Aviary arrangement for poultry animals and method of poultry husbandry

Abstract

An aviary arrangement for poultry includes a first and a second aviary row, and a bridge which connects the first and the second aviary rows, wherein each of the aviary rows has a service tier, a nest tier and a resting tier, each having an inclined animal roosting floor, and a manure conveying device arranged therebelow, wherein the resting tier is arranged above the nest tier and the service tier is arranged below the nest tier, and the nest tier has a nest and an egg conveying device, and wherein the bridge is arranged above the manure conveying device of the service tier and has a bridge floor for receiving litter. A manure conveying device is arranged below an inclined animal roosting floor, wherein the animal roosting floor comprises an inclined integrated air duct arranged below the animal roosting floor and above the manure conveying device.

Claims

1. An aviary arrangement for poultry, comprising: an inclined animal roosting floor and a manure conveying device arranged below the inclined animal roosting floor, wherein the animal roosting floor comprises an integrated air duct arranged below the animal roosting floor and above the manure conveying device, wherein an upper side of the air duct forms part of the animal roosting floor and the upper side of the air duct is formed in an inclined manner.

2. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 1, wherein the upper side of the air duct can be directly entered by a poultry occupying the aviary arrangement.

3. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 2, wherein a quantity of soiling and/or excrement located on the upper side of the air duct is carried away by the poultry occupying the aviary arrangement and the quantity of soiling and/or excrement then passes through an adjacent region of the animal roosting floor onto the manure conveying device located there below.

4. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 3, wherein the animal roosting floor comprises a grating.

5. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 3, wherein accumulations of the quantity of soiling and/or excrement located on the upper side of the air duct, if any at all, are carried away from the upper side of the air duct by movement of the poultry occupying the aviary arrangement.

6. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 1, wherein a transition between the upper side of the air duct and an adjacent region of the animal roosting floor is barrier-free for rolling eggs.

7. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 1, wherein the air duct directs an air output in the direction of the manure conveying device in order to dry the poultry excrement located thereon.

8. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 7, wherein the manure conveying device is disposed at a central longitudinal position below the animal roosting floor.

9. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 8, wherein the air duct is disposed at a central longitudinal position below the animal roosting floor such that the air output emerging from the air duct is substantially uniformly distributed on the manure conveying device.

10. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 9, wherein the manure conveying device has a first transverse width and the animal roosting floor has a second transverse width substantially the same as the first transverse width.

11. An aviary arrangement for poultry, comprising: an aviary row comprising at least one inclined animal roosting floor; a manure conveying device arranged below the inclined animal roosting floor; and an air duct arranged below the animal roosting floor and above the manure conveying device, wherein an upper side of the air duct forms part of the animal roosting floor and wherein an upper side of the air duct is formed in an inclined manner.

12. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 11, wherein a transition between an upper side of the air duct and an adjacent region of the animal roosting floor is barrier free for rolling eggs.

13. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 12, wherein an egg collecting device is disposed adjacent the animal roosting floor.

14. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 12, wherein the transition between an upper side of the air duct and the adjacent region of the animal roosting floor is formed in a substantially planar manner.

15. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 12, wherein the transition between an upper side of the air duct and the adjacent region of the animal roosting floor is substantially the same height as the upper side of the air duct.

16. An aviary arrangement for poultry, comprising: an inclined animal roosting floor; a manure conveying device arranged below the inclined animal roosting floor; and an air duct arranged below the animal roosting floor and above the manure conveying device, wherein an upper side of the air duct forms part of the animal roosting floor, the upper side of the air duct can be directly entered by an poultry occupying the aviary arrangement, and the upper side of the air duct is formed in an inclined manner.

