WO2017058028A1

WO2017058028A1 - System and method for housing poultry

Info

Publication number: WO2017058028A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2016/050115
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arne Karl ROEBEN; Falk PAULAT
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2015-10-01
Filing date: 2016-07-14
Publication date: 2017-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 2018-04-01

Abstract

A poultry housing system (100) has a poultry fattening area (101), a heating system (103) for heating litter, and a conveyor system (105). The conveyor system (105) is adapted to support poultry and deliver fresh litter that has been heated by the heating system (103) to the poultry fattening area (101) and remove used litter from the poultry fattening area (101). A method for housing poultry includes accommodating poultry in the poultry fattening area (101). The method also includes heating litter to provide a pre-heated litter, feeding the pre-heated litter onto a conveyor belt (1), and delivering the pre-heated litter using the conveyor belt 1 to the poultry fattening area (101). The method further includes removing used litter from the poultry fattening area (101).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HOUSING POULTRY

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a poultry housing system and method for housing poultry. BACKGROUND

It is known to house poultry for fattening in large halls. There are a number of disadvantages with regard to conventional halls for housing or fattening poultry and the heating systems used in them.

In conventional chicken halls, the entire hall is heated using one heating system. This means that any bacteria are usually distributed throughout the entire hall. If the heating systems fail, the animals try to keep warm by pressing against each other. The animals can be crushed and die. If it is too warm in the halls, they must be cooled. Cooling is achieved by spraying the inside of the halls with very fine water mist.

However, the amount of water spray must be judged very carefully so that the animals do not get wet. In conventional fattening facilities, it is not possible to suction off the dust formed. Dust is formed by skin scales and the animals scratching the litter. An increase in scale formation also causes mites. Conventional litter typically goes hand in hand with dust formation. For this reason the lungs of animals ready for slaughter are so severely damaged that together with the gaseous ammonia they are no longer able to survive. So they have to be slaughtered.

Also, it is not possible to change the litter in the hall whilst the birds are living in the hall, additional fresh litter can only be added in limited amounts.

Because it is not possible to change the litter in conventional halls, the litter remains there for the entire period of fattening. The faeces of the animals cause the litter to become damp and gaseous ammonia is formed in the process. In addition, mould also forms. This litter causes the poultry to contract diseases, such as on their feet and breast. Their lungs can also be severely damaged. The slurry is strongly contaminated when it is distributed on the fields.

In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents or such sources of information is not to be construed as an admission that such documents or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

It is an object of at least preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a method for housing poultry and a poultry housing system that overcomes the

disadvantages of the prior art, and/or to at least provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a first aspect, there is provided a method for housing poultry comprising :

a. accommodating poultry in a poultry fattening area;

b. heating litter to provide a pre-heated litter;

c. feeding the pre-heated litter onto a conveyor belt;

d . delivering the pre-heated litter using the conveyor belt to the poultry

fattening area; and

e. removing used litter from the poultry fattening area.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises recycling at least some of the used litter.

In some embodiments, recycling at least some of the used litter comprises filtering the used litter to separate re-usable litter from non-reusable litter. In some embodiments, the method further comprises accommodating poultry in two or more poultry fattening areas, each fattening area being encased in a corresponding housing, and separately ventilating each housing .

In some embodiments, the step of heating litter comprises heating litter to a

temperature of about 120°C to about 140°C, about 125°C to about 140°C, about 130°C to about 140°C, about 135°C to about 140°C, about 120°C to about 135°C, about 120°C to about 130°C, about 120°C to about 125°C, or about 120°C to about 130°C.

In some embodiments, the step of heating litter comprises heating litter to a

temperature of about 140°C.

In some embodiments, the step of heating litter comprises heating litter using infrared radiation.

In some embodiments, the litter is or comprises chi pped corn cobs. In some embodiments, the method further comprises feeding and/or providing water to the poultry.

In accordance with a second aspect, there is provided a method for housing poultry comprising :

a. accommodating poultry in a poultry fattening area;

b. heating litter to provide a pre-heated litter;

c. feeding the pre-heated litter onto a conveyor belt;

d. delivering the pre-heated litter using the conveyor belt to the poultry

fattening area;

e. removing used litter from the poultry fattening area; and

f. recycling at least some of the used litter.

