An animal-pen vehicle, a method for moving an animal-pen vehicle on a floor surface with bedding, and the use of an animal-pen vehicle in a poultry pen for poultry animals and/or in a pig pen is disclosed for the purposes of influencing positions at which poultry animals and/or pigs are residing. The animal-pen vehicle includes a substantially emissions-free drive, at least one movement unit which is coupled to the drive, wherein the movement unit is adapted to permit a movement of the animal-pen vehicle on the bedding, a position-determining device for determining a position of the animal-pen vehicle relative to animal-pen fixtures, and a control device for controlling the drive and for providing a predetermined travel profile, wherein the predetermined travel profile comprises at least one movement pattern and at least one preferential area that is to be travelled to within the poultry pen and/or pig pen.

A set of panels for protecting livestock during transportation, for use in a lorry with a cage for carrying livestock having railings and a guillotine door, comprising: a plurality of fixed panels, and four mobile panels, wherein the fixed panels comprise one or more layers of flexible material and a backing plate made of rigid material, to be arranged forming a horizontal strip along the inner walls of the cage railings, and wherein the mobile panels comprise pivoting wings that can adopt a folded position and an unfolded position, and wherein said mobile panels are arranged at the sides of the guillotine door, two on the inside of the cage and two on the outside thereof.

An infrastructure arrangement and method for a farm animal shed includes a stationary position determination network having multiple optics-free position determination network points and at least one autonomous shed vehicle. The autonomous shed vehicle has a drive and a charging interface for the drive, an optics-free position determination apparatus, a coupling apparatus for detachably securing various functional units, and a control unit. The infrastructure arrangement and method also includes at least one charging station for charging the drive of the autonomous shed vehicle, at least one fitting station for fitting the autonomous shed vehicle with various functional units and/or work materials, and at least one data transmission unit, wherein the control unit of the autonomous shed vehicle is designed to take information of the position determination apparatus and of the data transmission unit as a basis for generating a schedule for the autonomous shed vehicle.

A mobile unit for animal ovarian tissue processing comprises an enclosure supported on a wheeled chassis. A collecting chamber defined within the enclosure comprises a restraint mounted to the enclosure and configured to restrain an animal in a standing position, at least one access sized to provide the animal ingress to, and egress from, the collecting chamber, an ovum aspiration system disposed in the collecting chamber to retrieve oocytes from the animal and an imaging scanner disposed in the collecting chamber to guide the ovum aspiration system to the oocytes. A processing chamber defined within the enclosure contiguous to the collecting chamber is isolated from the collecting chamber by at least one dividing wall extending between the collecting chamber and the processing chamber. The processing chamber includes an incubator to incubate the oocytes. A temperature control unit maintains a temperature of the retrieved oocytes between a predetermined temperature range.

A mobile unit for animal ovarian tissue processing comprises an enclosure supported on a wheeled chassis. A collecting chamber defined within the enclosure comprises a restraint mounted to the enclosure and configured to restrain an animal in a standing position, at least one access sized to provide the animal ingress to, and egress from, the collecting chamber, an ovum aspiration system disposed in the collecting chamber to retrieve oocytes from the animal and an imaging scanner disposed in the collecting chamber to guide the ovum aspiration system to the oocytes. A processing chamber defined within the enclosure contiguous to the collecting chamber is isolated from the collecting chamber by at least one dividing wall extending between the collecting chamber and the processing chamber. The processing chamber includes an incubator to incubate the oocytes. A temperature control unit maintains a temperature of the retrieved oocytes between a predetermined temperature range.

A hinge locking system is provided for locking pivotable hinge parts at a desired angular position relative to one another. The hinge locking system includes a locking pin, a plate with a locking pin receiver, a movable pin receiver defining an axial bore for receiving the locking pin, and a pair of spaced-apart limit stops along the plate. The movable pin receiver is movable relative to the plate, and the limit stops are selectively contacted by the movable pin receiver to limit the maximum relative movement of the movable pin receiver. When the axial bore of the movable pin receiver aligns with the plate's locking pin receiver, the locking pin is insertable through the locking pin receiver and the axial bore in the movable pin receiver, to thereby lock the movable pin receiver and the hinge parts against further movement.

The invention relates to a catcher basket assembly including a main body, at least one confining container for containing an animal, and at least one directing part in the main body, for assisting to direct the animal from the main body to the confining container. In use, the directing part directs an animal towards one or more confining container and the confining container enables the animal to be visually inspected and sorted without the need to make direct contact with the animal. The invention also relates to a catcher basket assembly for confining and sorting a crab. The invention also relates to a method of use of a catcher basket assembly.

A bed loader for loading game animals and other loads on a four-wheel recreational vehicles and more particularly, a bed loader mounted on a winch-equipped recreational vehicle with a roof and a bed for loading game animals onto the bed of the recreational vehicle. In a preferred embodiment the bed loader comprises a front guide, a top forward guide, and a top rear guide, and the bed loader is designed to operate with the winch comprised of a rotating drum and a winch line wound on the drum. The front guide, the top forward guide, and the top rear guide provide a guiding means guiding the winch line from the winch over the roof of the vehicle to a load at the rear of the vehicle allowing the winch line to attach to the game animal, and pull the game animal into the bed of the vehicle.

A bed loader for loading game animals and other loads on a four-wheel recreational vehicles and more particularly, a bed loader mounted on a winch-equipped recreational vehicle with a roof and a bed for loading game animals onto the bed of the recreational vehicle. In a preferred embodiment the bed loader comprises a front guide, a top forward guide, and a top rear guide, and the bed loader is designed to operate with the winch comprised of a rotating drum and a winch line wound on the drum. The front guide, the top forward guide, and the top rear guide provide a guiding means guiding the winch line from the winch over the roof of the vehicle to a load at the rear of the vehicle allowing the winch line to attach to the game animal, and pull the game animal into the bed of the vehicle.

The present invention is a device and method for preventing cargo in the cargo area of a vehicle from shifting forward in an accident, the vehicle having a horizontally hinged rear door.