US3097625A - Sanitary floors for animals - Google Patents

Description

Y July 16, 1963 A. H. slEvERs 3,097,625-

SANITARY FLOORS FOR ANIMALS Filed sept. 13, 19Go 2 sheets-sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,097,625 SANITARY FLOORS FOR ANIMALS Albert H. Sievers, Rte. 1, Fielden, Ill. Filed Sept. 13, 1960, Ser. No. 55,693 4 Claims. (Cl. 119-15) This invention relates generally to livestock equipment and more particularly -to a self-cleaning -feeding floor designed to be employed with hogs.

In most hog pens, an open area is provided in which the hogs can wallow in the mud or such. This area is generally refer-red -to as a loaiing .area and -is most often kept extremely damp. A second area referred to as a sleeping area is also generally provided with means in said sleeping area for covering the area to protect the hogs from rain and wind. Further, .of course, feeders are disposed in the pen in the form of troughs for permitting the hogs to eat therefrom. Often, the feeders are of the self-service type with automatic means being provided 'for dispensing the feed into the trough. It is of course desirable to include means in the pen for facilitating the removal of manure, etc. In view of this, it is the principal object of `this invention to provide a novelly arranged feeding floor for hogs which may -be more easily and quickly cleaned than heretofore known oors.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel feeding floor for hogs wherein the portions thereof are so arranged that when water is dispensed thereon, the water will ow, carrying the manure and debris therealong, into a centrally disposed sewer trench. The sewer trench communicates with a pit, spreader, or creek.

It is a still more particular object of this invention to provide a novel feedingy iloor for hogs which is relatively simple in construction and design but which permits and facilitates the simple -and easy cleaning `of the feeding floor. The construction shown herein, ybeing substantially simple in design, is relatively inexpensive to employ with the economic saving in labor involved in cleaning clearly warranting the use of the invention.

These together with other objects and `advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE l is a top plan view of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane 2--2 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane 3-3 of FIGURE l.

Continuing reference is now made to the drawings wherein numeral generally represents the feeding floor construction including a pair of spaced loaiing floor sections 12 and 14. The sections 12 and 14 are spaced by a sewer trough 16. A fence 18 separates the sewer trough 16 from the loang floor section 1.2 while fence 20 separates the sewer trough 16 from loang floor section 14. Although the dimensions of the invention are not critical, exemplary dimensions will be mentioned herein for the purpose of fully disclosing an operative embodiment of the invention. It is suggested that each of the loafing floor sections 12 and 14 be 10 feet in width with the sections having a slope or drop of 1 foot in the l() feet width. The sewer trough 16 should he 2 feet wide and l foot deep and should gradually slope toward one end of the feeding floor. Particularly noting FIGURE 2, it -will be appreciated that the oor -of the trench 16 slopes downwardly to the left and terminally communicates with an enclosed pit 22. It is contemplated Ithat the trench could communicate with a pit, spreader, or creek for the purpose of carrying manure and debris away.

3,097,625 Patented July 16., 1963 ICC A shut-off gate 24 is provided with upper handle 26 and a lower valve portion 28 which conforms in size to the cross-section of the sewer trench. The shut-off gate 24 is mounted at the end of the fences 18 and 20 for vertical sliding movement into or out of the trench 16. When the gate 24 assumes a lowered position, of course, communication is blocked between the trench 16 and the pit 22. When however the gate is raised to the position shown in FIGURE 2, Water and debris in the sewer tren-ch 16 may flow into the pit 22.

Formed contiguous with the loaling floor sections 12 and 14 are sleeping door sections 30 and 32. The sleeping floor sections 30 and 32 are each 8 feet in width land drop l inch in that 8 feet toward the loaling floor sections 12 and 14 for the purpose of keeping out dust or moisture. The sleeping floor sections 30 and 32 are closed at their ends Iby walls 34 .and -at their sides by Walls 36. The upper edges of the walls 34 slope downwardly toward the sewer trench 16. Supported on the upper edge o-f wall 34 is a roof portion 38. The walls 34 an-d 36 and roof 3S comprise a shed covering the sleeping floors 30 and 32. The shed is 3 feet high adjacent the junction between the loang and sleeping oors `and is 5 feet high at the side wall 36. Carried beneath the roof 38 at the forward edge thereof is a pipe 40 perforated at 42. An appropriate valve 44 is operatively disposed therein. The perforations in the pipe 40 are directed toward the loang oor 12. It will therefore be appreciated that by proper manipulation of the valve 44, water may be dispensed from the pipe 40 through the perforates 42 onto the Loafing oors 12 and 14. Due to the slope o-f the loaiing oors 12 and 14, the water will carry manure and debris into the sewer trench 16. If the shutoff gate is initially in the lowermost vertical position, the trench 16 is closed, thereby preventing flow of water from the trench 16. As the shut-off gate 24 on the lower end of the trench hold-s back the water the full length of the trench, the trench iills up with manure and debris which then may flow out together with the water into the pit 22 when the Shut-olf gate is elevated.

Beside the sheds `formed over each of the sleeping oors 30 and 32, a shed 50 similar to the sheds over the sleeping floors 30 and 32 is provided 'at the ends of the loang floors 12 and 14. 'I'he shed 50 includes side wall 52 and end wall 54. A roof 56 slopes from the end wall 54 toward the sewer trench 16. Within the shed 50 is disposed a llloor 58 in which is disposed a `feeder trough 60. It will be noted that access may be had to the feeder 60 from either of the loating lioors 12 or 14. If desired, a yfence may be extended from the end of the trough 60 to the fences 18 and 20 for completely separating the hogs in one area of the arrange ment from t-he hogs in the other portion.

