of the main body part (10) is formed so that the main body part (10) can move apart from the ground, and the wheel part (11) has a plurality of legs of a predetermined length installed on the lower surface of the plate, and a wheel for moving the main body part (10) is installed at each end of the legs. At this time, the wheel is connected to the end of the leg so that it can turn forward, backward, left, and right, and a braking device for controlling movement is additionally installed separately on the wheel.

[0033] In addition, the handle part (12) of the main body part (10) is installed at the rear of the upper surface of the plate plate, and the handle part (12) is formed to protrude toward the upper rear side of the plate plate so that a user can hold it and push the main body part (10), and a switch part (13) that is electrically connected to the control part (40) and can operate the control part (40) is further installed in the handle part (12). At this time, a switch that can operate the ON / OFF of the motor part (50), the microwave intensity of the microwave device (30), and the time, etc. is formed in the switch part (13).

[0034]

[0035] The above crushing device (20), as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, is installed on the front lower side of the main body (10) and is composed of a connecting member (21), a crushing blade (22), and a barrier (23) to crush and turn over the chicken coop bedding as it moves.

[0036] Here, the connecting member (21) is installed in multiple numbers on the front lower side of the main body (10), and the connecting member (21) is connected to the main body (10) with a hinge and gear as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 so as to be rotatable, and the gear is connected to a separate motor so that the end of the connecting member (21) can be rotated by the operation of the motor. At this time, the motor is connected to the battery unit (60) and the control unit (40), receives power from the battery unit (60), and is controlled through the control unit (40). That is, the connecting member (21) is rotated by the motor, so that when the main body (10) moves normally, it rotates upward to prevent the crushing device (20) from coming into contact with the ground, and when working, the connecting member (21) rotates downward so that the crushing blade (22) of the crushing device (20) can be embedded into the inside of the straw by a predetermined interval.

[0037] In addition, the above-mentioned crushing blade (22) is connected between the connecting members (21) by a rotating shaft (24) and plays a role of directly crushing and turning over the bedding of the chicken coop according to the rotation of the rotating shaft (24). The above-mentioned crushing blades (22) are formed in multiple numbers and spaced apart from each other along the rotating shaft (24), so that a wide range of bedding can be crushed and turned over. In other words, the above-mentioned crushing blades (22) play a role of crushing hardened bedding into small pieces while turning over the bedding.

[0038] In addition, the above-mentioned blocking film (23) is installed on the connecting member (21) on the upper side of a plurality of crushing blades (22) to protect the crushing blades (22) from the outside and at the same time prevent the straw crushed by the crushing blades (22) from flying upwards, and the above-mentioned blocking film (23) is formed in a curved shape to protect and prevent flying in accordance with the rotation of the crushing blades (22).

[0039] Meanwhile, a motor unit (50) is further installed on the upper side of the main body (10) to rotate the rotation shaft (24) of the grinding blade (22) by a connecting member such as a chain, and the motor unit (50) is operated by the control of the control unit (40).

[0040]

[0041] The microwave device (30) is installed on the lower side of the main body (10), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, and irradiates microwave fields to the overturned chicken coop litter crushed by the crusher (20) to reduce or kill chicken coccidium parasites. At this time, the microwave device (30) irradiates the microwave fields in a downward direction.

[0042] Here, the microwave devices (30) are installed in multiple numbers on the lower side of the main body (10), and the multiple microwave devices (30) are connected to the control unit (40) and controlled by the control unit (40). One microwave device (30) irradiates a microwave field of 700 W for about 20 to 30 seconds to reduce or kill the number of chicken coccidium parasites.

[0043] And, as shown in Fig. 4, a cooking plate (31) for controlling the spread of the microwave field to be irradiated is formed on the lower edge of the microwave device (30), and the cooking plate (31) is connected to all sides of the lower edge of the microwave device (30) by a hinge axis (32), so that the microwave field spreads widely or is irradiated intensively to one place depending on the rotation of the hinge axis (32).

[0044] In addition, a plurality of hinge axes (32) of the cooking plate (31) are formed along the lower edge of the microwave device (30), and a gear such as a worm gear is formed on one side of the hinge axes (32) and is interconnected, so that when one hinge axle (32) rotates, the other hinge axes (32) also rotate in the same direction simultaneously, so that the cooking plate (31) can be adjusted at the same angle. At this time, one of the plurality of hinge axes (32) is connected to a separate motor to rotate, and the motor is connected to the battery unit (60) and the control unit (40), receives power from the battery unit (60), and is controlled through the control unit (40).

[0045]

[0046] As shown in Fig. 1, the above control unit (40) is connected to a microwave device (30), a motor unit (50), a battery unit (60), and a plurality of motors via electrical signals, and the control unit (40) is installed on the upper surface of the main body unit (10) and is connected to the microwave device (30) to control the microwave intensity, time, power, etc. of the microwave device (30).

[0047] Meanwhile, a microwave device (30), a control unit (40), a motor unit (50), and a battery unit (60) that supplies power to a plurality of motors are further installed on the upper side of the main body unit (10), and the battery unit (60) is rechargeable and connected to an external power source to be charged with power.

[0048]

[0049] Below, the results of an experiment in which chicken coccidium protozoa can be killed using the microwave field of the present invention are described.

