Pasture Barn Sloped Bed Liquid Drainage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current livestock barn designs, such as free-stall, tie-stall, and pack barns, face issues like slippery and wet floors leading to hoof and joint injuries, inadequate udder protection, labor-intensive maintenance, and environmental concerns due to excessive moisture and bacterial growth.
Innovation Solution
A dairy barn design featuring a feeding and milking area with individual feeding stations and an overhead pipeline milking system, combined with a pasture area having a raised bed with a slope to facilitate liquid removal and using partially dried manure as bedding, which reduces the need for cultivation and minimizes exposure to moisture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cows are allowed to roam freely in conventional barns with concrete alleys, then they have freedom of movement, but the alleys become wet and slippery causing hoof and joint injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the floor surface from impermeable concrete to permeable gravel, allowing moisture to drain through rather than accumulate on the surface. This parameter change maintains cow freedom of movement while eliminating the wet and slippery conditions that cause injuries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of moisture (which makes concrete slippery and dangerous) into a beneficial drainage function. By using permeable gravel, the moisture that would normally accumulate harmfully is instead allowed to drain through the floor, converting a harmful factor into a beneficial drainage mechanism.
2Productivity
If cows are milked and then allowed to return to stalls immediately, then productivity is maintained, but udder infections increase due to incomplete teat closure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a preliminary waiting period of 45 minutes after milking before cows are allowed to return to their stalls. This preliminary action allows the teats to close properly, preventing udder infections while maintaining overall productivity by structuring the barn layout to accommodate this waiting period efficiently.
3Ease of manufacture
If standardized stall sizes are used in conventional barns, then construction is simplified, but cows of different sizes experience problems with manure disposal and safety
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the manure disposal function from the stall design itself and relocates it to a centralized manure pit area. Cows of all sizes can defecate in their standardized stalls without risk, as the manure is collected in designated pit areas rather than requiring precise stall sizing for each cow's needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (centralized manure collection pits with gates) that mediates between the standardized stalls and the manure disposal system. This intermediary allows cows of different sizes to use the same standardized stalls while preventing manure-related diseases through proper collection and removal.
4Ease of repair
If concrete alleys are used for easy cleaning, then maintenance is simplified, but moisture accumulation and bacterial growth increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the floor from non-permeable concrete to permeable gravel. This parameter change allows moisture to drain through the floor rather than accumulate on the surface, reducing bacterial growth while still allowing for easy maintenance through the permeable structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes walking distances for cows, reduces veterinary costs by protecting udders and hooves, decreases maintenance needs, and mitigates environmental impact by effectively managing moisture and bacterial growth.
Implementation Method 1
a raised bed composed of a bedding material and having a predetermined slope selected to facilitate removal of excess liquid from the pasture area
Data Source
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AI summary
A barn for housing dairy cows includes a feeding and milking area, and a pasture area. The feeding and milking area comprises a plurality of feeding stations, each feeding station including: a manger configured to permit a cow to obtain dry feed; a waterer configured to permit the cow to obtain drinking water; and a head lock configured to releasably secure the cow in the feeding station while the cow is being milked. The pasture area is configured to permit a plurality of cows to lay down. The pasture area includes a raised bed composed of a bedding material and having a predetermined slope selected to facilitate removal of excess liquid from the pasture area.