17. The aviary arrangement pursuant to claim 16, wherein a quantity of soiling and/or excrement located on the upper side of the air duct is carried away by the poultry occupying the aviary arrangement and the quantity of soiling and/or excrement then passes through an adjacent region of the animal roosting floor onto the manure conveying device located there below.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Preferred exemplary embodiments will be described by way of example with reference to the attached figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1a is a schematic three-dimensional illustration of an example of an aviary arrangement for poultry;

(3) FIG. 1b is the aviary arrangement according to FIG. 1a with poultry movements drawn in;

(4) FIG. 2a is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of an example of an aviary arrangement for poultry;

(5) FIG. 2b is the aviary arrangement according to FIG. 2a in a poultry house;

(6) FIG. 2c is the aviary arrangement according to FIG. 2a with poultry movements drawn in;

(7) FIG. 2d is the aviary arrangement according to FIG. 2a with selected dimension details;

(8) FIG. 3a is a schematic three-dimensional illustration of an example of an animal roosting floor with an air duct;

(9) FIG. 3b is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of the animal roosting floor with an air duct according to FIG. 3a;

(10) FIG. 3c is an enlarged detail from FIG. 3b;

(11) FIG. 4a is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional illustration of a detail from a nest tier with an egg holding device;

(12) FIG. 4b is a further enlarged schematic cross-sectional illustration of a detail from a nest tier with an egg holding element in the holding position;

(13) FIG. 4c is the illustration according to FIG. 4b with an egg holding element in the release position; and

(14) FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a method for poultry management.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(15) In the Figures, identical or essentially functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference signs. General descriptions relate as a rule to all of the embodiments unless differences are explicitly stated.

(16) FIG. 1a shows two segments 10 for an aviary arrangement 1 with a first aviary row 11 and a second aviary row 12. In order to form a larger aviary arrangement 1, a plurality of segments 10 can be arranged next to one another and connected to one another, in particular, in order to extend the aviary arrangement 1 in the row longitudinal direction LR. In the transverse direction QR oriented orthogonally to the row longitudinal direction LR, the two aviary rows 11, 12 are connected to a bridge 13. As can be seen, in particular, in FIG. 2b, the aviary arrangement 1 for poultry serves for arranging on a house floor 3 of a poultry house 2. In smaller houses 2, one aviary arrangement 1 can be arranged in a poultry house 2. However, it is also possible for a plurality of aviary arrangements 1 to be arranged next to one another in larger houses 2.

(17) The first aviary row 11 has a first service tier 201, a first nest tier 301 and a first resting tier 401. The second aviary row 12 likewise has a second service tier 202, a second nest tier 302, and a second resting tier 402. The two service tiers 201, 202 are the lowermost tiers, the two resting tiers 401, 402 are the uppermost tiers. The two nest tiers 301, 302 are arranged between the respective service tiers 201, 202 and resting tiers 401, 402. The service tiers 201, 202 are arranged spaced apart from the house floor 3, for example, as shown in the Figures, via standing feet of the supporting framework 14 in a stand construction with which the dissipation of load and stability of the aviary arrangement 1 are ensured.

(18) In the first and second service tiers 201, 202, two feeding devices 18 and drinkers 19 and a plurality of perches 16 are in each case provided. In the first and second nest tiers 301, 302, nests 601, 602, an egg conveying device 501, 502 in the form of an egg belt and drinkers 19 are in each case provided. In the first and second resting tiers 401, 402, two feeding devices 18 and a plurality of perches 16 arranged at different heights are in each case provided. The various tiers serve as various functional regions for servicing, in particular, feed and water uptake, for egg deposition in nests 601, 602, and for resting or sleeping.

(19) Each of the tiers has an animal roosting floor 100 which is inclined in one direction and has a manure conveying device 190 arranged therebelow in the form of a manure belt. The animal roosting floors 100 are inclined dropping toward the outer sides AS of the aviary rows 11, 12. The inclination of the animal roosting floors 100 in only one direction and dropping toward the outer sides AS of the aviary rows 11, 12 can readily be seen, for example, in FIG. 2a. A manure belt 190 on which the excrement and soiling can be collected and transported away is in each case arranged below the animal roosting floors 100.

(20) Air ducts 130 are arranged centrally below the animal roosting floors 100. For simplification of the illustration, no air ducts are shown in FIGS. 1a-b and 2a-d. However, the aviary arrangements 1 of FIGS. 1a-b and 2a-d also have air ducts. A preferred configuration and arrangement of air ducts 130 is shown in FIGS. 3a-c.

(21) An air duct 130 outputs air in the direction of a manure belt 190 in order to dry the poultry excrement located thereon. A central arrangement of an air duct 130 below an animal roosting floor 100 is particularly efficient because of the uniform distribution of the air emerging from the air duct 130.

