Disclosed herein are housings, systems, kits and methods for reducing aggression among rodents. A laboratory rodent housing may have, for example, a common milieu area and one or more segregated individual nesting areas.

A stall divider suitable for free stall stables including a vertical support member, a lower member extending away from the support member, an upper member extending away from the support member, and a crossing member extending perpendicularly to the upper member. The crossing member is made of a bendable or deflectable material and has a hollow or solid structure. The lower member, the upper member, and the crossing member include a soft or elastic outer layer. The construction of the stall divider increases the comfort and the welfare of the animals.

A system may provide for delivering a sequence of one or more soaking sprays at a station where an animal is present. The station may include a pressurized pipe supplying a liquid for the soaking spray, a valve and nozzle coupled to the pipe, and a control circuit coupled to the valve. The control circuit may be operable to determine the sequence of the soaking spray using a signal from an animal sensor that is configured to detect the presence of the animal at the station. The system may include an environmental sensor providing at least one signal to the control circuit. The signal from the environmental sensor may be used by the control circuit to determine the sequence for the soaking spray.

A barn for housing dairy cows includes a feeding and milking area, and a pasture area. The feeding and milking area comprises a plurality of feeding stations, each feeding station including: a manger configured to permit a cow to obtain dry feed; a waterer configured to permit the cow to obtain drinking water; and a head lock configured to releasably secure the cow in the feeding station while the cow is being milked. The pasture area is configured to permit a plurality of cows to lay down. The pasture area includes a raised bed composed of a bedding material and having a predetermined slope selected to facilitate removal of excess liquid from the pasture area.

A system for prevention of infectious diseases in a habitat of animals. This system comprises articles consisting at least one antimicrobial additive. Some or all those articles are situated within a bedding of a habitat of animals.

The invention relates to a stall divider (1) having the general shape of a U, comprising parallel wings (10, 11) which extend to form a curved base (12), with a region (120) in which the distance between said wings (10, 11) is reduced, the free ends of said wings (10, 11) being engaged in sleeves (13), themselves attached to a plate (14), for fixing the divider (1) to a fixed structure, characterized in that It consists of a bent cable with a shape memory that includes: a core (2) formed by a central filament (20), of longitudinal direction, which is surrounded by a set of additional filaments (21), also of longitudinal direction, these additional filaments (21) being wound helically around the central filament (20); a monobloc envelope (3) for the protection of the said core (2), this core (2) and envelope (3) being at least partially polymer-based.

A lamp assembly selectively engageable with a frame member of a cattle chute without using tools. The frame member is received into a channel of a mounting assembly of the lamp assembly. A locking mechanism is pivoted to lock the mounting assembly around the frame member. The orientation of the lamp is adjusted by pivoting a support assembly connected to the lamp into a desired position relative to the mounting assembly and engaging locking pins to retain the support assembly in the selected orientation. The lamp includes a plurality of LEDs that are actuated to shine light into the cattle chute. The lamp assembly is removed from the chute frame member by pivoting the locking mechanism back to an unlocked position and then moving the mounting assembly in a direction that causes the frame member to exit the channel.

A system for milking a group of animals, in particular cows, comprising an accommodation space in which the animals roam freely, and a plurality of fixed milking stations. A milk storage tank is placed outside the accommodation space. An automatic milking system for automated milking of the animals comprises at least one autonomous self-propelled trolley with milking cups. The milking system automatically connects the milking cups of the trolley to the teats of the animal. A milk discharge system connects the milking cups to the milk storage tank. The milk discharge system comprises flexible milk lines which are connected to the trolley. The trolley is connected to each milking station through a connection in an animal-free space adjacent to the milking stations. The flexible milk line is configured so the trolley can travel from the animal-free space into each of the milking stations while connected to the trolley.

A polymer stall divider for a barn will permit lateral flexing when a cow presses against the stall divider while the stall divider asserts a lateral force against the cow to urge the cow to move into a proper position between adjacent stall dividers without causing injury to the cow. The polymer stall divider can be formed of a polymer material clad onto the outer surface of a steel structural member and then bent into shape to form the desired configuration. The divider can be formed in sections with adjacent sections being connected by an internal connector formed of selected materials to provide the desired flexibility and durability characteristics. A mounting bracket formed of a pair of opposing clam shells can be utilized to secure the stall divider to the frame of the barn, thus providing an easily installed divider structure.

A barn for housing dairy cows includes a feeding and milking area, and a pasture area. The feeding and milking area comprises a plurality of feeding stations, each feeding station including: a manger configured to permit a cow to obtain dry feed; a waterer configured to permit the cow to obtain drinking water; and a head lock configured to releasably secure the cow in the feeding station while the cow is being milked. The pasture area is configured to permit a plurality of cows to lay down. The pasture area includes a raised bed composed of a bedding material and having a predetermined slope selected to facilitate removal of excess liquid from the pasture area.