WO2009052829A1

WO2009052829A1 - A free stall divider and an animal positioning member

Info

Publication number: WO2009052829A1
Application number: PCT/DK2008/050172
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tommy Wollesen
Original assignee: Cow-Shopping A/S
Priority date: 2007-10-22
Filing date: 2008-07-04
Publication date: 2009-04-30

Abstract

A free stall divider for a free stall stable for cows comprising a rod (3, 4) having a free end(31) and an opposite end(32), which opposite end is attached to a mounting means (8) adapted for being fixed to a structural element (2a) of a free stall of said stable, the free stall divider further comprising a spring joint (16) at said opposite end such that said rod is pivotable about said spring joint relative to said mounting means.

Description

A free stall divider and an animal positioning member

Field of the invention

The invention relates to free stalls for farm animals, such as cows. In particular the invention relates in a first aspect to a free stall divider for a free stall stable for cows. In another aspect the invention relates to an animal positioning member for placing at the neck region of a farm animal to prevent the farm animal from moving forward in a free stall. The invention also relates to a stable for cows comprising the free stall divider and/or the animal positioning member.

Prior art

Stables for farm animals, e.g. cows, are typically divided into a number of stalls for farm animals with a stall floor where the farm animals may stand separately to sleep. Each stall is open at the end to al- low the farm animal to enter the stall while it is closed at the other end. The farm animals each enter their separate stalls to sleep. In such a stable where the farm animals are allowed to move freely and enter the stall at their own volition the stall may be referred to as a "free stall". Generally the conditions for the farm animals in such stables, at present time are so unsatisfactory that the trade is suffering from a bad reputation with the general public.

These and several other significant reasons speak for the need to improve the animal welfare when they are standing in the stalls. Animal welfare is important in its own right, but also it is of interest to the farmer that the cows are healthy and in good condition to maximise production of milk. It is therefore particularly desirable to seek to avoid infections and that the farm animals are injured in other ways. Infections lead to a considerably decreased milk production and the mortality of the farm animals increases. Fractures and other injuries may also lead to a decreased milk production and a loss of farm animals. Finally, there is also an increase in the expenses for therapeutically treating the animals. There is furthermore commonly very large relative numbers of animals having to be removed from stocks with the presently employed stalls, which is particularly relevant for large stocks of farm animals. Thus, a healthy stock is important since it will both improve the milk production and also minimise expenses to the farmer. A free stall for a farm animal may be described as a booth for a single animal into which it may enter via a rear end of the stall. The free stall will have a well-defined front end or head, which may or may not be adjacent to a feed bin accessible to a cow in the free stall. Typical free stalls employed at present will also comprise a stanchion or transverse bar (e.g. a generally horizontal bar, cross-stanchion or the like) preventing the farm animal from exiting the free stall at the head of the stall. When several free stalls are comprised in a stable, the stalls will be sideways delimited using e.g. a divider. Behind the row of free stalls an excrement receiving gutter, or the like, will be located. It is of interest to both the cow and the farmer that the floor of the stalls can be kept dry and free of excrements.

In order to retain the individual farm animal in the free stall a so-called animal positioning member is typically placed at the head of the stall, and likewise at the sides of the stall so-called free stall dividers are placed.

An animal positioning member is a device that prevents the farm animal from proceeding beyond a certain point. The purpose of the animal positioning member is thus to prevent the occurrence of excrements in the stall by ensuring that the farm animal proceeds exactly so far into the stall that its rear end is above the excrement receiving gutter behind the stall. This is important as excrements in the stall complicate cleaning and increase the risk of infection drastically, and likewise bad sanitation around the udder increases the need for cleaning before milking and may yield a lower milk quality. A free stall divider is a device forming a sideways division between two free stalls for animals. The free stall divider prevents the farm animals from stepping into each other's stalls. A free stall divider typically consists of iron or steel rods that may be positioned at leg height relative to an appropriately sized animal standing in the stall. The free stall divider exemplified in DE 2929513 corresponds to the presently commonly employed types. It consists, as illustrated in Fig. 1 of DE 2929513, of a U-shaped member having an upper and a lower horizontal bar, which are parallel to each other and fixed to a vertical post con- nected to the stable floor; the U-shaped end of the divider, the 'bottom' of the U, is pointing away from the animal positioning member. Such free stall dividers will have sufficient strength and rigidity not to yield should a cow lean against it or impinge on it when moving about in the stall. The U-shaped member will therefore often be constructed from steel tubes of up to 5 cm diameter.

If a farm animal in the described stall attempts to move to the side, the stall dividers will stop it. If the farm animal attempts to move forward, the back of its neck will engage the animal positioning member and likewise stop it. For a cow to yield an optimal production of milk it should spend approximately 80% of the time lying down, and the remaining time will mainly be spend eating. It is therefore important that cows have a clean and dry place to lie down. A cow always rises first on its front knees and then lifts its hindquarters, but when the farm animal lays down to sleep, it will often lay itself with its hindquarters beneath the divider. The physiology of cows and other farm animals must be considered when constructing free stalls so that the animal may rise from a lying position to a standing with minimal discomfort to the animal and especially without risk of injury. However, when the animal rises from a lying position with its hindquarters beneath the free stall divider it may therefore be injured because its hindquarters impinges on the stall divider. Thereby the animal may fracture a leg or its back and may receive internal injuries. In a stable with such stalls a large part of the animals will further suffer from deformations of thighs and hindquarters. The animals will therefore be impaired walking, not go to the feeding zone so often, loose weight and thereby decrease their milk production to a point where they must be slaughtered. Likewise, it is important that the animal positioning member does not cause discomfort or pose a risk of neck injuries to the cow when it rises from a lying position. After rising on its front knees, as discussed above, the cow will push its head and shoulders upwards using its front legs in a somewhat abrupt move to reach a standing position. During this abrupt move the cow has few options to change its direction and will inevitably impinge the back of its neck on anything placed above it insufficiently high above the ground, such as an animal positioning member designed to engage the back of the neck of a cow standing in the stall.

