GB2313033A

GB2313033A - Animal handling pen

Info

Publication number: GB2313033A
Application number: GB9709283A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Webber
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-05-14
Filing date: 1997-05-07
Publication date: 1997-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 2017-05-07
Also published as: GB9709283D0; GB9610027D0; GB2313033B

Abstract

An animal handling pen comprises a cage 4 rotatable about a horizontal axis extending through its interior. The cage comprises holding means 36,38,80,98 to engage the animal, so that its movements are restrained when the cage is rotated. The holding means can comprise displaceable side and top barriers 36,38,80 and also lower holding means 98 to be inserted under the body of an animal in the cage.

Description

ANIMAL HANDLING PENS OR CRATES This invention relates to animal handling pens or crates. It is particularly concerned with such pens or crates which allow the animal to be tipped from a normal upright position to a tilted or even inverted position.

According to the invention there is provided an animal handling pen or crate comprising a cage displaceably mounted on a support base and having at least one movable barrier for admitting and retaining an animal within the cage, said cage being so supported on the base as to permit rotation of the cage about a generally horizontal axis extending through its interior, the cage having holding means which are displaceable -for engagement with the body of an animal in the cage to restrain its movement-s within the cage.

In a preferred arrangement said holding means may comprise at least one displaceable side barrier. In one form of the invention, the cage comprises opposite side barriers at least one of which is displaceable towards the other to hold an animal that has entered a cage, preferably about a pivot axis in the lower region of the barrier. The cage may also comprise an upper barrier that is downwardly displaceable to engage the back of an animal that has entered the cage.

Preferably the cage comprises lower support means which can be placed under the body of the animal when it has entered the cage, to provide support in particular as it is lifted off its feet. Such lower support means may be mounted on said at least one displaceable side barrier, but can also take the form of respective members projecting towards each other from said opposite side barriers.

Conveniently, the cage is mounted on the support base through arcuate guide means for said rotation of the cage. For example, arcuate end tracks may be located at or near opposite ends of the cage engaging rollers for the rotational movement. In one form of the invention the tracks comprise circular rings on opposite ends of the cage, which rests on rollers mounted on a fixed support base, the rollers engaging arcuate tracks provided by said rings.

These mounting arrangements allow the rotational -axis to be located close to the centre of gravity of the combined weight of the cage and the animal it contains. In that way the effort required to handle the animal can be significantly reduced. As a practical measure to this end it may be arranged that the rotational axis of the cage lies in the central region of a cross-sectional area of the cage intended to be occupied by the body of the animal.

It is convenient to provide doors at opposite ends of the cage to provide removable barriers for the entry and exit of the animal. The mounting of the cage through arcuate guides allows there to be clear space beyond these doors.

By way of example, the accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of the invention in the form of a sheep turnover crate which can be used to hold a sheep inverted to assist trimming its feet. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side view of the turnover crate, with a larger scale illustration of one of the roller mountings, Fig. 2 is an end view of the crate with its end door closed, Fig. 3 is a sectional view in the direction A-A in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the top frame of the cage and its adjustable mounting on a side frame.

As the figures show, the pen or crate comprises a stand 2 on which a cage 4 is displaceably mounted. The stand has a base plate -6 at opposite ends of which are corner posts 8 having brackets 8a for coupling to other structures such as demountable fences (not shown), to form a passage leading animals to and from the crate. At each end of the crate, near the posts 8, pairs of nylon rollers 10 are mounted on the base plate 6. The cage 4 comprises opposite end frames 12 which have circular outer rings 14 resting on the pairs of rollers 10 to support the cage rotatably, clear of the base plate. The cage is also located longitudinally on the stand by flanges 10a on the roller mountings 10a and counter rollers lOb lie over the rings 14 to allow the crate to be lifted as a unit by slings or the like on the cage 4.

The end frames 12 of the cage are joined by pairs of upper and lower longitudinal members 16,18. In the middle of their length the upper longitudinal members 16 are connected together by a cross member 20.

A pair of opposite side members 22,24 stiffen each end frame 12 and form, with a bottom portion of the end ring 14, an opening 30 which can be closed by a door 32 hinged to the member 22. Each door can be held closed by a bolt 26 spring-loaded to an extended position engaging a keeper 28 on the opposite member 24. A hand lever 34 pivoted on the gate allows the bolt to be withdrawn when the gate is to be opened.

The cage 4 includes a pair of opposite side frames 36,38, panelled in their lower regions and attached at their bottom edges to pivots 40,42 respectively on the end frames 12. The side frames 36,38 are urged away from each other by biasing springs 44,46 attached between the respective side frames and the end frames 12. Fig. 3 shows the side frames 36,38 drawn together against the bias of the springs 44,46, but in the rest position the side frames are held against the lower longitudinal members 18 of the cage to leave a maximum width opening between them.

A lateral support member 52 projecting from the top-of the side frame 36 supports a ratchet bar 54 extending between the frame and the member 52. The teeth of the bar 54 are engageable by a locking bolt 56 mounted on a lever 58 pivoted to the cross bar 20 of the cage. A biasing spring 60 on the bolt is compressed by a lug 62 on the cage to urge the bolt into engagement with the bar 58.

The lever 58 extends across the cage to a handle 64, over the side frame 38, which can be depressed to release the bolt 56, against the bias of the spring 60.

