GB2141614A - Cattle crush - Google Patents

Abstract

A crush has fitted thereto head clamping means comprising a neck restrainer (13) to limit the upward movement achievable by an animal's head when located in neck-engaging means and a nose restrainer (14) to be engaged around the animal's nose to prevent downward and side-to-side movements of the animal's head. The neck restrainer (13) is a downwardly arcuate shaped bar (15) carried at the lower end of a vertically-adjustable rod (16) biased to an out-of-use position and movable to an in-use position to be there engaged and held by a bolt. The nose restrainer (14) is a shaft incorporating a ring (22) the shaft being securable to a mounting (23) swivable about an upright axis whereby the shaft can be swung into a position to engage around the animal's nose and be there secured. The ring (22) is lined or padded to prevent injury to the animal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cattle crushes This invention relates to a cattle crush which is an elongate cage-like structure into which bovine animals can be manouvred in turn and in which when the animal is secured against movement lengthwise of the structure, various treatments or operations can be performed.

The structure has two spaced-longitudinal sides defining a passage therebetween and a release gate at the exit end thereof. Incorpor ated into said release gate or provided inwardly thereof are means to engage around the animal's neck with the head extending forwardly thereof. Two similar rovvs of positioning anchorages are provided one each at opposite locations on the two longitudinal sides remote from the release gate, the anchorages being paired off and between corresponding pairs of anchorages, a cross-bar is locatable, the location of which being determined by the length of the animal and the particular pair of anchorages used being such that the cross-bar abuts against the rump of the animal. When the animal is located in a cattle crush, with the neck-engagement means in position, the animal can still move his head from side-to-side and up-and-down.The invention is also applicable to weigh crushes, that is cattle crushes having a weighing mechanism. Hereinafter in the specification and claims, a cattle crush above-described will be referred to as "a crush of the type stated".

A particularly recent development in animal welfare is an ear implanting technique. To enable an operation using this technique to be performed on an animal, the animal's head must be kept as stationary as possible. With the existing cattle crushes, this means that the operation requires two people, one to restrain head movement of the animal (which is extremely difficult), and the other to perform the operation. The longer the operation takes, the more stressed the animal becomes. An object of the present invention is to provide means to restrain head movement of an animal thereby enabling. for example an ear implanting operation to be performed by one person.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of making stationary the head of an animal located in a crush of the type stated with its neck in the neckengaging means, the method consisting of the step of providing head clamping means comprising a neck restrainer to limit the upward movement achievable by an animal's head in said neck-engaging means and a nose restrainer to be engaged around the animal's nose to prevent downward and side-to-side movements of the animal's head.

In further accordance with the present invention, there is provided a crush of the type stated having fitted thereto head clamping means comprising a neck restrainer to limit the upward movement achievable by an animal's head when located in neck-engaging means and a nose restrainer to be engaged around the animal's nose to prevent dowr- ward and side-to-side movements of the animal's head.

Preferably, the neck restrainer is a bar carried at the lower end of a vertically-adjustable rod, a movement mechanism of said rod comprising a lever biased to an upper position and movable to a lower position to be there engaged and held by a bolt.

Preferably also, the nose restrainer is a shaft incorporating a ring interposed between its ends, the shaft being securable to a mounting swivable about an upright axis whereby the shaft can be swung into a position to engage around the animal's nose and when so located, can be secured in one of several positions depending on the tightness required of the nose restrainer of the animal. The ring is preferably lined or padded to prevent injury to the animal.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a crush of the type stated having provided thereon head clamping means according to the present invention; Figures 2A and 2B are perspective views respectively of two parts of a neck restrainer; Figure 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a nose restrainer; Referring to the drawings. a crush of the type stated is provided in which neck-engaging means is provided at 10 separately and rearwardly of the release gate 11, and that part 1 2 of one longitudinal side between the gate 11 and neck-engaging means is hinged and can be swung out of position to gain access to the animal's head.