Each of the sleeping floors 30 and 32 is provided with supplement feeders 62 and '64 respectively. Moreover, each of the sleeping floors 30 and 32 may be divided into individual pens or such by partitions 66 as shown particularly in FIGURE l.

A11 of the floor portions of the invention are formed of concrete with the shed roof and walls Aformed of any satisfactory material. In use, the loang floors 12 and 14 are normally kept wet for providing a place for the hogs to wallow. However, when it rains or such, the hogs will retire to the sleeping floors 30 and 32. In order to clean the manure and such from the loafing floors 12 and 14, water is dispensed from the pipes 40 and directed upon the loafing floors 12 and 14 to carry manure and debris into the sewer trench 16. As noted previously, by proper manipulation of the shut-off gate 24, the water and manure may be held in the trench 16 until -it iills up along the length thereof and then the water and floating manure may be released into the pit 3 Z2. It will be appreciated that the loang floors 12 and 14 are not provided with any roof or covering. The sheds over the sleeping floors 30 .and 32 and over the self-service feeder 60 provide the protection from wind and rain.

The fences 18 and 20 along the open sewer trench can be utilized to keep hogs in different bunches segregating them perhaps on the basis of the type of feed employed in feeders 62 and 64, The same floor and shed can be used to lfarrow sows by putting one gate in the shed and one from the shed to the sewer trench fence to keep each sow separate. Moreover, the lower ends of the loang floors 12 and 14 adjacent the shut-off gate 24 may be closed by a fence 70.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desi-red to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A self-cleaning feeding floor comprising a pair of loafing floor sections, an open sewer trench disposed between said sections, each of said sections sloped toward said trench, and means spaced vertically above said sections for discharging Huid into said sections for carrying debris on said sections into said trench, and sleeping oor sections disposed immediately adjacent said loaiing iioor sections remote from said trench, and shed means mounted around said sleeping floor sections, said shed means including a closed roof, side, and end walls, said roof sloped toward said trench, said fluid discharge means including a perforated pipe secured to said roof above the junction between said sleeping and loang floor sections and directed toward said loang oor section.

2. A self-cleaning oor comprising a loang floor section, an open sewer trench disposed 1along one edge of said section, said section sloping toward said trench, means spaced vertically above said section Ifor discharging fluid into said section for carrying debris on said section into said trench, a sleeping floor section disposed immediately adjacent said loaiing oor section remote from said trench, and shed means mounted `around said sleeping floor section, said shed means including a closed roof, sides, and end walls, said roof sloped toward said trench, said iluid discharge means including a perforated pipe secured to said `roof above the junction between said sleeping and loating oor sections and directed toward said loang oor section.

3. A sanitary oor for animals comprising a sloping iioor section, an open sewer trench disposed `at the lower edge lof said sloping Hoor section, said sewer trench sloping from one end of said lower edge to the other end, iluid discharging means positioned above the upper edge of said sloping floor section, a disposal means located Iadjacent ythe lower end of the sloping sewer trench whereby uid ldischarged at the upper edge of the tioor section will wash sewage down the floor section into the trench and down the trench into the disposal means so as to maintain the proper sanitary condition, a movable shut-off gate disposed at the lower end of said trench selectively permitting 4.or preventing flow from said sewer trench so as to allow `for a ushing thereof, and an -animal excluding fence along the 4open sewer trench separating said trench from the sloping floor section.

4. A self-cleaning feeding floor comprising a pair of loaiing floor sections, an open sewer trench disposed between said sections, each of said sections sloped toward said trench, and means spaced vertically above said sections for discharging uid into said sections for carrying debris on said sections into said trench, sleeping floor `sections disposed immediately Iadjacent the loating floor sections remote from said trench, shed means mounted around said sleeping iioor sections, said shed means including a closed roof, side, vand end walls, and an animal excluding fence along each side of the open sewer trench separating the trench from the adjoining oor sections.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,842 Makowski Sept. l1, 1906 880,700 Turney Mar. 3, 1908 2,437,210 Riebli Mar. 2, 1948 2,499,174 Turner Feb. 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 164,382 Austria Nov. 10, 1949

Claims (1)

1. A SELF-CLEANING FEEDING FLOOR COMPRISING A PAIR OF LOAFING FLOOR SECTIONS, AN OPEN SEWER TRENCH DISPOSDED BETWEEN SAID SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS SLOPED TOWARD SAID TRENCH, AND MEANS SPACED VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID SECTIONS FOR DISCHARGING FLUID INTO SAID SECTIONS FOR CARRYING DEBRIS ON SAID SECTIONS INTO SAID TRENCH, AND SLEEPING FLOOR SECTIONS DISPOSED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT SAID LOAFING FLOOR SECTIONS REMOTE FROM SAID TRENCH, AND SHED MEANS MOUNTED AROUND SAID SLEEPING FLOOR SCTIONS, SAID SHED MEANS INCLUDING A CLOSED ROOF, SAID, AND END WALLS, SAID ROOF SLOPED TOWARD SAID TRENCH, SAID FLUID DISCHARGE MEANS INCLUDING A PERFORATED PIPE SECURED TO SAID ROOF ABOVE THE JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID SLEEPING AND LOAFING FLOOR SECTIONS AND DIRECTED TOWARD SAID LOAFING FLOOR SECTION.

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