DE2300839A1 - SYSTEM FOR KEEPING AND FEEDING ANIMALS IN A LIMITED ENVIRONMENT - Google Patents

Description

2300339

Γ Jan 8, 1973

Dr .W. / Bö «,

Applicant:

INTERNATIONAL FARM SYSTEMS INC., 415 West 120 Street, New York Ν _β Υ _β , USA

System for keeping and feeding animals in a confined environment.

The invention relates to a system for holding and feeding animals in a confined environment, and in particular on a single building structure combined with an automatic feed distribution and a waste recovery system for the manufacture of a fully automated limited housing and feeding system for animals.

The problem of feeding an ever-growing population, which is made more difficult today by the simultaneous Change or shift in population density from rural, agricultural areas to urban centers, stresses the need to increase the productivity of those who still work in agriculture and raise livestock for human consumers. Because of this double funding, i.e. production always continued increasing amounts of food and livestock for consumption as a result of the rapidly increasing population and the Increase in the productivity of the individual farmer to

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equal to reducing the number of people who are still dealing with agriculture, it has become imperative to develop agricultural practices and techniques, in order to increase productivity in order to satisfy the increasing demand «, while taking significant steps were to increase the productivity of agricultural operations so that the yield per hectare of the cultivated agricultural land has increased steadily over the years is not an equivalent gain in productivity for raising livestock, e.g. cattle, sheep and pigs for human consumption.

In the earlier development of the raising of livestock, ZOB is performed ₀ cattle, sheep and pigs intended for human consumption mainly by grazing cattle on open fields, until an appropriate market weight have been reached, and in the case of cattle and pigs raising of the herd has been carried out in somewhat more limited stables, in boxes or the like, in which a feed supply was accessible for the pigs. In all cases productivity has not been particularly high because the entire operating systems for raising livestock, especially pigs, have been poor, because the parts blocking the cattle have suffered from poor ventilation, and because of problems in removing the cattle manure in a sanitary and sufficient manner Way were not resolved, since all these aspects required an extraordinarily high cost to remedy.

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Delimited animal housing systems have been proposed so far, but such systems have not found widespread acceptance because they did not lead to a noticeable increase in production while the direct manual labor involved in housing and caring for the animals could be reduced, _etc.

Accordingly, the object of the invention is to develop a new and improved system which is capable of is to breed large numbers of animals and finish them in a limited environment with one high degree of productivity and work performance «,

A further aim of the invention is to achieve a new and improved system for keeping a large number of animals in enclosed enclosures to keep and feed by providing a building structure which is a unique box training and Box arrangement used and an automatic device for feeding and removing the animal manure with automatic ventilation to maintain the interior atmosphere of the building for the welfare of the pigs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved demarcated Animal husbandry and feeding system can be achieved, which requires a minimum of direct labor and thus results in a high level of productivity and performance.

Another task of the invention is to create a new and to provide improved demarcated animal feeding system, which

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ches uses a liquid feed for the animals, which feeds the feed quickly and automatically to the feeding troughs to provide the animals with all the food they need.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved automated animal feed system, in US Pat which the manure produced by the animals is automatically collected and treated to form a breeding ground that is then added to the liquid feed as a protein additive, which in turn is pumped into the feed troughs «

Another object of the invention is to provide a pollution control system in which the animal manure is quickly removed from the animal crates and ventilated, thereby removing objectionable odor gases, and treating the manure for use as a feed additive _{or the like}

Another object of the invention is to provide a ventilation system for a confined animal holding building in which the temperature and humidity of the air inside the building is automatically controlled for the maximum well-being to accommodate seasonal changes in temperature outside of the building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and to provide improved demarcated animal feeding and restraint systems which are in the form of modular components prior to the Installation can be prefabricated and quick and easy. at

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the desired place can be assembled and which then can be quickly dismantled and reassembled at a new location «,

These further features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent after reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings. It is expressly understood that although the description is directed to the construction for feeding and keeping of pigs, can also be transferred to another livestock to be raised for human consumption, "B _e z for cattle and sheep ₉

In the drawing show:

Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical section through an embodiment of the construction according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the underground Shows the foundation of the building according to the invention,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the first floor of the building structure according to the invention shows,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section along the line

4-4 of Fig. 1, which is a typical floor area for the 2 * 3rd and 4 "floor of the Building shows

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section along the line

5-5 of Fig. 1, which is a typical floor - 6 -

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area for the 5th and 6th floors of the building

Fig. 6 is a plan view of an enlarged segment of the box design for the 1st floor,

7 shows a plan view of FIG. 6 as an enlarged segment of the box design for the upper ones Floors,

Fig, 8 is a vertical section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6 _e,

FIG _e 9 is a further section taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 6 _0,

10 is an enlarged partial section along the line 10-10 of FIG. 8 with particular features Details of construction,