Head clamping means for use with said neck engaging means comprises a neck restrainer 1 3 and a nose restrainer 14. The neck restrainer 1 3 is provided just forwardly of the neck-engaging means in the direction of the release gate 11 and comprises a neckengaging bar 1 5 of downwardly arcuate shape carried symmetrically at the lower end of a vertically-adjustable rod 1 6 journalled in an upright sleeve 1 7. The movement mechanism of said rod 1 6 comprises a compound lever 1 8 fulcrummed at a pivotal connection 1 9 with the structure and extending forwardly towards the release gate 11, the rod 1 6 being pivoted at its upper end thereto.The lever 1 8 is biased to an upper position as shown. A bolt 20 is mounted on the structure and is spring-biased to an outer locking position. The outer end of the bolt is sloped. A ramp is provided under the lever whereby, when the lever is pulled down, the bolt engages and rides up the ramp to engage behind the lever so to hold it in its lowered position against its biasing.

The nose restrainer 14 comprises a shaft 21 incorporating a ring 22 interposed between its end. A tubular mounting 23 is provided consisting of a sleeve mounted for rotational movement around an upright tubular member 24 of the non-hinged side of the structure, the sleeve 23 having a tubular branch 25 at right angles thereto. The mounting 23 is swivable between an out-of-use position in which the branch axis lies parallel to the longitudinal side, and an in-use position in which the branch extends across the passage. One end of the shaft 21 is fitted into the branch 25 in said latter position and with the plane in which the ring lies at a determined angular attitude to the horizontal, is locked in position by a cottar pin or the like engaging aligned holes in the branch 25 and shaft 21.The animal's nose is fitted into the ring 22, at least the inside and edges of which are lined or padded, for example by wrapping with rope, to prevent injury, and the other end of the shaft is passed between two apertured arms 26 of a bifurcated end of a bar 27 pivoted to the hinged side. The shaft 21 is pressed against the animal's nose and a pin 28 is passed through a pair of apertures on the outside of the shaft 21 so as to prevent outward movement of the shaft 21.

For use of the head clamp means, an animal is manouvred into the crush, the neckengaging means are activated, the cross-bar (not shown) positioned, the release gate 11 then opened and the part 1 2 of the side swung open. The neck-restrainer 1 3 is lowered and bolted as above-described and the shaft 21 fitted and pinned to the branch 25 of the mounting 23 and swivelled for the ring 22 to enage the animal's nose and then the shaft 21 is pinned at 28 to the bar 27 to prevent movement thereof.The operation is performed, and then the reverse sequence of steps is enacted i.e. nose restrainer removed from the animal's nose and disconnected from the mounting which is then swung to an outof-use position, the lever of the neck restrainer unbolted to allow the bar to be moved up under the influence of the biasing, the part 1 2 of the side swung shut and then the release gat 11 closed. To release the animal the neckengaging means is removed and the release gate 11 opened to allow the animal to walk from the crush. The gate 11 is then closed, and cross-bar removed ready for the next animal.

When both the neck restrainer 1 3 and nose restrainer 14 are in use, the animal cannot move its head and therefore an operation like ear implanting can be accomplished by one person. Due to the consequential shortness in performing the peration, and no wrestling with the animal to hold steady its head, as little stress as possible is caused to the animal.

Claims (7)

1. A method of making stationary the head of an animal located in a crush of the type stated with its neck in the neck-engaging means, the method consisting of the step of providing head clamping means comprising a neck restrainer to limit the upward movement achievable by an animal's head in said neckengaging means and a nose restrainer to be engaged around the animal's nose to prevent downward side-to-side movements of the animal's head.

2. A crush of the type stated having fitted thereto head clamping means comprising a neck restrainer to limit the upward movement achievable by an animal's head when located in neck engaging means and a nose restrainer to be engaged around the animal's nose to prevent downward and side-to-side movements, of the animal's head.

3. A crush as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the neck restrainer is a bar carried at the lower end of a vertically-adjustable rod with a movement mechanism of said rod comprising a lever biased to an upper position and movable to a lower position to be there engaged and held by a bolt.

4. A crush as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein the nose restrainer is a shaft incorporating a ring, interposed between its ends, the shaft being securable to a mounting swivable about an upright axis whereby the shaft can be swung into a position to engage around the animal's nose and when so located, can be secured in one of several positions depending on the tightness required of the nose restrainer of the animal.

5. A crush as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the ring is lined or padded to prevent injury to the animal.

6. A method of making stationary the head of an animal substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

7. A crush of the type stated substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.