The presently most commonly employed animal positioning members and free stall dividers are typically made from straight, rigid rods of galvanized iron. The animal positioning member typically consists of a single iron rod, which is fastened at perhaps an elevation of one meter between a free stall divider on each side of the stall (i.e. below the height of the back of the neck of a standing cow). The stalls are thus arranged in rows with the sides facing each other, and they are often ar- ranged in double rows where a farm animal can stand on each side of the animal positioning members with their heads facing each other.

A major problem with the known animal positioning members described above is that the neck region of the farm animal may be damaged considerably when the animal attempts to move forward out of the stall. This may for example occur when new animals are included in the stock. In this instance the new animal will typically be afraid of the older leading cows and it will run forcibly forward in the stall to get away. The animal may thus be squeezed and break its neck or back after which it will be necessary to slaughter the animal. But also when occupying the stall normally, the animal may unintentionally hit the back of its neck hard against the animal positioning member. Since the back of the neck of the animal will hit the animal positioning member at approximately one point, a bump will commonly appear at this point. This bump from time to time develops into a boil, which in turn may develop into a wound. And formation of wounds often leads to inflammatory infection with the consequent disadvantages mentioned above.

In summary, a free stall must be designed so that it can be kept clean and dry and free from contamination from cow excrement; to this end free stalls are fitted with dividers keeping the cow correctly oriented with its head in the front end, where the back of its neck will engage an animal positioning member ensuring that it keeps its rear end above the excrement receiving gutter. However, the currently employed free stalls create a risk of injury to the cows when they attempt to rise in the stall as they may impinge on the hard and rigid free stall divider and the animal positioning member, and they may also receive injuries to the neck region if they attempt to move forward out of the stall, e.g. upon being frightened.

These problems have been recognised previously, as shown by the documents discussed below.

DE 2929513 describes an animal positioning member for a stall for farm animals. The animal positioning member is attached to a pivo- table arm, so that the member is pivotable around a horizontal axis. The member has a lower position above the stall floor defined by a support, on which the member may rest. The upper position above the stall floor is defined by a stopper means preventing the pivotable arm from moving beyond a certain angle.

The animal positioning member of DE 2929513 is, however, dependent on a stall divider constructed from a rigid material serving as the support defining the lower extreme position. An animal in a stall equipped with this animal positioning member and the necessary stall divider will still be at risk of injury upon rising from the floor due to the hard and rigid nature of the stall divider, as is described above.

The system of DE 2929513 does not bring the skilled person any closer to reducing the risk of injuries to cows in a stall as described in DE 2929513.

US 2007/0006817 describes a free stall divider comprising a divider member configured to be cantilever mounted to a structural member, the divider member being configured to extend from the structural member in a rearward direction, so that the divider member may at least partially define a free stall. The divider member may be a generally straight rod or tube with one end fixed to the structural member and a free end. The divider may be configured to extend in the rearward and upward direction, for example 10-50° relative to horizontal. The divider member generally has a core of a fibreglass rod, although materials such as steel, aluminium, composite, or plastics are also contemplated.

A divider member of the design of US 2007/0006817 may minimise the risk of injury to cows when rising from the floor of the stall, since the construction materials used can be flexible and elastic. However, the inventor of the present invention has discovered that as the divider member is fixed in one end the member will be, despite being made from a putatively flexible and elastic material, at large risk of breaking upon bending the divider member, especially near the struc- tural member to which it is mounted. Breakage of the divider member has the obvious disadvantage that the broken divider member needs replacement. Furthermore, the fracture may create sharp shards or pieces that may scatter on the floor of the stall, or even worse leave sharp pieces still attached to the structural member. Scattered shards or sharp edges protruding from the structural member impose a crucial risk to the cow of receiving severe cuts or other wounds. US 2007/0006817 suggests surrounding the rod of the divider member with a removal sheath to prevent the problem of splinters created from breakage. However, even if the divider member does not break the member may be left in a tense state when pressed down by a cow due to the weight of the cow and breakage is not completely avoided. Upon release from the tense state the member may lash back potentially hitting the cow in the stall or in a neighbouring stall with force. The mounting of the divider member on the structural member further complicates cleaning of a barn in which the stalls are installed. The stalls must be cleaned individually, or the divider members must be dismantled from the structural members before cleaning the floor.

Aim

On this basis it is the aim of the present invention to provide a free stall divider and an animal positioning member that will minimise the risk that a farm animal is injured against either the free stall divider or the animal positioning member when it is standing in a free stall, when it rises from or lays itself in a lying position in the free stall, or when it moves about in the free stall.