FIG. 11 shows a side view of FIG. 10,

Figure 12 is a partially schematic representation of the feed trough and feed distribution system ,

13 is a plan view of the 1 ₀ floor of a modified embodiment of the construction according to the invention ₀

With reference to the drawings, in particular Fig. 1, there is the building structure 20 made of a flexible, hemispherical profiled membrane or film that forms a dome 22, which encloses a multi-level animal housing and a barrier structure 24. A smaller secondary dome 21, which is connected to the Dome 22 is connected, encloses a treatment facility or

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Treatment device, as described in more detail below _e The dome 22 is advantageously made of translucent material to let the light through and is so worked or designed that it is supported above the inner structure 24 by maintaining a slight excess air pressure in the dome will. An access channel 28 is provided in the dome 22 (Fig. 3) and the lower periphery 30 of the dome is suitably sealed to a circular foundation wall 31 which is embedded in the ground so that a slight overpressure can be maintained in the building structure, which is sufficient to support the flexible membrane of the dome 22. The structure 24 blocking off the animals is advantageously provided with six floors or floors 32-42, each floor having twelve main sides in plan view and two upper floors 40 and 42 having an area that is noticeably smaller than that of the four lower floors 32- 38 to produce an inner silhouette that conforms to the inner contour of the dome shell 22.

Each floor 32 - 42 of the structure 24 is subdivided into a number of individual boxes 44 which shut off animals and which are equipped with a Automatic feed supply and automatic removal system for animal manure are provided as described below will.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, the four have

lower floors 32,34,36 and 38 an outer box ring 46 and

an inner box ring 48, these boxes essentially

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are identical for each floor, with the exception of smaller structural ones Changes as follows. The upper floors 40 and 42 contain only one inner box ring 48, and these boxes are essentially the same as the inner box ring 48 of the four lower floors.

Each animal box 24 is constructed in modular form so that each box or a part thereof can be prefabricated, e.g. on a production line at a remote location, and then shipped to the location where the limited animal accommodation unit 20 is to be assembled to form the complete structure 24

As best can be seen from Figure 3 _0, which is a schematic plan view of the first " Floor 32 represents, the modular boxes 24 are arranged on the circumference as a truncated cone-shaped wedges 45, which are trapezoidal in profile. The boxes 50 within the inner ring 48 of the boxes blocking the animals form a single crate at the tip of the truncated cone-shaped wedge 45, and a double box 42 and 44 is provided in the outer box ring 46 in the wider segment of the cake-stick-shaped wedge 45. The inner ring 48 and outer ring 46 are spaced from one another to define a walkway 56 therebetween, and likewise a walkway 58 is provided within the inner box ring 48. A walkway 60 extends from the entry channel 28 to the walkways 56 and 58.

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An upwardly extending stair 62 is provided in the area of the inner walkway 58 to provide access to the upper one Floor from the lowest floor 32 to facilitate and an access room 64 is provided on the platforms of the inner walkway 58 on each of the upper floors 34-42.

The inner walkway 58, is closed on a perimeter 70, which delimits an opening 72, and an elevator platform 74 approximately equal to the shaft 72 is within the walkway 58 is provided to accommodate the means by which the animals move from the 1st floor 32 to one of the higher floors 34-42 be transported. The elevator platform 74 is driven by a motor 76 (FIG. 1) which includes a translation system 78 drives, and is supported on upper structural members 80 above the top floor 42, supported by vertical uprights 82 is carried in the vicinity of the shaft 72.

The floors 34, 36 and 38 (FIG. 4) have an extension equal to the floor 32, with the box ring 46 on the circumference having double boxes 52 and 54 along the outer edge of a pie-shaped wedge 45, a central walkway 56, an inner walkway 58, an inner box ring 48, and a walkway 60 leading from the inner walkway 58 to the outer walkway 56 runs. The walkway 60 need only be a partial walkway as it does not require permanent access to the outer circumference of the ring 46 to be provided.

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Referring to Fig. 5, which is a schematic plan view reproduces on the upper floors 40 and 42, it should be noted that the position and orientation of the individual stable boxes in the-; sen floors is essentially the same as that of the boxes of the inner box ring 48 on floors 34 »36 and 38 incl. of the shaft 72 for the elevator platform 74 within the inner walkway 58. The greater difference in the floors 40 and 42 is that the walkway 60 has been omitted on these floors, since the access to the individual boxes from the interior Walkway 58 is made of so that a radial walkway is not required.

Reference is now made again to FIGS. 3 and 4 which shows that all boxes 50 of the inner ring 48 are the same size with the exception of the box 66 near the sidewalk 60, and similarly, all of the boxes 52 and 54 of the outer ring 46 are the same size with the exception of the box 68, adjacent to the walkway 60. It is further stated with reference to FIG. 5 that the boxes 50 in the upper individual ring floors are slightly larger because there is no longer an outside walkway, so that the box area is increased by the area that the walkway 56 occupies on lower floors.

