An aviary apparatus for rearing laying hens, which comprises mutually laterally adjacent multistory rearing batteries, each one of the batteries comprising at least one lower stop surface and one upper stop surface, with areas on which the poultry can walk between the batteries and laterally to the outermost batteries. The lower stop surfaces and upper stop surfaces comprise corresponding conveyor belts for eggs and feces, the walkable areas comprising inclined floors which are arranged descending toward a contiguous conveyor belt of a lower stop surface of a corresponding battery.

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.

An egg conveyor for a poultry plant includes a chain of the closed-loop type with bars, for conveying eggs from one or more laying hen sheds to a collection location, assemblies for traction along the chain which are provided with a motor drive component, and a control unit for synchronization of the traction assemblies. The motor drive components each include at least one gearmotor provided at least with a corresponding servomotor. The method for synchronization of traction assemblies in the conveyor includes the following steps: detecting continuously and instantaneously the angular position and the number of bars at each traction assembly, and calculating continuously and instantaneously the average of all the torques at the traction assemblies and, if the number of bars is different from a set number, correcting the speed of each servomotor to obtain a constant torque on each traction assembly, which corresponds to the average.

The transfer machine comprises an input and output system (8) for inserting trays filled with incubated eggs into the transfer machine and for removing the emptied trays therefrom and a transfer system (9) for transferring the eggs from the trays to the floor of the poultry house. The transfer system (9) comprises a set of egg pickup members (28) mounted on a first sub-frame (30). The first sub-frame (30) is mounted on a second sub-frame (31) such that it can move up and down, the second sub-frame mounted on the frame (5) of the machine such that it can move back and forth between a first position, wherein the set of egg pickup members (28) is above the filled trays that have been inserted, and a second position, wherein the set of egg pickup members (28) is above the floor of the poultry house.

In one embodiment, an aviary is provided, wherein the aviary includes a cage. A resilient platform is positioned adjacent to the cage. In an embodiment, a perch is positioned adjacent to the resilient platform.

The invention relates to a poultry management system comprising at least one animal holding area with a holding area floor and a conveyor comprising a conveyor belt with an upper belt and a lower belt, wherein the lower belt is arranged and designed to receive eggs from the animal holding area.

An animal specimen picking device and system are provided. The animal specimen picking device includes a collecting device and a driving device. The collecting device includes at least one opening through which an animal specimen is collected. The driving device drives the collecting device to move on a collecting surface. The animal specimen is on the collecting surface. The driving device includes a spherical shell, a controller, and a driving module. The controller is located in the spherical shell and configured to generate a control signal. The driving module is located in the spherical shell and configured to drive the spherical shell to roll according to the control signal.

A method and system for monitoring the egg-laying performance of caged laying-hens at laying-hen positions are provided. A plurality of coops are disposed side by side, a conveyor belt is disposed below the plurality of coops, and a machine-vision inspection device having a CCD camera and a lighting device is provided on an output end of the conveyor belt. Eggs laid by the hens fall onto the conveyor belt from the bottom of the coops. After all eggs are laid, the conveyor belt is activated to convey the eggs to the machine-vision inspection device, and the CCD camera is triggered to capture an image of a surface of the conveyor belt carrying the eggs.

An egg conveyor for a poultry plant includes a chain of the closed-loop type with bars, for conveying eggs from one or more laying hen sheds to a collection location, assemblies for traction along the chain which are provided with a motor drive component, and a control unit for synchronization of the traction assemblies, the motor drive components each include at least one gearmotor provided at least with a corresponding servomotor.

The method for synchronization of traction assemblies in the conveyor includes the following steps: detecting continuously and instantaneously the angular position and the number of bars at each traction assembly, and calculating continuously and instantaneously the average of all the torques at the traction assemblies and, if the number of bars is different from a set number, correcting the speed of each servomotor to obtain a constant torque on each traction assembly, which corresponds to the average.

A method and system for monitoring the egg-laying performance of caged laying-hens at laying-hen positions are provided. A plurality of coops are disposed side by side, a conveyor belt is disposed below the plurality of coops, and a machine-vision inspection device having a CCD camera and a lighting device is provided on an output end of the conveyor belt. Eggs laid by the hens fall onto the conveyor belt from the bottom of the coops. After all eggs are laid, the conveyor belt is activated to convey the eggs to the machine-vision inspection device, and the CCD camera is triggered to capture an image of a surface of the conveyor belt carrying the eggs.