The second aspect may include any one or more features of the first aspect above.

In accordance with a third aspect, there is provided a poultry housing system

comprising :

a. a poultry fattening area;

b. a heating system for heating litter; and

c. a conveyor system adapted to support poultry and deliver fresh litter that has been heated by the heating system to the poultry fattening area and remove used litter from the poultry fattening area

In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises a filter for filtering the used litter to separate re-usable litter from non-reusable litter.

In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises a housing for accommodating the poultry and surrounding the poultry fattening area.

In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises a ventilation system, each housing being ventilated separately from the other housings.

In some embodiments, the conveyor system comprises a conveyor belt with a rough or textured surface.

In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises feed and/or water containers.

In some embodiments, the conveyor system comprises a single conveyor belt. In some embodiments, the poultry housing system comprises two or more poultry fattening areas.

In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises two or more conveyor systems corresponding to the two or more poultry fattening areas. In some embodiments, the poultry housing system further comprises two or more housings corresponding to the two or more poultry fattening areas.

In some embodiments, the two or more housings are stacked on top of each other.

In accordance with a fourth aspect, there is provided a poultry housing system

comprising :

a. a poultry fattening area;

b. a heating system for heating litter;

c. a conveyor system adapted to support poultry and deliver fresh litter that has been heated by the heating system to the poultry fattening area and remove used litter from the poultry fattening area; and

d. a filter for filtering the used litter to separate re-usable litter from non- reusable litter.

The fourth aspect may include any one or more features of the third aspect above.

The term 'comprising' as used in this specification and claims means 'consisting at least in part of. When interpreting statements in this specification and claims which include the term 'comprising', other features besides the features prefaced by this term in each statement can also be present. Related terms such as 'comprise' and 'comprised' are to be interpreted in a similar manner.

It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for example, 1 to 10) also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for example, 1, 1.1, 2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 6.5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational numbers within that range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7) and, therefore, all sub-ranges of all ranges expressly disclosed herein are hereby expressly disclosed. These are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting. Where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

As used herein the term \s)' following a noun means the plural and/or singular form of that noun.

As used herein the term 'and/or' means 'and' or 'or', or where the context allows both.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a perspective view from above and the left of a poultry housing system; Figure 2 a perspective view from above and the right of a conveyor belt and associated components of the poultry housing system of figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a poultry housing system; and

Figure 4 is an end view of the poultry housing system of Figure 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Figures 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a poultry housing system, indicated generally by reference number 100. The system comprises a poultry fattening area 101, a heating system 103 for heating litter (not shown), and a conveyor system 105. The system and method described herein allow fully automatic operation to be possible. The system and methods described herein are suitable for poultry such as chickens or turkeys. The conveyor system 105 comprises a conveyor belt 1, the surface of which is slightly rough or textured. Litter is placed on the conveyor belt 1. The litter is or comprises chipped corn cobs. The chipped corn cobs are free of dust. The corn cobs are adjustable in size. Little chicks will have smaller pieces of chipped corn cobs compared to the standard of about 8 mm long corn cobs. The corn cobs are made dust free at the producer. The chipped corn cobs are a tough material that will not easily break down during the fattening process and consequently dust production will be substantially, preferably completely, inhibited. A container 3 with a feed hopper 4 is positioned at the beginning of the conveyor belt 1. A grating 6 is positioned at both ends of the length of the conveyor belt 1 where the poultry is kept so that the chipped corn cobs can be fed into and be removed from the area. A drive mechanism 7 moves the conveyor belt 1 forwards in short steps. The distance and interval periods by which the conveyor belt 1 is moved forwards make it possible to automatically replace the soiled chips on a daily basis.

Heating system

In the embodiment shown system, only the chipped corn cobs are heated by the heating system 103. In contrast to conventional fattening systems, in this system the animals walk around on a heated base. The heat rises which means that additional heating is only required during the cold season, which in turn means this system saves significant amounts of energy.

Conveyor system

The conveyor system 105 is adapted to support poultry and deliver fresh chipped corn cobs that have been heated by the heating system to the poultry fattening area 101. The conveyor system 105 is also adapted to remove used chipped corn cobs from the poultry fattening area 101.