(22) The upper side 131 of the air duct 130 is flat and inclined and forms part of the animal roosting floor 100, as can be seen, in particular, in FIGS. 3a-c. The upper side 131 of the air duct 130 can thus be entered directly by the poultry. The movement of the poultry thus causes soiling and excrement located on the upper side 131 of the air duct 130 to be carried away.

(23) The animal roosting floor 100 is fastened to the supporting framework 14 in a stand construction via wire hooks 101. The air duct 130 is fastened to the supporting framework 14 in a stand construction via fastening elements 133. The transitions 132 between the upper side 131 of the air duct 130 and the adjacent regions of the animal roosting floor 100 are designed in a flat manner or substantially at the same height, therefore, to be barrier-free for rolling eggs in order not to obstruct the eggs from rolling away and/or to damage the eggs as little as possible, if at all.

(24) The bridge 13 is arranged above the manure belts 190 of the first and second service tier 201, 202 and essentially lies level with the animal roosting floors 100 of the service tiers 201, 202, on the inner sides IS thereof facing the bridge 13. Litter which is carried away from the bridge 13 by the poultry can thereby pass through the animal roosting floors 100, which are preferably designed as a lattice grating, of the service tiers 201, 202 onto the manure belts 190 located therebelow and can be transported away.

(25) The two resting tiers 401, 402 are set back with respect to the inner sides IS of the aviary rows 11, 12 in relation to the two nest tiers 301, 302 and in relation to the two service tiers 201, 202. The tier depth of the service tiers 201, 202 and of the nest tiers 301, 302, which is denoted in FIG. 2d by lower tier depth ET1, is at least 15% greater than the tier depth of the resting tiers 401, 402, which tier depth is denoted in FIG. 2d by upper tier depth ET2. A distance AR between the first and second resting tier 401, 402 is, therefore, also produced, said distance being correspondingly greater than the distance AN between the first and second nest tier 301, 302 and than the distance AV between the first and second service tier 201, 202. An overall depth GT of the aviary arrangement 1 is preferably larger by at least 10%, in particular at least 15%, for example, at least 22%, than twice a lower tier depth ET1.

(26) The space above the bridge 13 between the aviary rows 11, 12 upward thus becomes wider, and, therefore, the poultry can more easily reach the upper resting tiers 401, 402 and the service aisle permits more freedom of movement for staff.

(27) Possible poultry movements are drawn in by the arrows B1 to B6 in FIGS. 1b and 2c. From the house floor 3, the poultry can first activate, by means of the movement B1, the landing aids 15 still arranged below the service tiers 201, 202 on the outer sides AS. From the landing aid 15, the animals can pass into the service tiers 201, 202 by means of the movement B2. Alternatively, the poultry can pass from the landing aids 15, also by movement B3, onto the useful surface on the coverings 511, 512 above the egg belts of the nest tiers 301, 302.

(28) The poultry can pass through the service tiers 201, 202 to the bridge 13 arranged between the two aviary rows 11, 12. From there, the poultry can pass onto the two nest tiers 301, 302 by means of movement B4. From the nest tiers, the poultry can pass onto the resting tiers 401, 402 by means of the movements B5 and B6.

(29) If the entrance to the service tiers 201, 202 from the house floor 3 via the poultry movements B1 and B2 is blocked, for example, by blocking devices 17 in the form of folding grids, and optionally further entrances to the aviary arrangement 1 are blocked, the poultry can be released inside the aviary arrangement 1. Blocking devices 17 are illustrated by way of example for the service tiers 201, 202 in FIG. 2c. The blocking device 17 in the first aviary row 11 is closed and the blocking device 17 in the second aviary row 12 is open.

(30) The provision of blocking devices 17 is particularly preferred for familiarizing the poultry with the aviary arrangement 1. Owing to the fact that the bridge 13 is designed for receiving litter, a scratching region is also available to the poultry even in the introduced state, in addition to the various functional regions in the form of resting tier 401, 402, nest tier 301, 302, and service tier 201, 202, by means of the bridge 13 covered with litter. The animal movements B4, B5, and B6 are completely accessible even in the introduced state.