The side frame 38 has a ratchet bar 66 projecting transversely from its upper end. The teeth of the bar are engageable by a locking bolt 68 mounted slidably on an auxiliary frame member 70 of the cage and urged by spring 72 into engagement with the bar 68. A handle 74 projecting above the side frame 38 allows the bolt to be withdrawn, against -the spring bias. It will be noted that both handles 64,74 are located to the same side of the cage, making it easier to operate them from one side of the pen.

A top frame 80 is attached by pivots 82 to the side frame 36 to extend towards the other side frame 38.

The top frame 80 is urged upwards about its pivot connection by biasing springs 84 between it and its side frame 36.

A further ratchet bar 86 is pivoted on the top frame 80 and is drawn by a spring 88 against a projection 90 on the lateral support member 52 fixed to the top of the side frame 36. The projection 90 serves as a pawl preventing upward movement of the top frame 80. A handle 92 projects from the top of the ratchet bar 86 to allow the bar to be released from the projection 90 in order to swing the frame 80 up. A telescopic extension piece 94 projects laterally from the top frame to protect the head of a larger animal. The top frame 80, the handle 92 and the extension piece 94 are of course accessible from the same side of the cage as the handles 64,74 to facilitate adjustment of the hinged walls of the cage from one side of the pen or crate.

The cage held can be held against rotation by a foot-operated catch 96 which locks the cage against rotation. Preferably stops (not shown) are provided to allow the catch to locate the cage in predetermined positions, eg. in the upright position for loading and unloading the crate, and an inverted position in which the cage is slightly tilted to hold the animal more comfortably.

In use, with the side and top frames 36,38 swung apart in their retracted rest positions, one of the end doors 32 can be unlatched and opened to admit a sheep.

When the door is closed again the animal is confined within the length of the cage. The space between the retracted side frames 36,38 allows free entry of the animal, but once it is enclosed in the cage the two side frames are swung inwards against their spring bias until they hold the animal lightly between them. The locking bolts 56,72 can side over their ratchet teeth in this movement but prevent return movement so that each side frame is automatically secured in its adjusted position. In a similar manner the top frame 80 is pivoted downwards onto the animal's back, and locked in place by engagement between the ratchet bar 86 and the projection 90.

Lateral extensions 98 project towards each other from the lower regions of the side frames 36,38. The extensions 98 may be adjustably attached to the side frames 36,38 to cater for different sizes of animal. While the side frames are spread apart in their rest positions, there is ample space between the lateral extensions 98 to allow the animal to enter the cage unimpeded. When the side frames are swung inwards, however, the extensions 98 move under the belly of the animal. The body of the animal is thus restrained by the cage at the top, bottom and both sides when the frames 36,38,80 have been adjusted.

The foot-operated catch 96 is now released and the cage can be rotated on the rollers 10 to an inverted position in which the weight of the animal is taken by the top frame 80 and one or both of the side frames 36,38.

With the cage locked in this inverted position by the catch, any required veterinary procedures, such as trimming, can be safely carried out.

It will be appreciated that when the animal is held by the side frames 36,38, top frame 80 and lower extension 98, its centre of gravity, and indeed the combined centre of gravity of the animal and the cage, will lie close to the axis of rotation defined by the end rings 14. The tipping movements to invert the cage and to turn it upright again can therefore be easily performed because they involve little or no lifting effort.

When the cage has been returned to the upright position again, the ratchet bar 86 is drawn back to allow the top frame 80 to be raised, and the side frames 36,38 are similarly swung apart by drawing back the bolts 56,72 engaging their ratchet bars 54,66. The exit end gate 32 can now be opened to allow the animal to walk out of the crate.

Claims

1. An animal handling pen or crate comprising a cage displaceably mounted on a support base and having at least one movable barrier for admitting and retaining an animal within the cage, said cage being so supported on the base as to permit rotation of the cage about a generally horizontal axis extending through its interior, the cage having holding means which are displaceable for engagement with the body of an animal in the cage to restrain its movements within the cage.

2. An animal handling pen or crate wherein said holding means comprises at least one displaceable side barrier.

3. An animal handling pen or crate according to claim 2 wherein the cage has opposite side barriers which are displaceable towards and away from each other.

4. An animal handling pen or crate according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the or each side barrier is pivotable about an axis in its lower region.

5. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the holding means comprises an upper barrier that is downwardly displaceable to engage the back of the animal.

6. An animal handling pen or crate according to claim 5 wherein the upper barrier is mounted on said displaceable side barrier or at least one said displaceable side barrier.

7. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of claims 2 to 6 wherein the barrier or at least one of said barriers is provided with ratchet means to retain it in its position engaging the animal.

8. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the barrier or at least one of the barriers is resiliently biased away from the body of the animal.

9. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the holding means comprises displaceable lower support means arranged to be positioned under the body of the animal.

10. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of claims 2 to 4 and 7, together with claim 9 wherein the lower support means are mounted on said displaceable side barrier or at least one said side barrier.

11. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the cage is mounted on the support base through arcuate guide means for said rotation of the cage.

12. An animal handling pen or crate according to claim 11 wherein the arcuate means comprise arcuate tracks located at or near opposite ends of the cage and rollers on the support base engaging said tracks.

13. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a foot-operated stop to retain the cage in a desired position of rotation.

14. An animal handling pen or crate according to any one of the preceding claims constructed and arranged for use and operation substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.