The conveyor system 105 comprises the conveyor belt 1 with a rough or textured surface. In the embodiment shown, the conveyor system 105 comprises a single conveyor belt 1. In an alternative embodiment, the conveyor system 105 may comprise two or more conveyor belts 1. For example, one conveyor belt 1 may deliver chipped corn cobs to the fattening area 101 and another conveyor belt 1 may remove chipped corn cobs from the fattening area. The conveyor belt 1 has a frame 16 with an integrated deflector 17, and tensioning 18 and supporting 19 rollers. The drive rollers 7 have a feeder that moves the conveyor belt 1 forwards at specified intervals.

The conveyor belt 1, is made of robust material, approximately 3 mm thick and is formed from, or is coated with, polyurethane or a similar material. The brackets for the side walls 9 and the ventilation pipes for fresh air 21 and waste air 22 are fitted to the frame 16. The system is placed on weight sensors 24.

The storage container 3 for the chipped corn cobs is positioned at the beginning of the belt. A temperature sensor 23 is used to control the temperature of the heated chips. A fill level sensor 20 is fitted to the storage container to automatically cover the conveyor belt with chips.

The fill level of the chipped corn cobs can be set as required. The chipped corn cobs are added automatically whilst the conveyor belt 1 is moving along at intervals. A grating 6 separates the area where the poultry is from the storage container 3 with the heating system 103 thus enabling the chipped corn cobs to move through to the fattening area 101.

Depending on the length of the conveyor belt 1 and the amount of faeces produced by the poultry, the chipped corn cobs can also be added in the poultry fattening area 101 in order to achieve an even fill level.

Sensors 25 at the end of the conveyor belt 1 detect poultry that are sick or dead. If dead poultry or those incapable of moving are detected, a signal is sent to the monitoring centre and a red light on the conveyor belt is switched on. Once the sick or dead poultry have been removed, the signal is reset and the incident is documented. Lighting

The units are illuminated, preferably using LED strips 8. The system has light strips for white daylight and dark blue nightlight; that is the LED strip lights 8 distinguish between night time and day time. When switching to the dark blue light, the poultry go to sleep. Despite the dark blue light, the belts can still be monitored. The dark blue light also makes it easier to remove the poultry ready for slaughtering from the unit. As the LED strip 8 lights only use a relatively very small amount of electricity, the units may be equipped with emergency lighting, if there is a power failure. In such an embodiment, a battery is used to provide the power required for lighting. Recycling litter

The system further comprises a sieve 14 or filter for filtering the used chipped corn cobs to separate re-usable chipped corn cobs from non-reusable chipped corn cobs.

Housing

To ensure that the poultry stays within the conveyor belt area, the conveyor belt 1 has been covered along its entire length both at the sides 9 and from above 10 by a housing 102. The housing 102 accommodates the poultry and surrounds the poultry fattening area 101. There is a space between the side panels and the conveyor belt. The feed 11 and water 12 containers are positioned in this space and the height of their position is adjustable. Water and feed is added to the containers from above. The sieve 14 is positioned at the point where the belt exits 13 the system to separate the used cob/faeces mixture. The chipped corn cobs which have not been soiled 15 are recycled and re-used.

Ventilation

The system further comprises a ventilation system 107. Each housing 102 is ventilated separately from the other housings 102 by ventilation pipes for fresh air 21 and waste air 22. The fresh air is suitably air conditioned. The stale air may be filtered.

The ventilation system 107 and heating system function together to enable the units to be both heated and cooled down. In addition to heating the chipped corn cobs, each housing 102 receives heated or cooled supplies of air, as necessary. For instance, turkeys produce a high heat with a temperature of approximately 38°C. Because the belts are encapsulated, it is possible for the internal temperature to be kept at an ambient level. If the temperature outside the conveyor belt unit is extremely high, e.g. above 40°C, the ventilation system can provide cooler air that is used to cool the housing 102.

The housings 102 prevent, or at least substantially inhibit, temperature fluctuation in the halls. Temperature fluctuations can occur in large halls, due to sudden weather change or because the heating system for the hall has failed during the cold season. By heating individual housings 102, the temperature of each housing 102 can be controlled, and there are less fluctuations in temperature caused by temperature fluctuations in the hall.