Disclosure

In order to reach this aim the invention provides a free stall divider for a free stall stable for cows comprising a rod having a free end and an opposite end, which opposite end is attached to a mounting means adapted for being fixed to a structural element of a free stall of said stable, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by further comprising a spring joint at said opposite end such that said rod is pivotable about said spring joint relative to said mounting means. The rod of the free stall divider preferably has a length corresponding to the farm animal for which the free stall is designed. Thus, the length of a free stall divider for a cow will be around the length of a cow. The diameter and weight of the rod like- wise preferably correspond to the animal of the stall, so that e.g. free stall dividers for cows will be thicker and heavier than free stall dividers for sheep. For cows a diameter of around 2-5 cm is usually appropriate. The free stall divider is preferably constructed so that the spring joint is such that said rod can pivot at least 45°, preferably at least 70°, more preferably at least 90°, about said spring joint relative to said mounting means.

In one embodiment the free stall divider comprises mounting means comprising a hinge with a first hinge part hingedly connected to a second hinge part, said first hinge part being secured to said opposite end of said rod, said second hinge part comprising means for being fixed to said structural element. In this embodiment the hinge allows the rod to be lifted vertically upwards with little force, whereas forces to move the rod downwards will be decided by the spring joint and the flexibility and elasticity of the rod. Thus, when a cow attempts to rise from a lying position with e.g. its hindquarters beneath the rod of the free stall divider the upwards movement of the rod causes little or no hindrance to the cow. However, when the cow lays itself down from a standing position the resistance to moving the rod will cause the cow to notice the rod, and thereby the cow will be nudged to lie down occupying only its own free stall. In a further embodiment the spring joint comprises a first end secured to said rod and a second end abutting said second hinge part, said spring joint preferably comprising a helical spring protruding from the end of the rod. In this embodiment moving the rod vertically upwards causes even less resistance. In either of the embodiments described it will be clear that when the rod is lifted upwards and then re- released, it will move back to a relaxed position, either due to the spring or the effect of gravity on the rod. The structural element of a free stall to which the mounting means is fixed may advantageously be attached to a floor of said free stall. By having the structural element attached to the floor of the free stable several advantages may be obtained. In particular, the rod may be pivotable between an upper extreme position in which said rod abuts said structural member and a lower extreme position in which said rod abuts said floor, preferably said free stall is adapted to retain said rod in said upper extreme position, e.g. with the aid of a retainment means, such as a bar, hook or the like, or due to the force of gravity acting on the rod. When the rod has an upper extreme position in which it may be retained, cleaning and general maintenance of the stable containing the free stall will be facilitated. Thus, for cleaning the stable floor the rods of free stall dividers in the stable will be lifted to their upper extreme position and be retained there allowing free access for even large cleaning equipment to the floor. The retainment means may be connected to the structural element and may comprise a hook or a bar. Either type may be flexibly or rigidly attached to the structural element. For example, a hook may be attached via a laterally flexible shaft so that the hook may be moved to interlock the rod, or a hook may be rigidly attached relying on the flexibility of the rod to interlock the rod. The upper extreme posi- tion of the rod may also be reached by pivoting the rod vertically upwards beyond a vertical position so that the force of gravity will retain the rod in its upper extreme position until it is manually removed from this position.

In one embodiment the spring joint of the free stall divider de- fines a relaxed position for said rod corresponding to an angle of <90° to vertical. In this way the rod will be more easily noticed by a cow entering the free stall, and the free stall divider will function better to delimit the side of the free stall. Furthermore, with the rod in this angle in its re- laxed position it will be less likely that a cow in the free stall will lie down on the rod.

The rod may also advantageously comprise a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, a rubber or a carbon fibre material, preferably said rod comprises a core of carbon fibre surrounded by a sheath of said flexible material. The material may furthermore be elastic as well as being flexible. A flexible and elastic rod is particularly advantageous when the mounting means comprises a hinge, and it will, in addition to the vertical flexibility caused by the spring joint, further allow the rod to be displaced sideways relative to the mounting means. This sideways flexibility will increase the comfort of a cow in a free stall whether it is rising up or getting down or simply stepping to the side when standing. It is especially advantageous that a flexible material will minimise the risk of injury when the cow impinges on the rod.

A free stall will typically comprise a free stall divider at each side of the free stall. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, a second free stall divider, similar to a first free stall divider, is provided at a distance corresponding to the width of a cow, each free stall divider being fixed to a structural element such as to form a free stall between them. Each free stall divider may be attached to each their vertically arranged post of said structural element by means of said respective mounting means. When each of the free stall dividers is attached to a separately arranged post, the width of the free stall may easily be adjusted by moving the posts closer to or further away from each other. For this purpose a footplate is connected to each of a bottom end of each said posts, said foot- plate having fastening means, such as bolt holes, e.g. 4, for being re- leasably fastened to a stable floor. The posts and the footplates may be manufactured from metal, and said posts and footplates may be welded together. The stable floor may comprise sets of bolt holes corresponding to those of each footplate, so that the distance between the posts may be modified incrementally according to a predetermined pattern defined by the distance between the sets of boltholes on the stable floor.

In one embodiment, the mounting means of each said free stall divider are adjustable in a height direction, preferably said mounting means each comprises a plate with at least one bolt hole, said structural element having a number of corresponding, vertically distributed bolt holes. The bolt holes on the mounting means may be arranged in sets, with corresponding sets of bolt holes on the structural element. The pattern of bolt holes on the structural element will correspond to the typical variation in size of a stock of cows, so that the positioning of the free stall divider may be adjusted according to the individual member of the stock of cows.