According to Figo 3, in which the way in which the individual modular boxes 44 of the outer ring 46 and the inner ring 48 in each floor are supported one above the other, it is shown how the construction 24 is completed. As can be seen from Fig. 1,

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the modular box units from the individual boxes are stacked on top of each other and are spaced apart by inner upright supports 82, through radially outwardly offset spaced intermediate supports 84 and through outer spaced supports 86 (Fig. 3) showing the positions of the vertical upright supports is. The outer ring of the vertical supports 86 extends up to the floor 38, while the two inner stand ring 82 and 84 extend to the top floor, with the supports 84 being slightly shorter than the supports 82, to provide a structure in adaptation to the dome 22 to achieve.

Horizontally extending radial support beams 88, which are advantageous Double T-beams are provided on each tier and extend radially outward from uprights 82 to uprights 84 and similar double-T-shaped beams 90 are provided extending radially outwardly from supports 84 to supports 86, Cross members connecting radially spaced rings are provided to close the radially disposed support members as described in detail below.

Before further describing the animal stall boxes, it may be useful to refer to Figures 1 and 2 for discussion of the foundation for structure 20. The foundation has a circular concrete foot 94 below the surface of the earth 95 and has a circular upper wall segment 96 with which the flexible membrane 22 is attached. An increased

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Platform 97 extends radially inward from wall segment 96 and forms an annular platform within the structure in the vicinity of the membrane 22. The platform 97 terminates with a circular, vertical wall segment 98, which extends upwardly from the circular foundation floor 99 of the structure.

The foundation floor is evenly radial inwards towards the center of the structure inclined, v / o the central manure collection pit 100 is provided below the surface of the foundation base 99.

air under slight overpressure to support the flexible membrane 52 is inside the structure through diametrically opposed Blower 102 supplied, which are arranged outside the structure and which the air through diametrically opposite Air supply ducts 104 below the foundation floor 99 press ^ which channels the air profiled into a diamond shape Air supply duct 106 conduct "The duct 106 'is with side openings 108 provided so that the air can flow into the interior of the structure. A baffle 110 below the Floor 32 is provided which is raised above the foundation floor 99 so that the air is deflected out of the openings 108 as shown by the arrows in FIG. Thus, the air supplied by the blowers 102 flows through the distribution system into the structure and is deflected by the sheet metal 110 to create a divergent flow of air for complete circulation to generate by the structure,

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The bottom parts in each of the modular stall boxes 44 consist of a mesh grill to allow light and Ventilation air can flow freely through and also allow the animal manure to collect through the floor parts falls through. Accordingly, means for collecting manure are provided and this manure collects on the surface des Boden 99 '. Provision has been made to provide a flushing system, in order to flush the surface of the foundation floor 99 and thus the accumulated manure into the sump 100 do the washing up.

For this purpose, an annular rinsing liquid distribution is provided in the pit 100, which the rinsing liquid under Pressure by means of the pump 126 in the pit 100 receives. Several extend radially outward from the distribution device 112 radially routed distribution lines 114 (FIG. 8), in which at least two lines are shown for each box segment, which are in one Number of radial openings above the surface of the bottom 99 end. An inner orifice ring 116 and an outer orifice ring 118 are provided to flush the manure from the inner and outer box rings. The pressurized flushing liquid is then through manifolds 114 to openings 116 directed, which align a jet of flushing liquid that flows over the surface of the foundation floor 99. Because the ground for Collecting pit 100 is inclined, the manure carried along by the flushing liquid flows into the pit 100, from which part of the Rinsing liquid is withdrawn for further treatment, while the remainder is recirculated to remove the manure from the floor 99

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to rinse off.

The outer ring openings 118 are directed outward so that their jet impinges on the vertical wall segment 98 and distributes the flushing liquid so that it flows evenly over the surface of the floor 99 to ensure that all manure is flushed away. The. Rinsing liquid thus flows radially inward and is passed through a number of radially spaced channels 120 via the air supply opening 106, in order to ensure that the rinsing liquid and the manure do not flow into the air line, wall parts or curbs 122 arranged at a distance are provided (Fig _o 8) on the outer circumference of the channel 106 with the distance between adjacent curb stones 122 which coincide with a channel 122. Thus, the flushing liquid and the manure will be directed to the space between the curbs 122 and 106 pass through the air duct in the channels 12O ₀

Along the radially inner circumference of the air duct 106 are a number of spaced upright wall sections or curbs 124 are provided to form a return so that the jet of rinsing liquid from the nac .. outwardly directed openings 106 impinges here and the beam the liquid from the openings 116 is evenly distributed, and in order to carry out a uniform flushing of the inner part of the surface of the foundation floor 99. In this way