[0050] 1. In vitro experiment results: Microwave fields effectively destroyed chicken coccidium eggs.

[0051] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the destruction of chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, parasite eggs present in feces (80-100 grams) from a broiler farm were irradiated with a 700W microwave for 60 seconds (T-60), 30 seconds (T-30), 20 seconds (T-20), and 0 seconds (control).

[0052] At this time, the investigated samples were left at room temperature for 5 days, and the number of eggs was confirmed using a McMaster chamber. Compared to the control group, the treatment groups showed a significant egg reduction effect.

[0053] ***p<0.001, **p<0.01, *p<0.05 indicate statistical significance compared to the control group. Results represent the mean ± standard deviation.

[0054]

[0055] 2. In vivo experimental results: Chicken coccidium (Eimeria tenella) eggs were irradiated with microwaves. The irradiated eggs were administered orally to chickens, and the effects were verified.

[0056]

[0057] The above [Table 1] shows the results of confirming that microwaves destroy chicken coccidium eggs in chickens. Eimeria tenella was well mixed with sawdust (50-60 grams), and the sample was irradiated with a 700W microwave for 20 seconds (T-20) and 0 seconds (control, T-0).

[0058] The number of parasitic eggs in the tested samples was determined using a McMaster chamber. Each chicken was administered 10,000 sporulated parasitic eggs orally. The results of the treatment groups were compared with the control group (T-0). During the experimental period, the chickens were fed a diet containing no anticoccidial agents. Results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation.

[0059] 2-1. Reduction in fecal oocyst number

[0060] - After administering the sample to chickens, feces were collected 6-9 days later and egg counts were measured (n=15). The 20-second (T-20) group showed a 79% decrease compared to the control group (T-0).

[0061] 2-2. Increase in body weight gain

[0062] - Body weight changes were measured over 9 days after administering the sample to chickens (n=15). The 20-second (T-20) group showed a 6.9% weight gain compared to the control group.

[0063] 2-3. Reduction in intestinal lesion score

[0064] - The extent of intestinal lesions was measured 7 days after administering the sample to chickens (n=7). The 20-second (T-20) group showed a significant reduction in intestinal lesions compared to the control group.

[0065]

[0066] 3. Summary

[0067] This is an experiment to kill coccidium eggs present in chicken farms using microwaves.

[0068] - It was confirmed through in vitro experiments that the eggs were directly destroyed by microwave fields (reduction in the number of eggs present in the sample).

[0069] - It was confirmed through in vivo experiments that the eggs were indirectly destroyed by microwave fields (reduction in the number of eggs excreted in feces, effect of weight gain, reduction in intestinal lesion index).

[0070]

[0071] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, these are merely illustrative, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. The scope of the present invention should be defined by the description of the following claims.

[0072]

[0073] [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10: Main body 11: Wheel

[0075] 12: Handle part 13: Switch part

[0076] 20: Crusher 21: Connecting rod

[0077] 22: Crushing blade 23: Barrier

[0078] 24: Rotation axis

[0079] 30: Microwave device 31: Cooking plate

[0080] 32: Hinge axis

[0081] 40: Control unit 50: Motor unit

[0082] 60: Battery compartment

Claims

1. A main body (10) having a plurality of wheel parts (11) installed on the lower side to enable movement, and a handle part (12) installed on the upper side to control the direction of movement; A crushing device (20) installed on the front lower side of the main body (10) to crush and turn over the chicken coop bedding as it moves; A microwave device (30) installed on the lower side of the main body (10) and irradiating microwave fields to the overturned chicken coop bedding crushed by the crushing device (20) to reduce chicken coccidium parasites; A control unit (40) installed on the upper surface of the main body (10) and connected to a microwave device (30), and controlling the microwave field of the microwave device (30); A device for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field, characterized in that it comprises:

2. In paragraph 1, The above crushing device (20) is A plurality of connecting rods (21) are installed on the front lower side of the main body (10), and are connected to the main body (10) by a gear and are rotatable; A plurality of crushing blades (22) connected by a rotating shaft (24) between the above connecting members (21) to directly crush and turn over the bedding of the chicken coop according to the rotation of the rotating shaft (24); A shield (23) installed on the connecting member (21) on the upper side of the above-mentioned plurality of crushing blades (22) to protect the crushing blades (22) from the outside and prevent the straw crushed by the crushing blades (22) from flying upwards; A device for reducing chicken coccidium parasites using a microwave field, characterized in that it comprises:

3. In paragraph 2, A chicken coccidia parasite reduction device using a microwave field, characterized in that a motor unit (50) is further installed on the upper side of the main body unit (10) to rotate the rotation shaft (24) connected to the rotation shaft (24) of the grinding blade (22), and the motor unit (50) is operated by the control of the control unit (40).

4. In paragraph 3, A chicken coccidia parasite reduction device using a microwave field, characterized in that a battery unit (60) for supplying power to a microwave device (30), a control unit (40), and a motor unit (50) is further installed on the upper side of the main body unit (10).

5. In paragraph 1, A device for reducing chicken coccidia parasites using a microwave field, characterized in that a plurality of the above microwave devices (30) are installed on the lower side of the main body (10), and the plurality of microwave devices (30) are connected to a control unit (40) and controlled by the control unit (40).

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