The free stall divider of the invention may also be arranged in sets to define double free stalls in which two farm animals may be posi- tioned with their heads facing each other. In this embodiment, oppositely to said first and second free stall dividers discussed above, third and fourth similar free stall dividers are fixed to said structural element such as to form an opposite free stall between them such that the four free stall dividers define a double stall adapted for two cows to be posi- tioned head-to-head. A double free stall will typically be constructed such that the opposite free stalls are of the same width. However, the height positioning of the free stall dividers need not be the same for the opposite free stalls.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an animal positioning member for attachment to a structural element of a free stall for a stable for cows, comprising two fitting means, each being adapted for being fixed to respective vertical posts of a structural element of said free stall, a first and a second arm, each arm near respective first ends being pivo- tably attached to a respective fitting means so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis, an abutment member for abutting onto the back of a neck of an animal moving forward in said free stall and having two ends, each of said two ends of said abutment member being attached to a respective second end of each said first and second arms, said pivot axis being positioned such as to divide each arm into a first arm part and a second arm part, said second part extending in a direction extending oppositely from said abutment member, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that at least one of said fitting means has a stopper means, said second part of at least one of said arms abutting said stopper means when pivoting downwards such as to stop said arm in a lower extreme position.

The animal positioning member thus comprises an abutment member serving to correctly locate an animal in the free stall. When a farm animal, for example a cow, with its head bent downwards enters a free stall fitted with an animal positioning member according to the in- vention, the back of its neck will thus impinge on the surface arranged to abut the back of the neck of the farm animal; it may for example involve a tubular surface. As the farm animal steps forward in the free stall, it will thus stop when it reaches the abutment member. If the abutment member is placed in an appropriate position, it is ensured that the ani- mal stands or lies correctly in the stall so that excrement is delivered correctly into the excrement receiving gutter.

When the animal engages the abutment member, it will pivot the animal positioning member about its pivot axis. The pivot axis is positioned to divide each arm into a first arm part and a second arm part, which allows adjustment of the force necessary to lift the abutment member by modifying the mass of the first arm part and the abutment member relative to the second arm part. If the farm animal, e.g. when it rises, forcibly hits the abutment member, the member will pivot upwards and thereby yield. The weight of the animal positioning member may thus be adjusted to minimise wear on the back of the neck of the farm animal, and thus far fewer or no injuries will occur to the farm animal. If the farm animal is startled and runs forcibly forward in the free stall, the abutment member, if positioned appropriately, will, being part of the pivotable member, pivot upwards and allow the farm animal to run through. In this situation also injuries to the farm animal are minimised and it may be avoided completely that the animal breaks its neck or back and must be slaughtered.

A lower extreme position is defined by a stopper means on the fitting so that when the second part of at least one of said arms abuts the stopper means when pivoting downwards, the arm will stop in the lower extreme position. Thereby the stopper means may be located behind the pivot axis seen from the point of view of a cow entering the stall, and the stopper means will thus not be accessible to the cow. Thereby it can be prevented that the cow will receive cuts, wounds or other injuries by impinging its head on the stopper means. The lower extreme position will be as is appropriate for an animal matching the size of the free stall, but will typically be such that the arm of the animal positioning member is approximately horizontal. It may also be slightly above or below horizontal, such as up to 10° away from horizontal.

In a further embodiment the at least one of said fitting means comprises a second stopper means defining an upper extreme position for said abutment member relative to said structural element when said first part of said arm abuts said second stopper means, and preferably a retainment means, such as a hook or bar, said abutment member being adapted to be retained in said upper extreme position by the aid of said retainment means.

The second stopper means defining the upper extreme position for the abutment member will prevent that the arms of the animal posi- tioning member are pivoted beyond a point where the abutment member can no longer fulfil its purpose in the free stall. The second stopper means may be coincident with the stopper means defining the lower extreme position. When the animal positioning member is retained in the upper extreme position by the retainment means, cleaning and general maintenance of the free stall is facilitated since such retainment allow access to the free stall for even large cleaning equipment. The retainment means will generally be as those described above for the free cell divider.

In one embodiment the arms of the animal positioning member are extensibly attached to said respective fitting means so as to allow a distance from said abutment member to the fitting means to be adjusted telescopically. This allows the animal positioning member to be adjusted to the size of an individual farm animal. Thus, when a stable contains a stock of cows of varying sizes, the animal positioning member of each free stall may be adjusted so that the abutment member will be engaged by the respective cow exactly so as to retain the cow correctly relative to the excrement receiving gutter.

The animal positioning member may advantageously be U- shaped, said arms of said animal positioning member each being pivota- bly attached to a fitting means fixed to the same or two different structural elements, wherein a single abutment member is attached to said two arms. The abutment member may further comprise a telescopically extensible element such as a sleeve so that the distance between the two legs is adjustable. Therefore, when it is necessary to increase or decrease the width of the free stall to fit an individual cow, the animal positioning member may be adjusted appropriately. Thus, an inexpensive, robust and reliable animal positioning member may be produced. The element is preferably attached in such a way at each leg as to pivot from an essentially lying position, wherein the U-shaped element opens in a forwards direction, to a an upright position, wherein the U-shaped element opens in a downwards direction. This thus allows for a farm animal to run beneath the U-shaped tubular element so that it avoids breaking its neck or back. The animal positioning member according to the invention may be produced at a competitive price so that it is as robust as the known solutions. It further gives an opportunity for increased flexibility and user friendliness both during mounting and use. The animal positioning member may thus be constructed from steel or other appropriate metals. However, in one embodiment at least one component of said member, preferably said abutment member, is constructed from a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, rubber, carbon fibre, or a combination of these. In an animal positioning member according to the invention where one or more of the elements of the animal positioning member, in particular at least parts of the pivotable arm, are constructed from a flexible material, such as a polymer, a rubber or a carbon fibre, the animal positioning member will be even better at yielding when the farm animal impinges on it. The animal positioning member is preferably constructed from tubular elements, and in particular the abutment member may involve a tubular surface concentrically arranged around another tubular element, allowing the outer surface of the abutment member to roll upon engagement of the back of a cow's neck.