Sick, dead or immobile poultry

Despite all the measures taken to achieve extreme cleanliness, it is very likely that there will be sick, injured or dead birds. However, as the conveyor belt moves forwards continuously, these birds will be moved to the grating at the end of the conveyor belt. Here they will be detected by cameras and motion sensors will inform a central office. The grating is lifted up to remove the affected birds.

If the sick or dead birds are not removed in time, an audio signal is set off. The conveyor belt is halted. The same applies if feathers prevent the chipped corn cobs leaving the belt. The birds are removed before the process of decomposition begins. With reference to figures 3 and 4, the system has a plurality of poultry fattening areas 101.

The system also has a plurality of conveyor systems 105 corresponding to the plurality of poultry fattening areas 101, and a plurality of housings 102 corresponding to the plurality of poultry fattening areas. In particular, in the embodiment shown, each poultry fattening area has a conveyor system 105 and a housing 102. Figures 3 and 4 show the housings 102 stacked on top of each other.

A method for housing poultry will now be described. The method for housing poultry comprises accommodating poultry in a poultry fattening area 101 of the system described above. The chipped corn cobs are heated to provide a pre-heated litter and are fed onto the conveyor belt 1. The conveyor belt 1 delivers the pre-heated litter to the poultry fattening area 101. The conveyor belt 1 is moved forwards at specified intervals and small steps, which depend on the number and size of the poultry in the unit. Whilst the conveyor belt 1 is moving forwards, the chipped corn cobs are added to the conveyor belt automatically and the depth of the cob chip layer can be adjusted as required. A fill level sensor 20 is fitted to the storage container to automatically cover the conveyor belt 1 with chips. If the fill level is too low, the conveyor belt 1 is stopped. The fault is indicated by a signal.

The step of heating chipped corn cobs comprises heating chipped corn cobs to a temperature of about 120°C to about 140°C. In one embodiment, the step of heating chipped corn cobs comprises heating them to a temperature of about 140°C. The chipped corn cobs are heated using infrared radiation. In alternative embodiments, the chipped corn cobs may be heated using other types of heating means. A temperature sensor 23 is used to control the temperature of the heated chipped corn cobs.

The warm chipped corn cobs in the fattening area 101 surround the faeces and dry them. This in turn prevents, or at least substantially inhibits, the formation of gaseous ammonia. The well-being of the poultry to be fattened is increased significantly. The system described herein means that the animals are not walking on wet bedding, and their feathers do not get wet. This in turns means that the animals' heat balance is stable.

In some embodiments, the chipped corn cobs are heated to a temperature that ensures bacteria, salmonella, fungal spores and other pathogens are killed off, or at least substantially inhibits those pathogens. In turn, this ensures that the animals within the capsule are not being infected by the litter, or at least reduces the chances that the animals are infected . In many countries migrating birds are resting on fields or the like, which often leads to risk that straw or other litter are contaminated. In some

embodiments, the chipped corn cobs are heated to a temperature of about 140°C, which cannot be achieved with straw, kindle, peat, etc. Because the chipped corn cobs are strong, little or no dust is generated. The chipped corn cobs are easily burned, together with excrements attached. The chipped corn cobs generate a very high burn temperature.

In one embodiment, the conveyor belt 1 will pass completely through the unit once a day. This means that the conveyor belt 1 is cleaned automatically once a day.

The infrared heaters are preferably used together with a photovoltaic system, which reduce heating costs.

Should the heating system fail for a short period of time, the heat remains in the conveyor belt unit and does not cool down suddenly.

The conveyor belt 1 also removes used chipped corn cobs from the poultry fattening area. The method also comprises recycling at least some of the used chipped corn cobs. This step comprises filtering the used chipped corn cobs to separate re-usable litter from non-reusable chipped corn cobs using the sieve 14. In particular, the faeces from the birds will become covered in chipped corn cobs and will have a larger size than chipped corn cobs that are not covering or adhered to faeces. The corn cob chips that are not covering or adhered to faeces will pass through the sieve 14 and the larger sized faeces/corn cobs will not pass through the sieve 14. The faeces which are covered in chipped corn cobs are dry, or at least substantially dry, and can be used as fertilizer or as heating pellets.