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the outer and inner segments of the foundation floor are effectively flushed, and the collected manure goes into the pit 100 collected. The collected manure is pumped from the pit 100 by the pump 126 to the secondary dome 21 for further treatment, as discussed below. With reference to FIGS. 6-11, details of the construction of the modular Stable boxes 44 explained, Fig. 6 shows a plan view in a somewhat enlarged manner of a pie-shaped wedge 45 in the first floor 32 of the structure 24. As can be seen from this, the vertical supports 82, 84 and 86 run vertically through the bottom of the boxes. In the floor 32, the floor is raised and supported above the inclined foundation floor 99. With particular reference to Figures 10 and 11, which are typical of the construction of the modular boxes 44, it can be seen that the radial double-T-beams 88 and 90 run above the level of the box floor and thus one Define part of the side walls of each box. To "increase the height of the side walls separating adjacent boxes is a Partition 128, advantageously in the form of curved reinforced rods, mounted on the upper flange of the double T-beam. In this way a sufficient height is obtained to prevent the animals from moving from one box to the other can"

A number of spaced-apart flange plates 130 are suitably connected to the underside of the lower flange

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the double T-beams 88 and 90 are firmly connected. The individual cross beam segments 92, which are preferably T-beams, have a connecting plate 132 at each end which is attached, e.g., by welding, and the connecting plates 132 are firmly connected to the depending flange plates by suitable bolts 134 and nuts 136, and the surface 138 of the flange 140 of the radial, spaced-apart T-shaped Querstütζsegmente 92 generate a support surface of the box floor

The box floor is a lattice-shaped floor 147 made of an open meshwork and is advantageously a layer of expanded metal ", For each modular box 44, the base 147 can be made from a number of layers of expanded metal, which is cut to match the special diamond shape of the box in which it is to be mounted. So lets the floor 147 allows light and circulating air to flow through freely, but the grid is only so wide that the Animals can comfortably appear in boxes. In addition, the grid floor allows the animal manure to fall through the floor and accumulates on the foundation floor 99 as described above. Suitable radial stiffening struts 143, consisting from short steel segments or metal strip layers, can with the underside of the bottom 147 between the radial spaced Cross beams 92 are attached.

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At this point it may be correct from the description of the
Construction as such digress and express itself
bring that pigs in particular have certain properties that make the use of the construction according to the application particularly favorable. Contrary to popular belief, pigs are generally relatively clean and intelligent animals and their reputation for being dirty animals is because they are themselves
constantly rolling in the dirt is not decisive for their true properties. Pigs roll around in the dirt because they don't have sweat glands and want to moisten their skin to bring them to evaporative cooling. Because pigs are clean and intelligent animals, for the most part they have to resist mucking and urinating in the areas where they sleep. So if a pig on one
Place a box asleep it becomes another part of the
Boxes run to urinate or muck there. Accordingly, the invention provides a surface area of the box which is used for the pigs to muck and urinate there, and one
Pleasant area of the box, which is used for sleeping and eating and in which the animals spend most of their time. Thus, the feed supply for the pigs is provided in the area of the boxes that is comfortable for them, and the area for the animal manure is relocated to the innermost areas of the boxes.

The innermost segments of each box are in
Provided spaced, upwardly projecting obstacles 144, which advantageously have a truncated cone-shaped profile.

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These obstacles or hindrances can be made of concrete or other suitable material and are provided with an extension 146, Z ₀ B _0, a bolt which is embedded in the concrete and which is connected to the floor 147 in a suitable manner. These obstacles are spaced on the innermost part of this box 44 so that an animal,. Z ₀ Bb a pig can easily walk through this area, but which has an unpleasant surface in the event that the animal tries to lie down here to sleep or rest. The obstacles thus form a means of rendering the inner part of the box unsuitable for the pigs to rest in this area. Thus, the pigs avoid this area of the box except in the event that they urinate or muck. Once a manure pattern is established, the odor of that pen area will attract the pigs when they feel the need to loosen up, and a strong ingrained odor pattern will cause them to urinate and muck out only in that desired area. As already mentioned, the manure falls through the ground, which is supported by the pig's feet being kicked, so that it collects in the pit 100.

As can best be seen from Fig. 8, the walkways exist 56 and 58 from a base plate 150 or »152, which is supported on the upper flange of the double T-beam 88 so that the Sidewalks above the level of the box floor 147 are raised. Side panels 154 and 156 extend from each side of the sidewalk

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bottom plate 150 up and result in a lock at the outer end of the inner box ring 48 and at the inner end of the outer Pit ring 46 “In the same way is a vertical plate 158 is provided on the outside of the walkway 58 to form a barrier to the inner end of the inner box ring. A suitable locking plate 160 is also on the outer end of the boxes of the outer ring 46 and on the outer ends of the boxes in FIG the floors 40 and 42 are provided. The different blocking plates are used to block the animals in the individual boxes.