The animal positioning member may also be part of a double free stall for two farm animals, in which the two farm animals may be positioned head-to-head. In this embodiment the animal positioning member is placed symmetrically to another animal positioning member with a plane of symmetry between the two animal positioning members defined by a vertical plane between and parallel to said axes. When the animal positioning members are thus placed symmetrically it is preferred that neither member comprises a cross-stanchion or the like. This will allow free passage for an animal in the free stall to exit the stall by moving forward under both animal positioning members.

Each arm of an animal positioning member may be attached to respective vertical posts of a structural element of a free stall. Such attachment will provide the same advantages as discussed above for the free stall divider when this is attached to a vertical post of a structural element; i.e., the width of the free stall may easily be adjusted by moving the posts closer to or further away from each other. For this purpose a footplate is connected to each of a bottom end of each said posts, with the footplate having fastening means such as bolt holes for releasably fastening to a stable floor. The vertical post of the structural element also allows the fitting means to be adjustable in a height direction. The fitting means may comprise a plate with bolt holes and the structural element may have a number of corresponding, vertically distributed bolt holes. The bolt holes on the fitting means may be arranged in sets, with corresponding sets of bolt holes on the structural element. The pattern of bolt holes on the structural element will correspond to the typical variation in size of a stock of cows, so that the height positioning of the animal positioning member may be adjusted according to the individual member of the stock of cows.

One embodiment of the invention comprises the animal positioning member connected to a free stall divider according to the invention. The animal positioning member may for example be connected to two structural elements, e.g. vertical posts, to which two free stall dividers are attached, thus defining a free stall sideways delimited by the two free stall dividers and to the front comprising the animal positioning member. In this set-up the height positioning of the free stall dividers is independently adjustable from the likewise adjustable height positioning of the animal positioning member, whereas the width of the animal positioning member, i.e. the length of the abutment member, is adjusted according to the width of the free stall. This will allow careful adjustment of the free stall to fit any farm animal according to the height, length and width of the animal. This embodiment may also comprise a second symmetrically positioned animal positioning member with corresponding free stall dividers to define an opposite free stall, so that two farm animals may be placed head-to-head in this double free stall. Such a double free stall preferably does not comprise a cross-stanchion allowing free passage of animals from one free stall to the other. In case a free stall comprises both a free stall divider and an animal positioning member according to the invention, the respective retainment means for the free stall divider and the animal positioning member may be the same or different. For example, a single retainment bar may be employed to retain both members at their upper extreme positions. The free stall may also be designed so that free stall divider interlocks the animal positioning member at the upper extreme position thereby retaining both members. A third aspect of the invention relates to a stable for cows comprising at least two free stalls, and a structural element with a number of vertical posts arranged along a substantially straight line, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by further comprising a free stall divider according to the invention and/or an animal positioning member according to the invention. When a row of free stalls comprising the free stall divider and/or the animal positioning member described above is constructed all of the above advantages discussed for a single free stall will be obtained for each free stall of the stable. Moreover, the advantages with respect to cleaning and maintenance of the floor and the stable will become especially pronounced in a stable containing multiple such free stalls.

With the invention an improved animal welfare, increased milk production, lower mortality of the farm animals, fewer expenses for therapeutic treatment of the farm animals are provided as well as lower relative numbers of animals having to be removed from stocks.

Detailed description

In the following the invention will be explained in greater detail with the aid of examples of embodiments and with reference to the schematic drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a double free stall comprising free stall dividers according to the first aspect and animal positioning members according to the second aspect of the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a detailed view of a hinge mechanism of the free stall divider of the free stall of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3a depicts a photo of the hinge mechanism of Fig. 2 show- ing the free stall divider in a relaxed position;

Fig. 3b depicts a photo of the hinge mechanism of Fig. 2 showing the free stall divider in a lower extreme position;

Fig. 3c depicts a photo of the hinge mechanism of Fig. 2 showing the free stall divider in a upper extreme position; Fig. 4a depicts a photo of a detail of the animal positioning member of the free stall of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4b shows a side view of the animal positioning member according to Fig. 4a;

Fig. 4c shows a top view of the animal positioning member ac- cording to Fig. 4a;

