The invention relates to a rack (10) for receiving fattening poultry cages, (20) comprising: a frame structure (12), a plurality of levels (14) for receiving a plurality of fattening poultry cages (20), and a plurality of conveying means (16) associated with each of the levels (14). The means of conveyance (16) are arranged in such a way that they transport the cages (20) located in the rack (10) within the respective level (14) to and/or away from a unloading point (30). Further, the invention relates to a fattening poultry cage (20) for arrangement in such a rack (10). Finally, the invention relates to a system of racks (10) and cages (20) according to the invention. The system may comprise an industrial truck (22) with lifting means for removing cages (20) from or feeding cages into the rack (10), the lifting means comprising a plurality of fork carriages (24) arranged vertically one above the other and movable in a vertical direction relative to one another.

A colony basket and method of using the same for handling poultry from DOC through the growing process and on to a production facility comprising a harvesting system, a loading system, a transport system, an unloading and storing system, hanging system and cleaning system. The system and method performs the steps of harvesting and colonizing live poultry into a singly stackable and transportable colony basket, stacking and loading the trays on a transport, unloading and temporarily storing the poultry for subsequent processing. The system and method further includes the use of a modular colony basket for interchangeable use with the described system.

A free grazing egg harvester device comprises: a plurality of solar panel; a communication antenna; a front access door; a plurality of roll away nest boxes; a side access door; a plurality of nest gates; a water reservoir; a plurality of water nozzles; a plurality of wheels; and a plurality of roosts. An actuator is provided to open and close the plurality of nest gates. The actuator has a piston that further has an extension rod. The extension rod has two arms that push/pull the plurality of nest gates by extending and contracting the extension rod. The device has many advantages like reduction in fixed infrastructure investments, mobile nests for production of free grazing eggs, energy autonomy, storage and filtration of rainwater, real-time remote data transmission is available in any type of communication device.

A plenum flooring system installed over high density insulation panels, preventing heat loss to ground and intrusion of ground moisture. The system includes one or more flooring segments, each containing at least one surface opening to the plenum space, and a plenum ventilation system. The ventilation system includes a blower and air inlet openings in seals arranged along the perimeter of the plenum flooring segments at the walls of the interior of a poultry house. The blower withdraws air from the plenum space through the surface opening of the flooring segment and discharges it into the poultry house, creating a continuous flow of air to maintain uniform flooring surface temperatures and remove moisture that migrates to the plenum space from manure on the perforated flooring surface due to moisture gradient, then a refrigerated dehumidifier/air circulation unit to condense moisture in the air and discharges that liquid to the house exterior.

A laying nest is provided with an improved ejection system, in which the risk of expelling eggs together with the hens is suppressed. The floor of the laying nest can rotate in both directions. Thanks to this arrangement, at first it can be rotated in a first direction for inclining it towards the egg collection area and ensuring that all the laid eggs are removed; next, it can be rotated in a second, opposite direction for inclining it towards the hen coop and thus expelling the hens from the laying nest. In a preferred embodiment, the driving arrangement of the ejection system of the laying nest is entirely arranged below the floor of the laying nest, so as to not occupy room in the laying nest and to be protected from manures and dirt that may be present in the laying nest.

A colony basket and method of using the same for handling poultry from DOC through the growing process and on to a production facility comprising a harvesting system, a loading system, a transport system, an unloading and storing system, hanging system and cleaning system. The system and method performs the steps of harvesting and colonizing live poultry into a singly stackable and transportable colony basket, stacking and loading the trays on a transport, unloading and temporarily storing the poultry for subsequent processing. The system and method further includes the use of a modular colony basket for interchangeable use with the described system.

EGGOIST multi-level floor equipment system for commercial poultry maintenance combining the advantages of poultry's free-range run with periodical automated manure removal feature of the cage housing method. The optimum dimensions of the aviary body frame are calculated as per special formulae for the length and width depending on the nest type and arrangement. EGGOIST equipment system allows to improve the microclimate parameters of the aviary, to ensure the consistently high sanitary and hygienic conditions and the lowering of egg-laying hens' morbidity rate, and to dramatically increase production rates per farmland area unit.

A plenum flooring system is installed over high density insulation panels, capable of preventing both heat loss to ground and intrusion of ground moisture into the flooring plenum space. The system is comprised of one or more flooring segments, each containing at least one surface opening to the plenum space, and a plenum ventilation system. The ventilation system includes a blower and air inlet openings in seals that are arranged along the perimeter of the plenum flooring segments at the walls of the interior of the poultry housing unit. The blower withdraws air from the plenum space through the surface opening of the flooring segment and discharges it into the poultry housing unit chamber, creating a continuous flow of ventilation air to maintain uniform flooring surface temperatures and remove moisture that migrates to the plenum space from manure on the perforated flooring surface due a moisture gradient. The plenum ventilation system further includes a refrigerated dehumidifier/air circulation unit to condense moisture in the chamber air and discharges the condensate liquid to the housing unit exterior.

A poultry transport system and method involving at least one frame structure configurable for baseless suspension in which said system and method may include a frame structure top of a first frame structure engageable to a frame structure bottom of a second frame structure to form paired frame structures.

Stackable poultry container systems are described herein along with methods of using the systems in connection with the care of poultry. The stackable poultry container systems described herein may include feeder apparatus that allow for the distribution of feed to all of the containers within a stack of containers through the feeder apparatus provided in the uppermost container in the stack. The stackable poultry container systems described herein may include a floor that has waste apertures formed therein to allow waste from animals located in the container to fall through the floor to improve sanitation for the animals located in the container system. The stacks of poultry containers may include waste shields located beneath each floor such that waste falling through the floor of a container does not pass into the container located below when the containers are stacked on top of each other.