Segments of the locking plates 156 and 158 are made tiltable downwards, to allow access to the boxes from sidewalks 56 and 58 and to form a ramp for pigs, the one Entering or exiting a box "Accordingly, the lock 156 of each box has segments 162 that consist of a vertical Position can be pivoted into an inclined position, as shown in dashed lines is shown in Figs. If thus the lock fragment 162 is pivoted into the inclined position, a ramp is formed in order to gain access to the boxes of the outer ring 46 from sidewalk 56 to allow. Likewise, locking segments 164 of lock 158 are provided to allow access to the boxes of the inner ring from walkway 58 around manhole 72 to allow.

It has already been mentioned that the animal dung and the rinsing liquid, collected in the pit 100, to be pumped to a treatment apparatus within the dome 21, where the manure products converted into a protein additive in treatment vessel 174

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that is used in animal feed. This method is specifically described in British application 100,587 dated 12/22/1970, British application 170 974 dated 08/11/1971 and application 203 249 dated 11/30/1971, and on which is referred to here. Referring to the referenced patent and referenced patent applications, a conversion method is used are described in detail, so that no further discussion is required here. For the purposes of the present Suffice it to say for the invention that the animal manure products after being converted into a protein additive with dry fodder For example, grain meal, bean meal or the like, which is supplied from a storage silo 170, is mixed. The dry feed is transported by a suitable screw conveyor 172 to a feed tank 168 where the protein supplement and water are added to make a pulpy feed,

The liquid, pulpy feed is pumped by a pump 169 in the feed tank 168 through a branched distribution system, to feed troughs in every modular box 44. According to Fig. 6,7 and 12, a number of feed troughs 180 are provided for the animals are accessible in the boxes 44 in the outer part of the box away from the area where the obstacles 144 are provided are. Each trough 180 is common to a pair of butting boxes and is radially oriented so that the animals can eat in pairs from the same trough 180 in the neighboring boxes.

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A feed distribution system 182 is provided, which with a central L | communicates .eferquelle, and suitable control valves and a control system are provided to ensure that a certain amount of feed at certain feed intervals is automatically distributed to each feed trough 180 _o The supplied amount of feed and the feed intervals are determined according to the number and size of the pigs in the boxes so that essentially all of the feed fed in is used up before a new feed of feed takes place in the feed troughs.

Since a greater percentage of Schweinel ^e w £ sser required as in the slurry feed is present, it is desirable to provide an independent source of water, for the case that the pigs want to record between the individual feeding schedules water. Thus, each box is provided with a water demand system (FIG. 12) which consists of a water receiving basin 186 which is fed from a water pipe 188 from a central water source. A control valve 190 in the line 188 responds to a pivotable link 192 which is arranged above the basin 186. The pigs quickly learn to poke their noses against the handlebar 192, and the inward movement of the handlebar 192 then opens the control valve 190, through which water flows into the basin 186. Thus, drinking water is made available for each modular box 44.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 9, the ring-shaped Platform 97 near the membrane 22 the warehouse for piglets

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boxes 200 that can be used once sows are ready to farrow. The use of piglet boxes that are inside of the structure 20 are of conventional design, leads to an animal housing system which is adapted to the pigs from their birth adapts to the mast for the butcher. Provision can also be made to cover part of the surface area of the Use platform 47 for breeding.

One of the two fans 102 has blades pitched forward to achieve sufficient air moving performance and around Eliminate the need to provide an airlock at the entrance channel 28. The air is - as already stated over the channels 104 to the air delivery channel 106 and upward distributed in the structure via the air opening 108. The air is distributed through the plate 110 so that it is up through the The inner and outer ring of each floor is circulated and is drained off at the top of the membrane 22 through roof slits 210. The air is filtered before it is introduced into the structure and can be brought into the desired state beforehand if this is necessary so that insects, dust and foreign objects are prevented from entering the structure. The air pressure is high enough so that as soon as the air duct 28 is opened prevents the air from flowing out of the duct, that foreign bodies enter the structure.

To ensure antiseptic conditions within the structure is a "white room" or lock room 212 (Fig. 3) on the

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Outside of the structure 20 is provided. The lock chamber 212 has an access ramp 214 for the operation through which the operation is conducted to an office part 216, -where it or a white coat can attract _o white clothing and clean shoes. The part 216 contains a foot bath 218 for the operator, in which they can wash their shoes before entering the structure, as well as common facilities such as shower, toilet, wash basin and an office 220. The structure is accessed from the lock room 212 through an access 222 behind the foot bath 218. The pig's access to the structure is via the ramp 214 parallel to the lock area.

Another embodiment of the invention is a whole Fully automated and controlled animal semi-system provided. Thus, with the automatic manure removal and manure treatment, the conversion of the manure into additional feed and the automatic distribution of the feed the individual animal feed troughs are provided with a fully controlled and purification systems for the air within the enclosure 22 are also provided. Accordingly, we d the air supply the building structure, which is under slight overpressure to support the flexible dome 22, carefully checked, to provide the pigs inside with the optimal environment in all seasons.