Fig. 5 shows a side view of a row of double free stalls according to the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 shows a top view of a footplate of the free stall of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 shows a top view of the animal positioning members of two of the double free stalls of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 8 shows a photo of a stable for cows with free stalls comprising free stall dividers of Fig. 3a and animal positioning members of Fig. 4a. Fig. 1 depicts a free stall or a row of free stalls seen from the side, which free stall(s) are fitted with embodiments of free stall dividers and animal positioning members according to the first and second aspects of the invention, respectively. Thus, Fig. 1 shows two oppositely located free stall dividers, each having a rod 3 and 4, respectively. In the following, reference is made to the free stall divider comprising rod 3 and the corresponding features, but identical features are found for the opposite free stall divider comprising rod 4. The rod 3 has a free end 31 and an opposite end 32, which opposite end 32 is attached to a mount- ing means 8 that is fixed to a structural element of a free stall of a stable for cows or other farm animals. The free stall dividers are characterised by further comprising a spring joint 16 at said opposite end such that said rod 3 is pivotable about said spring joint 16 relative to said mounting means 8. In Fig. 1 are indicated respective lower and upper extreme positions for the rods 3 and 4. The angle α between these lower and upper extreme positions is defined by the spring joint 16, and it is at least 45°, preferably at least 70°, more preferably at least 90°.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the structural element has the form of a vertically arranged post 2a. The mounting means 8 is fixed to a post 2a of a free stall, said post 2a being attached to a floor 5 of said free stall. The post 2a is not limited to the form shown but may also be in the form of a wall of the stable or an appropriately shaped part of the stable floor.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a more detailed section of the free stall divider and post 2a of Fig. 1. Here the rod 3 is shown in its lower extreme position corresponding to 3', a relaxed position 3" and its upper extreme position 3'". The angle α between the two extreme positions 3', 3'" is indicated. The mounting means 8 comprises a hinge with a first hinge part 17 hingedly connected via a hinge joint 17a to a second hinge part 18, said first hinge part 17 being secured to said opposite end 32 of said rod 3, said second hinge part 18 comprising means for being fixed to said post 2a; for example, said second hinge part 18 may be welded to the mounting means 8, or the second hinge part 18 and the mounting means 8 may be constructed in one piece. The hinge comprising the first 17 and the second 18 hinge parts will typically be constructed from steel though other materials may also be appropriate. Other metals, e.g. aluminium or iron will also be relevant, as will polymeric or ceramic materials. The construction materials should have a sufficient strength and ri- gidity to carry the weight of the rod 3. The second hinge part 18 is shown as being connected to an upper end of the mounting means 8. However, other connection positions and types are also contemplated. For example, the second hinge part 18 may also be connected to the mounting means 8 at a lower position than shown in Fig. 2. In addition the direction for pivoting the rod 3, as defined by the orientation of the second hinge part 18 relative to the post 2a, need not be vertical. In certain instances it may be advantageous for the rod 3 to pivot in a plane deviating from vertical.

The spring joint 16 preferably comprises a first end 162 secured to said rod 3 and a second end 161 abutting said second hinge part 18, said spring joint 16 comprising a helical spring 19 freely protruding from the end of the rod 3 to abut, in the relaxed position of the rod 3, the mounting means 8. With this design as shown in Fig. 2 the upwards piv- otable movement of the rod 3 will be generally unaffected by the spring joint 16, i.e. the spring joint 16 does not cause resistance to such movement. This is of particular utility considering that a cow or other farm animal lying in a free stall of the invention will not been hindered upon rising from the floor, nor risk impingement from a stall divider. As will be understood from Fig. 2, once the rod 3 is pivoted vertically up- wards, the force of gravity will pull the free end 31 of the rod 3 towards the floor after removal of the lifting force. Thus, the downward move of the rod 3 will be dampened when the spring, e.g. a helical spring, abuts the second hinge part 18. However, the hinge may also be designed so as to cause a certain resistance to vertically moving the free end 31 of the rod 3. For example, the hinge may be constructed such that the downward move of the rod 3 is slowed to prevent that the rod 3 may 'fall' from a high position to a relaxed position and thereby also prevent that a cow is hit by the falling rod 3.

The spring 19 of spring joint 16 is attached to the rod 3 via spring attachment means 20. Fig. 3a-b show the helical spring 19 protruding from the end of the rod 3. However, the invention is not limited to the helical spring 19, and any appropriately elastic element may be employed. For example, a block of rubber or similar material could read- ily replace a helical spring and have the same effect. Likewise, springs may also have other designs than helical. Alternatively, a spring effect may be provided with a pneumatic system containing pressurised air in a container. Spring attachment means will be appropriate for the type of spring employed for the spring joint 16. The rod 3 comprises a hollow section at the end comprising the helical spring 19 so that the helical spring 19 is attached to the rod via spring attachment means 20 and partly surrounded by the sheath. In Fig. 3c the helical spring 19 has been removed from the spring joint 16.

