Animal husbandry – Bird nest or nest appliance – Egg trap
Patent
1994-06-21
1996-10-08
Mancene, Gene
Animal husbandry
Bird nest or nest appliance
Egg trap
119338, 119440, 119337, A01K 3116
Patent
active
055620671
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an egg harvester.
Egg production is still fairly labour intensive, especially on farms where the eggs are fertilized by allowing the hens to run-with the roosters in the laying sheds.
The eggs must be collected and stored shortly after laying and so must be collected, eg. 2-3 times daily.
Mechanical egg collection systems have been disclosed, inter alia, in AU-B-24004/84 (564393) (KIBBUTZ GIVAT CHAIM ICHUD) and WO 89/03637=AU-A-11547/88 (LANDMECO A/S) but these have not proved commercially acceptable in Australia.
In AU-B-24004/84, hen laying-stations are provided with a floor having a discharge opening at one end. A drawer bar is movable over the floor to push the eggs to the discharge opening through which the eggs fall gravitationally.
With this arrangement, it is not possible to provide litter (eg. wood shavings or sawdust) on the floor and the hens are disturbed on each pass of the drawer bar.
In WO 89/03637, the laying stations have a two-part nest bottom inclined towards each other and towards the centre of the nest to create a slit through which the eggs may roll onto a conveyor. With this arrangement, it is also not possible to provide litter in the nests.
Experience has shown that without the provision of litter, up to 40% of the hens may refuse to use the laying-stations but lay their eggs in the dirt and manure on the shed floor. The hot eggs are liable to bacterial contamination and shell staining and must be manually collected from the floor. They are also liable to be broken if stepped on by the workers as they move about the shed collecting the eggs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an egg harvester where the eggs are collected with minimal disturbance to the hens.
It is a preferred object to provide an egg harvester which enables litter to be provided in the laying-stations.
It is a preferred object to provide a harvester where spoilt litter can be replaced with cleaned and/or fresh litter.
It is a still further preferred object to provide a harvester which reduces the labour content of the operation of a laying shed.
It is a still further preferred object to provide improved nesting boxes for the harvester.
Other preferred objects will become apparent from the following description.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to an egg harvester for collecting the eggs of laying hens or the like, including:
an enclosure defining a plurality of hen laying-stations along the length of the enclosure;
a flexible belt or band extending along the length of the enclosure forming a floor for the laying stations;
a shuttle or carriage movable along a path below the belt or band; and
roller, drum, disc or bar means on the shuttle or carriage about which the belt or band passes to define at least one slot in the floor which advances under hens in the laying-stations as the shuttle or carriage is advanced, any litter and/or eggs on the belt or band falling through the or one slot for collection.
Preferably, an intermediate floor section, comprising a belt or band on driven rollers or discs, or a drum, is provided to define two slots in the floor with the belt or band, the eggs and litter falling through the first slot upstream of the intermediate floor section and the fresh litter being supplied to the floor at the second slot downstream of the intermediate conveyor.
Preferably, the rollers or discs are mounted or journalled on movable axles so that the orientation of the intermediate floor section, and the adjacent end sections of the floor, can be changed when the direction of travel of the shuttle or carriage is reversed.
Preferably, mechanical egg separator means separate the eggs from the litter falling through the first slot, conveyor means and transfer means transferring the eggs to an egg conveyor, preferably below the belt or band, the egg conveyor being selectively operable to convey the eggs to one end of the harvester.
Preferably, mechanical or vacuum separator means, separate soiled litte
REFERENCES:
patent: 3124102 (1964-03-01), Kurtz et al.
patent: 3167052 (1965-01-01), Kuhlmann
patent: 3183889 (1965-05-01), Peterson et al.
patent: 3976032 (1976-08-01), Ramser et al.
patent: 5107794 (1992-04-01), Bounds, Jr.
Eilberg William H.
Mancene Gene
Price Thomas
Smith Christine Anne
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