It may be desirable to have an ultraviolet air purification system to provide to the air when entering the structure

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clean, -more an optionally operable dehumidifier for Removing moisture from the air when such a condition is desired, e.g. in cold weather, allowing air through flows through the dehumidifier and tries to raise the temperature of the air as it flows through, since the heat of evaporation of the water, which is removed from the air, to which air is added. It may also be desirable to provide means for the air to cool or heat within the channels 104 if the structure is being built in areas that have extreme temperature conditions own.

To assist the air pressure system for the flexible dome 22 and to prevent the dome from fully collapsing in the event that it is cracked and the pressure to support the dome cannot be maintained Straps or straps 230 are provided connecting the upper ends of the vertical supports 82 and 84 (Fig. 1). The vertical Supports 82 are chosen to be slightly longer than the vertical supports 84, so that the straps 230 connecting them are at an angle are inclined, which is approximately the inner contour of the dome 22 approximated. Thus, if the flexible dome 22 is made of any Should they collapse, the straps will provide sufficient internal support to prevent the dome cover from falling completely coincides.

To control the air and humidity of the air in the envelope 22 temperature and humidity responsive sensors can be placed in numerous important locations in the envelope.

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This sensor _{s v} § ind, (not shown) with a central controller connected to various control devices. It will be understood that the heaters and / or the air conditioning units can be made responsive to the sensed temperature of the air within the envelope. However, depending on the severity of the weather conditions to which the assembly 20 can erriGhtet _u, a sufficient control can be achieved without d§ €% H | be required .lfskonditionierei "nheiten.

The construction described here has a capacity of about 5,000 pigs, and since the normal body temperature of the If pigs are above about 38 ° C, the animals themselves generate considerable heat. The warmth generated by the animals with the heating effect created by auxiliary heaters, e.g. propane heaters, or by dife dehumidifying the air can be sufficient Provide heat to raise the internal temperature of the structure to an acceptable level in winter.

The first cooling effect in the construction is due to the heat loss which is guaranteed by the expanded metal base is, which dissipates the heat of the carcasses and by the flow of the tentilation air through the floors, the one Generates convection effect to remove heat and moisture. In addition, the pulpy feed keeps water ready for the animals in order to give the animals a water balance, what that Maintaining the animal cooling supports.

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In order to additionally cool the animals in summer and to drive to clean the animals and boxes, an internal sprinkler system is provided, which is also used as a fire sprinkler system is working. For this purpose, a water supply network is provided, consisting of water pipes, which rise vertically from a pressurized water connection to each floor level and those in the boxes of the inner one Ring 48 and the outer ring 46 are directed. If so the nozzles are opened by responding to a temperature and / or humidity sensor, or because of high heat as a result of a fire, a jet of water is emitted, which has a cooling effect and which also affects the animals and the boxes cleans. In addition, the jet can be periodically induced to wash the animals and the boxes, around the boxes to clean and ensure that all manure is flushed down to the foundation floor 99.

Additional cooling is provided by providing a series of water jet lines 232 (Fig. 1) outside the dome structure 22 reached. The lines 232 are laid radially outward from the top of the dome 22 and are able to be very fine To send out spray or mist in order to moisten the outside of the flexible part 22. Because the beam is a fine one If there is fog, the water evaporates very quickly and causes one Cooling effect directly on the outer surface of the membrane 22, and this cooling of the outer surface of the part 22 also creates one Cooling effect for the air inside the envelope. This cooling under-

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also supports the cooling of the animals, since the cooling surface of the membrane 22 removes the body heat of the animals within the structure » Because of the hemispherical profile of the dome the cooler air flows downwards near the outer skin of the Membrane to also cool the lower part of the dome 22 and to create slightly cooler air at the inlet of the fan 102.

With regard to the ventilation system, it can be seen that the first floor forms a calming space defined by the baffle 110, the floor of the floor 32 and the floor 99p A steady pressure is exerted for calming, and then the air rises evenly through the open latticework to all floors and out of the vents in the upper part of the dome. In this way an even flow of ventilation air is achieved through each floor of the structure.

Reference is now made to Figure 13 which is a modified one Shows execution of a construction which has only a single box ring 43. The reference characters for items that are similar to the elements described above, namely to those of FIG. 1 are provided with a prime. This execution can be chosen if a smaller animal capacity is desired, so that a single pigs can accommodate 2,000 pigs Box ring can be provided in four floors. If specific features of the construction are described above, so it is understandable that modified constructions within the

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Solution concept of the invention can be used. Referred to for some such Teränderungen are an alternative construction of the walkways 56 and 58 of the boxes 44 are disposed at the same height as the floor _e In such a construction the locking segments can be designed so that they can be pivoted as a gateway to the inside or the Segments can be removed to allow entry and exit from the boxes.