(31) For the collection and the transport of eggs arising on the animal roosting floors 100, egg conveying devices 501, 502, namely, a first and a second egg belt, are provided on the outer sides AS of the two nest tiers 301, 302.

(32) Since not all of the eggs are laid in nests, but are also laid outside the nest tier 301, 302, for example, on the service tiers 201, 202 and/or the resting tiers 401, 402, egg collecting devices 520 are also arranged on the outer sides AS of the resting tiers 401, 402 and service tiers 201, 202. Said egg collecting devices 520 are also preferably designed in the form of egg belts, but said egg belts are designed to be narrower than the egg belts 501, 502 of the nest tiers 301, 302 and have a smaller egg collecting and conveying capacity.

(33) As can readily be seen, for example, in FIG. 2a, the egg collecting devices 520 of the resting tiers 401, 402 are arranged on the outer sides AS of the resting tiers 401, 402 while, although the egg collecting devices 520 of the service tiers 201, 202 also face the outer sides AS of the service tiers 201, 202, they are still arranged in the interior of the service tiers 201, 202.

(34) A first covering 511 of the first egg conveying device 501 and a second covering 512 of the second egg conveying device 502 are arranged above the first and second egg belt 501, 502 of the first and second nest tiers 301, 302. Said coverings 511, 512 are accessible to poultry from the outer sides AS of the nest tiers 301, 302. The first and second covering 511, 512 of the first and second egg conveying device 501, 502 each have a closed surface, and, therefore, the eggs collected and transported on the egg belts 501, 502 located therebelow are protected from soiling.

(35) Variable nests 601, 602 are arranged in the nest tiers 301, 302 in a manner directed from the egg belts 501, 502 toward the inner sides IS. A plurality of first nests 601 are located in the first nest tier 301, and a plurality of second nests 602 are located in the second nest tier 302. The nests 601, 602 are formed by displaceable and/or removable nest delimitations 610 and furthermore preferably by nest mats which form the nest floor. The nest mats are preferably also movable and/or removable. The size and/or the number and/or the position of nests 601, 602 within the nest tiers 301, 302 and, in particular, along the row longitudinal direction LR can thereby be varied and adapted to preferences of poultry groups. In particular, a nest depth NT in the transverse direction QR and a nest width in the row longitudinal direction can be varied for this purpose.

(36) The nest depth NT is preferably at least 600 mm, in particular, at least 680 mm. The nest depth NT can preferably also be at least 800 mm, in particular, at least 820 mm. An inner nest height NH1 is preferably at least 400 mm, for example, at least 450 mm or, for example, at least 530 mm, in particular, at least 580 mm. An outer nest height NH2 is preferably 440 mm, for example, at least 500 mm or, for example, at least 600 mm, in particular, at least 650 mm.

(37) As illustrated in the enlarged details of FIGS. 4a-c, an egg rollaway region 111 of the animal roosting floor 100 of the first nest tier 301, said egg rollaway region 111 facing the first egg belt 501, has a greater inclination than an adjacent region 120 of the respective animal roosting floor 100. The nest tiers 301, 302 have an egg holding device 530 with an egg holding element 531 in the form of a tensioned wire and with a guide 532. The egg holding element 531 is movable along the guide 532 from the holding position shown in FIG. 4b into the release position shown in FIG. 4c and is movable back. In the holding position, the egg holding element 531 prevents eggs located on the egg rollaway region 111 from rolling away onto the egg belt 501, 502. In the release position, the egg holding element 531 allows eggs located on the egg rollaway region 111 to roll away onto the egg belt 501, 502. The egg holding element 531 is in the holding position shown in FIG. 4b, spaced apart above the egg rollaway region 111 at a height above the egg rollaway region 111 that is smaller than an average height of the eggs, in order to stop the eggs. The egg holding element 531 is brought by raising along the guide 532 into the release position shown in FIG. 4c to a height which is greater than an average height of the eggs. By this means, the eggs can roll away under and through the egg holding element 531.

(38) The method 1000 for poultry management comprises the steps illustrated in FIG. 5, in particular, the arranging 1001 of at least one aviary arrangement 1 for poultry in a poultry house, the providing 1002 of litter on the house floor 3 and/or on the bridge 13 of the aviary arrangement 1, and the putting 1003 of poultry in the poultry house 2.