Patent GB-949788-A (GB)
Title: Poultry housing
IPC: A01K31/17
Filed: 1960-07-21
Abstract: 949,788. Poultry houses; feeding and drinking appliances. CYCLO MANUFACTURING CO. July 21, 1960 [Aug. 3, 1959; May 5, 1960], No. 25500/60. Heading A1M. [Also in Division F4] Poultry housing comprises concentric circular rows of tiers of cages all supported so as to be rotatable about their common axis, either individually or as a single unit. Of the rows of cages 18, 19 and 20, those 20 each comprise tiers of back-to-back cages, whilst the rows 18, 19 comprise tiers of single cages. The rows of cages are arranged in a building comprising an outer wall 10, a central tower 11 and a sloping roof 12 from which the tower projects the rows being supported on uprights 15 which are mounted at their lower ends on circular tracks and at their upper ends are connected to radially extending beams 24 supported from the tower by means of cables 13 attached to a ring 13<SP>1</SP> which is rotatable relative to the tower. The inner ends of the beams 24 are connected to a gear wheel 25 which meshes with a further gear wheel 28 rotatable about the axis of the tower of a motor 29, whilst the outer ends of the beams 24 move on a circular track 27 connected to the roof 12 of the structure. In one arrangement, there is a gap left in each row of cages, and said gaps, when aligned, define a service space 30, on the circular floor 32 of which are mounted tracks for a service unit 35. Said service unit comprises means for providing the cages with food and water, for cleaning the droppings pans, and for collecting eggs, and is aligned with each aisle 21 in turn so that as the cages are rotated each cage eventually passes by the unit. The unit comprises a vertically adjustable operator's chair 39, food pipes 46 with delivery spouts 47, and water pipes 49 having delivery spouts 50, the pipes 46 and 49 being supplied via pipes 48 and 51 respectively. The unit further comprises brushes 55 having hollow bristles in communication with water pipes 56, the brushes serving to sweep droppings from the trays 17 of the cages on to gutters 58 mounted on the service unit, said gutters discharging the waste material through drains from whence it is carried off by means of the floor 32 of the service area. The unit is also fitted with trays for collecting eggs laid in the battery, and with conveyers for carrying the collected eggs to a receiver. In another arrangement, there are no gaps in the rows of cages, which then rotate past stationary units mounted in each aisle 21 for supplying the birds with food and water and for removing droppings from the cages, whilst a mobile unit moves along a sunken, radial passageway beneath the cages to collect the eggs from the latter as they pass over the unit. In order to ventilate the housing and control the temperature therein, the walls are formed with louvres 102 (not shown) and air-conditioning apparatus is built into the tower 11. The tower is formed with air intakes 91 above the level of the roof 12 of the building, with intakes 100 from the housing, and has built into it four fans 92 arranged to force air outwardly from the tower into the building, baffles 94 and 95 above and below the fans, and refrigeration units 101 adjacent the intakes 100. Thus by either manually or automatically controlling the baffles 94, 95 in accordance with the conditions prevailing both inside and outside the house either fresh air is drawn into the housing from outside, or the air within the housing is cooled and recirculated.