From the embodiments of Fig. 2 and 3 it can also be deduced that the rod 3 will have a relaxed position 3" defined by the spring joint 16. This relaxed position 3" will be dependent on the elasticity of the spring joint 16. For example, helical springs 19 of different lengths and stiffnesses may be used to decrease or increase the angle of the rod 3 to vertical when the rod 3 is in its relaxed position 3". In this context "length" may refer both to the total length of the spring, but also to the visible part of the spring protruding from the end of rod 3. Thus, a long and/or stiff helical spring 19 will give a smaller angle whereas a short and/or soft helical spring 19 will give a larger angle. In any case the relaxed position 3" for said rod 3 typically corresponds to an angle of <90° to vertical, and this relaxed position 3" will also typically be such that the rod 3 is at a larger angle than 90° to vertical when the rod 3 is in its lower extreme position 3'. The same considerations of the relation between the relaxed position 3" and the spring joint 16 also apply for other types of springs, such as those discussed above. The free stall is adapted to retain said rod 3 in said upper extreme position 3'", e.g. with the aid of a retainment means (not shown), such as a bar, hook or the like, or due to the force of gravity acting on the rod 3. The exact working principle of the retainment means is not important for the invention. It is important that the rod 3 may be re- tained in this upper extreme position 3'" to e.g. facilitate cleaning of the floor 5 of the free stall and the stable. The retainment means may be connected to the structural element and may comprise a hook or a bar. A hook or a bar may be used to interlock the rod 3 so that it is retained. Either type may be flexibly or rigidly attached to the post 2a, and the two types may be combined or comprise other elements as appropriate and necessary. For example, a hook may be attached via a laterally flexible shaft so that the hook may be moved to interlock the rod 3, or a hook may be rigidly attached relying on the flexibility of the rod 3 to in- terlock the rod 3. Alternatively, a bar may be hingedly attached to the post 2a, which may comprise a hook to interlock the bar and retain the rod 3. Bars or hooks will typically be constructed from metals with steel being preferred. The upper extreme position 3'" of the rod 3 may also be reached by pivoting the rod vertically upwards beyond a vertical position so that the force of gravity will retain the rod in its upper extreme position until it is manually removed from this position. The retainment means may also be contained in said hinge so that when the rod 3 secured to the first hinge part 17 is pivoted to its upper extreme position 3'" the first hinge part 17 and the second hinge part 18 lock in this ex- treme position. The locking mechanism will then require manual unlocking for the rod 3 to return to its relaxed position 3". An appropriate locking mechanism could comprise a first locking part attached to the first hinge part 17, which first locking part would engage a second locking part releasably attached to the second hinge part 18 upon pivoting the hinge parts to an extreme position.

The rod 3 comprises a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, a rubber or a carbon fibre material, and a core of carbon fibre surrounded by a sheath of said flexible material. In Fig. 3a-c the sheath of flexible material is shown surrounding a core of carbon fibre. The rod 3 is not limited to having a core of carbon fibre, and other materials may also be used. It is important that the rod 3 has sufficient strength to carry its own weight, and the rod 3 should preferably be flexible and elastic. For example, the rod 3 may also be constructed from metal tubes, e.g. steel or aluminium, or the rod 3 may be constructed from solid or tubular polymeric materials. It is preferred that the rod 3 is able to yield elastically itself, i.e. not only in the spring joint 16, without breaking or deforming if a cow or another farm animal should lie down on the rod 3. The rod 3, with or without the sheath, need not be con- structed from a single material; it may also comprise e.g. interwoven fibres of different materials or fibres cast into a surrounding matrix. Likewise, the rod 3 may have a core surrounded by one or more concentrically arranged layers of other materials. In such designs it may be possible to control the elastic and flexible properties of the rod 3. The rod 3 shown is round with a diameter of around 4 cm; other cross-sectional shapes and sizes may also be considered. For example, the rod 3 may have a polygonal cross-section, or it may have a polygonal cross-section, which is twisted along the length of the rod 3. The length of the rod 3 will correspond to the length of the animal for which the free stall is designed so that the rod 3 has approximately the same length as the animal.

The free stall divider forms a first free stall divider with a second, similar free stall divider being provided at a distance corresponding to the width of a cow, each free stall divider rod 3 and 4 being fixed to a post 2a or 2b such as to form a free stall between them, as depicted in Fig. 7. Each of these free stall divider rods 3 and 4 may be attached to each their vertically arranged post 2a-b by means of respective mounting means 8 as discussed above. A footplate 6 of Fig. 1, 5 or 6 may be connected to each of a bottom end of each said posts 2a, said footplate 6 having fastening means, such as bolt holes 7, for being releasably fastened to a stable floor 5. The posts 2a and the footplates 6 are preferably manufactured from metal, and they may be welded together. Oppositely to said first and second free stall divider rods 3 third and fourth similar free stall divider rods 4, respectively are fixed to said posts 2a-b such as to form an opposite free stall between them such that the four free stall dividers define a double stall adapted for two cows to be positioned head-to-head (not shown). Such an arrangement is depicted in Fig. 7, where oppositely arranged rods 3 and 4, respectively, define the double stalls. Two complete double stalls are depicted in Fig. 7. The mounting means 8 of each said free stall divider are preferably adjustable in a height direction, preferably said mounting means 8 each comprises a plate 81 with at least one bolt hole 9 as may best be seen from Figs. 3a-c, said post 2a having a number of corresponding, vertically distributed bolt holes (not shown).

Returning now to Fig. 1, this figure also includes an embodiment of an animal positioning member, corresponding to the second aspect of the invention. The animal positioning member Ia is attached to the post 2a. The schematic presentation of Fig. 1 shows the animal position member Ia from the side; however, to fully explain this aspect of the invention the animal positioning member Ia is also shown from above in Fig. 4c. Further details are shown in Fig. 4a and 4b. Thus, the animal positioning member Ia comprises two fitting means, each being adapted for being fixed to respective vertical posts of a post 2a and 2b of said free stall. The fitting means can be in the form of metal plate 11 and have a bolt hole for fixing to the posts 2a or 2b using a bolt 15. The animal positioning member Ia further has a first and a second arm 10, each arm near respective first ends 101 being pivotably attached to a respective fitting means 11 so as to be pivotable about a pivot axis, an abutment member 13 for abutting onto the back of a neck of an animal moving forward in said free stall and having two ends 131, 132, each of said two ends of said abutment member 13 being attached to a respective second end 102 of each said first and second arms 10, said pivot axis being positioned such as to divide each arm 10 into a first arm part 10' and a second arm part 10", said second part 10" extending in a direction extending oppositely from said abutment member 13. The metal plate 11 may comprise a pin 111 to which the arm 10 is connected via an appropriate hole. The animal positioning member Ia is characterised in that at least one of said fitting means has a stopper means, said sec- ond part 10" of at least one of said arms 10 abutting said stopper means when pivoting downwards such as to stop said arm 10 in a lower extreme position. Fig. 4c further shows a symmetrically positioned animal positioning member, and it should be understood that the features described above for animal positioning member Ia also exist for the oppo- sitely positioned animal positioning member.