Likewise, additional sub-domes or bladders can be provided to accommodate piglet boxes or breeding boxes instead to arrange them around the structure. It may also be desirable to have an additional sub-dome or bladder that Could be used for slaughtering animals to provide a complete animal system for care, feeding, or holding To accommodate slaughter in a structure.

It may also be desirable in certain constructions to have a To use rectangular profiled structure, so that the multi-storey structure is rectangular in plan rather than circular as previously described.

From the above it follows that the invention provides a fully automatic, climatically controlled animal holding and feeding system with an accommodation capacity large numbers of animals within a certain range, and thus a considerable increase in productivity with an increase in the

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- ²⁹ - '23U0839

To achieve animal populations for human consumption. The immediate handicrafts are kept to a minimum as the invention for good maintenance up to 5,000 animals in a delimited area. The animal feed is handled and delivered automatically, being in In the form of a liquid pulp, which not only contains all the necessary nutrients, but also a significant portion of Contains water that is necessary for the animals. In addition, a fully automatic manure removal system is provided in connection with a manure treatment system to convert the animal manure into a high protein feed additive, the demSdrd; from a cereal or bean pulp is added. This leads to a further cost reduction of the feed costs as well as to a sanitary system for the removal of the animal manure.

The execution ensures a pleasant area and area for the manure in each box, by providing means to stimulate the animals in the comfortable area to stay, except when they have to crap. Once a manure pattern is made, the smell of the Manure from the manure area increases and encourages the animals to manure only in the desired areas. The pulpy one Forage supplies a significant part of the animal's water needs and the available and additional drinking water creates one Compensation for different biological requirements of the animals and avoids the need for an increased water content to be provided in the pulpy feed system if the temperature

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309829/0464

changes result in a high water requirement for the animals *

A central elevator system is a simple means of conveying the animals from one floor to the next and provides the Access to the boxes on each floor and also grants a quick overview of all boxes for easy observation and to enable care of the animals within the structure, in practice one would put the younger animals in first Boxes upstairs would accommodate them, and once they grew in size they would be systematically put into boxes one direct lower floor »As soon as the animals have moved to a lower floor long, they should first be placed in boxes of the outer ring 46 as these are smaller in size than the boxes of the inner ring 48, and if they are wider in size have grown, it will be driven into the boxes of the inner ring 48 where it will remain until it reaches its market weight to have. The boxes of the inner ring 48 are also best accessible for the elevator and / or for the central walkway 48 and thus the large, massive animals that are ripe for the market do not need to travel any great distances, to be able to be removed quickly. In addition, a trolley can be provided in the sidewalk 46 for the first floor in order to move the To facilitate movement of a large bulky animal to and from the central elevator.

309829/0464

Claims (15)