With reference to figures 3 and 4, the method additionally comprises accommodating poultry in two or more poultry fattening areas 101, each fattening area 101 being encased in a corresponding housing 102, and separately ventilating each housing 102.

The method further comprising feeding and/or providing water to the poultry. The system and method described herein are also suitable for organic fattening systems. For example, green fodder and other biological feed, e.g. meal worms, can be fed to the poultry. In addition, automatic operation will significantly reduce the costs for organic businesses.

In contrast to conventional fattening facilities, the system and method described herein allows different types of poultry to be kept in one hall. For example, turkey may be kept in one housing 102 and chicken in another. Using the system and method described herein, the number of dead animals that do not achieve the required weight for slaughtering is reduced significantly. In the case of an infection, e.g. avian influenza (bird flu) it is no longer necessary to cull all the thousands of animals in an entire facility, only those in the affected housing 102. The belt can be sterilised easily.

It will be appreciated that the system and method described herein may be new systems or conventional fattening farms can be refitted with the new system.

If the birds feel comfortable, their weight gain increases which results in good quality meat.

After the removal of those birds which are to be slaughtered, new birds can be introduced into the unit immediately.

The chipped corn cobs are dust-free, or at least substantially dust free. This means that the poultry to be fattened are less likely to suffer from pneumoconiosis (dust in the lungs). The formation of gaseous ammonia is reduced considerably. As a result, the lungs of the animals to be fattened are not damaged.

The small amount of dust means it is possible to use cameras and sensors for the recognition and regulation of temperature in each housing 102. The temperature may be adjusted by the heating system, the ventilation system, or both.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example only and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Method for housing poultry comprising :

a. accommodating poultry in a poultry fattening area;

b. heating litter to provide a pre-heated litter;

c. feeding the pre-heated litter onto a conveyor belt;

d. delivering the pre-heated litter using the conveyor belt to the poultry fattening area; and

e. removing used litter from the poultry fattening area.

2. The method for housing poultry as claimed in 1, further comprising recycling at least some of the used litter.

3. The method for housing poultry as claimed in claim 2, wherein recycling at least some of the used litter comprises filtering the used litter to separate re-usable litter from non-reusable litter.

4. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising accommodating poultry in two or more poultry fattening areas, each fattening area being encased in a corresponding housing, and separately ventilating each housing.

5. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of heating litter comprises heating litter to a temperature of about 120°C to about 140°C.

6. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the step of heating litter comprises heating litter to a temperature of about 140°C.

7. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the step of heating litter comprises heating litter using infrared radiation.

8. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the litter is or comprises chipped corn cobs.

9. The method for housing poultry as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising feeding and/or providing water to the poultry.

10. Method for housing poultry comprising :

a. accommodating poultry in a poultry fattening area;

b. heating litter to provide a pre-heated litter;

c. feeding the pre-heated litter onto a conveyor belt;

d. delivering the pre-heated litter using the conveyor belt to the poultry fattening area;

e. removing used litter from the poultry fattening area; and

f. recycling at least some of the used litter.

11. A poultry housing system comprising :

a. a poultry fattening area;

b. a heating system for heating litter; and

c. a conveyor system adapted to support poultry and deliver fresh litter that has been heated by the heating system to the poultry fattening area and remove used litter from the poultry fattening area.

12. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a filter for filtering the used litter to separate re-usable litter from non-reusable litter.

13. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, further comprising a housing for accommodating the poultry and surrounding the poultry fattening area.

14. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a ventilation system, each housing being ventilated separately from the other housings.

15. The poultry housing system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the conveyor system comprises a conveyor belt with a rough or textured surface.

16. The poultry housing system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising feed and/or water containers.

17. The poultry housing system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the conveyor system comprises a single conveyor belt.

18. The poultry housing system as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 17, comprising two or more poultry fattening areas.

19. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising two or more conveyor systems corresponding to the two or more poultry fattening areas.

20. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 18 or 19, further comprising two or more housings corresponding to the two or more poultry fattening areas.

21. The poultry housing system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the two or more housings are stacked on top of each other.

22. A poultry housing system comprising :

a. a poultry fattening area;

b. a heating system for heating litter;