Abstract:
A method and apparatus for sorting and removing waste from a poultry house is described. The apparatus sorts and deposits waste litter to a central location where it is then cleared using a separate machine.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    When raising turkeys, it is important to keep them in an enclosed area to prevent them from wondering off or being killed by predators. These enclosures are typically referred to as a poultry house and average 50 feet wide and 600 feet long. The poultry house confines the turkeys and provides protection against the elements. 
         [0002]    One concern in caring for turkeys in these poultry houses is the need to regularly remove waste. The floor of a poultry house is often covered with litter which receives and absorbs the turkey waste. As the litter absorbs the waste, the waste tends to stick together, making it easy to separate from the dry litter and remove. One method of removing the waste from the dry litter is by a sifting means. The waste is collected and passed over a grating or slotted surface. The dry litter falls through the grating back to the floor of the poultry house while the solid waste is retained and is then disposed of. This process is known as skimming. 
         [0003]    Prior art machines automate this process by utilizing a slotted conveyor or lift system which deposits the solid waste into a box or crate. The box or crate is connected to the lift and must be emptied once it is full. This requires leaving the poultry house to dump the waste and returning to continue the skimming, a time consuming process. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method for sorting waste from dry litter and eliminating the need to collect and empty waste from a storage container. 
         [0004]    It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method for delivering waste material to a preferred location in the poultry house for removal after the entire house has been skimmed. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention is directed to an improved method and apparatus for removing waste litter from a poultry house. 
         [0006]    According to one embodiment of the present invention, waste litter is sifted and directed to a central location within the poultry house by a conveyor system for later removal by the operator. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of the invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2A  shows a perspective view of the beater. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2B  shows a front view of the sorter. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2C  shows a top view of the lift. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3A  shows the pivot point for the conveyor. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3B  shows an enlarged view of the receiver on the conveyor. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]    The invention generally comprises two parts. First, a sorter  20  having a beater  22  and a lift  30  for separating the litter  70  into waste  74  and dry litter  76 . Second, a conveyor  40  for receiving the waste  74  from the sorter  20  and delivering it to a center aisle  66  in the poultry house  60 . 
         [0014]    The entire apparatus is shown in  FIG. 1 . The litter  70  is passed into the beater  22  of the sorter  20 , the beater  22  breaks up large clumps of litter  70 . The litter  70  is then passed into the lift  30  which allows dry litter  76  to fall through to the floor of the poultry house. The waste  74  is lifted by the lifter  30  and deposited onto the conveyor  40 . The litter is then transported along the belt  44  and deposited to a preferred location in the poultry house. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2A  generally shows the sorter  20 . The sorter  20  comprises a beater  22  for breaking up the clumps of litter and a lift  30  for separating dry litter from waste and delivering the waste to the conveyor  40 . 
         [0016]      FIG. 2B  generally shows the beater  22 . The beater  22  comprises a series of blades  24  disposed about a rotating drum or axis. The blades  24  spin during operation in order to break up large clumps of litter. While rotating blades are preferred, other means for breaking up litter may be used, including oscillating fingers or other devices known in the mechanical arts. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2C  shows the belt  32  of the lift  30 . As shown, the belt  32  comprises a series of panels  34 , the panels  34  hinged together about their long edges  32  so as to form a continuous loop and each has a number of slots  36 . The slots  36  are sized and spaced so that dry litter falls through, but not waste. The belt  32  is attached to a motor which advances the belt  32 , causing the raised edges of the long edge  32  to carry waste as it is sifted. As the unsoiled dry litter falls back to the floor of the poultry house, the waste is carried over the lift  30  and deposited onto the conveyor. 
         [0018]    The conveyor as shown in  FIG. 1  generally comprises a frame  46  holding a belt  44  and a shield  42  (see  FIG. 3A ) about one end of the belt  44 . The shield  42  prevents waste from falling off of the conveyor belt  40  as it is deposited from the lift  30 . The conveyor  40  is also preferably mounted onto a pivot  48 , as shown as  FIG. 3B , the pivot  48  being adapted to adjust the angle of the conveyor  40  to deposit the waste  74  to a preferred location.  FIG. 3B  shows the shield  42  as generally enclosing the sides of one end of the conveyor  40 , however, other arrangements are anticipated as well. The shield  42  is designed so that the conveyor  40  may pivot and the shield remains positioned so as to catch waste  74  from the lift  30 . 
         [0019]    The conveyor  40  is preferably powered by pressurized hydraulic fluid, the pressurized hydraulic fluid supplied by a power takeoff (PTO) pump attached to the drive train of a tractor. The same tractor may be used to pull the sorter-conveyor system. While this is one preferred means of powering the conveyor  40 , other power sources, such as electrical or pneumatic power, may be used as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
         [0020]    As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the PTO  100  pressurizes fluid which is used to drive a first motor  120  for the beater  22 , a second motor  130  for the lift  30  and a third motor  140  for the conveyor  140 . An air cooler  110  is also included to cool the hydraulic fluid. 
         [0021]    The invention also describes a method of using the above-described apparatus for clearing a poultry house of waste. Poultry houses are generally of a length of 600 feet, and a width of 50 feet. While poultry house designs may vary, generally the length dimension is significantly larger than the width dimension. During operation, several passes of the sorter-conveyor system  10  are required in order to completely skim the litter to separate waste from dry litter. 
         [0022]    According to the preferred method, a center aisle is designated in the poultry house. The sorter-conveyor system  10  is attached to a tractor. The conveyor  40  is pivoted about the pivot  48  so that waste exits the conveyor  40  and is deposited in the center aisle. After each pass of the length of poultry house, the conveyor  40  is repositioned so that waste is distributed along the center aisle of the poultry house. After a number of passes have been made so as to completely skim all of the litter of the poultry house, all of the waste is deposited throughout the center aisle of the poultry house. At this point, a front end loader or other moving device is used to remove the litter from the center aisle. 
         [0023]    The above-described invention provides a significant advantage over the prior art. According to prior sifting models, the waste is deposited into a box, and the box emptied after it is filled. This represents significant lost time as well as energy. The above-described method and apparatus significantly improve the efficiency of clearing a poultry house of waste while retaining unsoiled litter within the poultry house. 
         [0024]    The above-described invention is exemplary and other variations of the invention may be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Any limitations of the present invention appear in the claims.