Animal husbandry – Bird nest or nest appliance – Egg and fowl trap
Patent
1998-02-19
1999-09-14
Carone, Michael J.
Animal husbandry
Bird nest or nest appliance
Egg and fowl trap
119337, A01K 3117, A01K 4500
Patent
active
059505648
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hen nesting apparatus, and also to a method for utilizing such apparatus for broody (nesting) control and other controls of hens according to criteria applicable to individual hens. The invention is particularly (but not exclusively) useful with respect to turkey hens and is therefore described below in connection with this application.
Nesting apparatus is known, e,g., as described in Israel Patent 52211 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,911), for turkey hens which include a line of nesting cages and an ejector assembly in each cage actuatable to eject a hen from the cage. In these known constructions, the ejector assemblies of all the cages are actuated at the same times according to fixed intervals (e.g., at 45-minute intervals). Such constructions therefore do not maximize the use of the nesting cages. Moreover, the current methods of broody control generally deal with the flocks as a whole, and therefore do not maximize the egg output of the individual hens within a flock.
OBJECTS AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide nesting apparatus having advantages in the above respects.
Another object of the invention is to provide nesting apparatus, and also a method of utilizing such apparatus, for controlling the brooding of a flock of hens in order to maximize their egg output.
According to a one aspect of the present invention, there is provided nesting apparatus for hens, comprising: a line of nesting cages; and an ejector system including an ejector member in each cage actuatable to eject a hen therefrom; the ejector member in each cage including an individual actuator enabling the ejector member to be individually actuated independently of the ejector members in the other cages to eject a hen from the respective cage.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided nesting apparatus for hens, comprising: a transponder attachable to each hen effective, upon being interrogated by an antenna, to transmit a signal identifying the respective hen; a line of nesting cages; a carriage movable along a path traversing the line of cages; a carriage drive for driving the carriage; an encoder for continuously indicating the instantaneous position of the carriage with respect to the cages traversed by the carriage; an antenna carried by the carriage for interrogating the transponders carried by the hens in the cages as the cages are traversed by the carriage; and a receiver for receiving the signals from the transponder and for thereby identifying the hens in the cages as traversed by the carriage.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a flock of hens, comprising: providing the flock of hens with a line of nesting cages each including an ejector member actuatable to eject a hen therefrom; sensing the occurrence of a specified condition with respect to individual hens; and controlling the ejector assembly of a nesting cage occupied by a hen in response to sensing the occurrence of the specified condition with respect to the respective hen. There may be one or more specified conditions, including the laying of an egg by the same hen during a predetermined time period (e.g., 24 hours), the entry of the hen a predetermined number of times in a cage within a predetermined time period, the time spent by the hen in a cage, the time of day the respective hen entered the cage, and/or the time of day when the hen laid the previous egg.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a flock of hens comprising: attaching to each hen a transponder effective, upon being interrogated, to transmit signals identifying the respective hen; moving an antenna along a line of the nesting cages for interrogating the transponders carried by the hens in the cages; receiving identification signals from the transponders as they are interrogated by the antenna; and determining the instantaneous position of an antenna a
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Abbott Yvonne R.
Carone Michael J.
Friedman Mark M.
M.G.H. Agricultural Cooperative Society Ltd.
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