300839). 1973 Dr.W./Al. Applicant: INTERNATIONAL FARM SYSTEMS INC., 415 West 120 Street, New York, N.Y., USA claims 1. System for keeping and feeding animals in a limited Surrounding area, characterized by a multi-storey shelter for animals, Each floor of the building has a number of modular boxes that shut off animals and are circular are arranged around a central area and adjacent to one another, The modular boxes have a floor made of a perforated mesh over the entire surface ^ each box and the grid meshes are small enough for an animal to comfortably walk on, while on the other hand they allow the free passage of light and circulating air, each box further comprising means to recover the imprisoned Encourage animals to use a certain area of the box primarily for excretion of the animal To use manure, the animal manure through the mesh of the soil on a continuous foundation floor falls below the first floor of the building, and 309829/0464 means being provided for removing the animal manure from the foundation floor and collecting the manure. 2. Construction according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for stimulating the animals, a certain area for The use of animal manure excretion consists of a number of spaced obstacles that rise from the surface of the ground in this specified area protrude and thereby achieve a surface that precludes the animals from this particular area in a resting position use, which causes the animals to develop a tendency to use this particular area primarily for the excretion of manure to use. 3. Construction according to claim 2, characterized in that the foundation floor evenly radially inwards to a centrally located manure collection pit below the level of the foundation floor is inclined, the means for removing the manure that has accumulated on the foundation floor being circular from a number arranged spray nozzles that communicate with a pressure source of a circulating spray liquid, to direct spray against the surface of the foundation floor, causing this spray to reduce the accumulated Carries manure on the inclined surface of the foundation floor to the sump. 4. Construction according to claim 3, characterized in that the Spray nozzles direct a spray jet radially outwards, whereby 309829 / 0AS4 the foundation floor has wall segments that extend from extend upward of the bottom surface and radially outward of the spray nozzles, so that the spray nozzles are inäer position to direct the spray liquid so that they hit them Wall segments hits and is thereby evenly distributed over the surface of the inclined foundation floor and thus effectively flushes the entire area of the foundation floor. 5. System for holding and feeding animals in a limited environment, characterized by a multi-storey accommodation building for animals, Each floor of the building consists of a number of modular boxes that shut off the animals are circular and adjacently arranged around a central area, means are provided in this central area which provide access to the immediately adjacent Allow modular boxes, with the modular boxes having a floor from a openwork mesh over the entire surface each box and the mesh size is small enough that the ground can be easily walked on by an animal while allowing the free passage of light and ventilation air at all times, wherein the structure comprises a number of spaced upright supports on a plurality of concentric. tric rings are arranged around the central area, - 4 - 309829/0464 -M - each tier having horizontal support members radially in line with two upright supports directed radially outward to form the main support members for each floor, and the bottom of each box being supported by the lower surface of said horizontal support members and these radially extending support members serve to support opposite side walls of the boxes define. 6. Construction according to claim 5, characterized in that the means that ensure access to the modular boxes, consist of an annular walkway around the central area, which walkway is raised to above the ground and is supported by the horizontal support members with the walkway with upright barriers on a circumference which define an end wall of each box. 7. Construction according to claim 6, characterized in that the locks have a segment which is adjacent to each Box from a first vertical position in which access from the sidewalk to the box is blocked, into a second one downwardly inclined position is pivotable to form a ramp to the box in question, whereby the animals in the Box can be driven and driven out of the box. 309829/0484 -J5 - 8. Construction according to claim 7, characterized in that a number of the lower floors of the multi-storey building have an inner one Ring and an outer ring each made of modular shut-off boxes which have a radial distance from each other, and that each of the lower floors is circular Has access walkway between the inner ring and the outer ring of the boxes to provide access to the outer ring of the Allow boxes with the access walkway raised above the ground and through the horizontal support members and wherein opposing upright barriers are provided adjacent each side of the walkway, wherein the radially inner locks an end wall for each box of the inner ring and the radially outer locks of the sidewalk form an end wall for the boxes of the outer ring. 9. Construction according to claim 5, characterized by a flexible dome-shaped membrane for completely enclosing the multi-storey building, the dome design being suitable to be supported by compressed air, and this dome actuating means are assigned through which compressed air is fed into the membrane, which sufficient to support the dome-shaped membrane. 10. Construction according to claim 9, characterized in that the means for generating compressed air from an air supply duct consist of at least one outlet outside the membrane - 6 309829/0464 -J 6 - Has blower to suck air into the duct, the delivery duct having an annular air distribution duct communicates, which is provided below the first floor of the multi-storey building, with air outlet openings of the air distribution duct allow the air to flow out of the manifold into the multi-story structure by the membrane is enclosed, and that at least one air outlet is provided in the membrane at a point above the top floor is, allowing the ventilation air to circulate upwards through the mesh grids of the bottoms of all boxes in all Floors is generated. 11. Construction according to claim 9, characterized by means based on temperature and humidity sensors within the membrane respond to cool the air circulating in the membrane, these means consisting of several water supply lines one Pressurized water source, which are arranged in the structure and have a number of spray nozzles, which are able to to open to send a jet of water into each box, by responding to the temperature and humidity sensors to thereby control the air circulating within the membrane to cool as well as to clean the burrow and the caged animals. 12. Construction according to claim 9, characterized in that the dome-shaped membrane after construction and support by internal air pressure takes a hemispherical shape that a number - 7 - 309829/0464 radial water supply lines, which are operably connected to a source of pressurized water, on the outer surface are attached to the membrane and are able to emit a fine jet of mist depending on the temperature conditions, which are scanned in the membrane, whereby this fine mist evaporates quickly and thus has a cooling effect on the air immediately adjacent to the outside of the membrane and also causes a cooling effect that the air circulating in the membrane cools, this cooling effect also a flow of cold air downwards from the upper part the membrane yields to the ground along the outer surface of the membrane. 13. System for keeping and feeding animals in a limited environment, characterized by a multi-storey accommodation building for animals, Each floor consists of several modular boxes that shut off animals and are circular are arranged side by side around a central area, wherein means are arranged in the central area to provide direct access to the modular boxes adjacent to the central area, and wherein means are provided to feed to the in the To feed boxes to locked animals, which consist of a number of radially oriented feed troughs, the - 8 309829/0464 -18 - with a source of a pressurized pulp Communicate feed via a distribution network of feed supply lines leading from each trough to the Feed source run, with the troughs in the ' Are able to be filled with a certain volume of feed at certain intervals. 14. Construction according to claim 13, characterized in that the radially aligned feed troughs arranged laterally in each box so that each feed trough is accessible from a pair of adjacent boxes, with each individual feed trough along a common barrier wall of two adjacent boxes runs. 15. Construction according to claim 14, characterized by means in each box are accessible and consist of basins fed with drinking water from a source. 30982 9/0464 S3 Blank page