The animal positioning member Ia is U-shaped, said arms 10 of said animal positioning member Ia each being pivotably attached to a fitting means fixed to the same or two different posts 2a and/or 2b, wherein a single abutment member 13 is attached to said two arms 10, respectively. With a U-shaped animal positioning member Ia a more robust system is provided than could be obtained if only one pivotable arm were attached to an abutment member. Furthermore, with a U-shaped animal positioning member Ia it will not be possible for the animal to avoid engaging the abutment surface upon entry into the free stall, which cannot be said for an animal positioning member having only one pivotable arm.

The position of the pivot axis as defined by the pin 111 relative to the pivotable arm 10 defines a first 10' and a second 10" arm part. Thus, the pivot axis may also be viewed as a balancing point creating a balance between these to parts 10' and 10" of the arm, and thereby the weight of the first arm part 10' relative to the second arm part 10" will determine the force necessary to pivot the animal positioning member Ia about the pivot axis. The first arm part 10' is heavier than the second arm part 10" so that the abutment member 13 will naturally attain its lower extreme position. In order for the stopper means to abut the second arm part 10" when the abutment member 13 is in the lower extreme position, the stopper means must be behind the pivot axis seen from the point of view of an animal entering the free stall. The stopper means is in the form of a metal plate 21 welded or otherwise fixed to the metal plate 11, although the stopper means may also have the form of a pin or the like. By positioning the stopper means, such as metal plate 21, behind the pivot axis the risk that a cow in the free stall will contact the metal plate 21 is minimised, thus preventing injuries to the head of the cow.

At least one of the fitting means preferably comprises a second stopper means in the form of a metal plate 22 defining an upper extreme position for said abutment member 13 relative to said post 2a when said first part of said arm abuts said second stopper means 22. The second stopper means 22 may alternatively be coincident with the stopper means 21 so that when the pivotable arm 10 is pivoted about the pivot axis, the first part of the pivotable arm 10 will abut the second stopper means 22 when the pivotable arm 10 reaches the upper extreme posi- tion.

It is preferred that the animal positioning member Ia also comprises a retainment means (not shown), such as a hook or bar, and that said abutment member 13 is adapted to be retained in said upper extreme position by the aid of said retainment means. The retainment means may be as described above for the retainment means for the free stall divider although they need not be of the same types. The animal positioning member Ia may also be adapted to interlock the free stall divider rod 3 when both attain their respective upper extreme positions, thus retaining the animal positioning member Ia and the free stall di- vider rod 3 in their upper extreme positions.

The pivotable arms 10 of the animal positioning member Ia is extensibly attached to said respective fitting means so as to allow a distance from said abutment member 13 to the fitting means to be adjusted telescopically; this is indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4c, which are parallel to the pivotable arms 10. Thus, the pivotable arms 10 comprise an outer concentrically arranged tube 101' arranged around another inner tube 101" or rod allowing said distance to be adjusted. The concentrically arranged tubes 101' and 101" comprise a series of holes (not shown) located along the length of the tubes 101', 101" so that a fasten- ing pin can be employed to fasten one tube 101' relative to the other 101" by putting the pin through a hole on both the tubes 101', 101" when the respective holes are juxtaposed.

The abutment member 13 comprises a telescopically extensible element in the form of a sleeve 13' so that the distance between the two arms 10 is adjustable. This is illustrated in Fig. 4c with the arrows that are parallel to the abutment members 13. Thus, each abutment member 13 comprises a tubular member, a 'sleeve' 13', concentrically arranged around the two respective ends 102 of the pivotable arms 10. The sleeve 13' is of a fixed length, but allows the distance between the arms 10 to be increased or decreased while each end of the sleeve 13' is attached to the end of an arm 102.

At least one component, e.g. the abutment member 13 or the arms 10, of the animal positioning member Ia of the invention, prefera- bly the abutment member 13, is constructed from a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, rubber, carbon fibre, or a combination of these. It is important for the animal positioning member Ia that the force necessary to vertically lift the abutment member 13 can be controlled. It is preferred that a cow or other animal will only experience a light touch on the back of its neck when engaging the abutment member 13. However, since the pivotable arms 10 are balanced about the pivot axis the density of the material making up the abutment member 13 is of little concern. It is advantageous though that the material does have some flexibility. Alternatively, it is possible to construct all components of the animal positioning member Ia from such a flexible material, although the arms 10 will typically be made of metal, such as steel or galvanized steel.

Referring to Fig. 7, the animal positioning member Ia is placed symmetrically to another animal positioning member Id with a plane of symmetry A between the two animal positioning members Ia and Id defined by a vertical plane between and parallel to said axes as is also indicated in Fig. 4c. This embodiment is employed in a double stall in which two animals (not shown) will be standing head-to-head opposite of each other. Neither the animal positioning members Ia or Id nor the struc- tural elements or vertical posts 2a-2c of the free stall should comprise any transverse element, such as a bar or cross-stanchion. This will allow an animal to pass from its own free stall into the opposite free stall if the animal is frightened by e.g. a leading cow. It is noted that the abutment members 13a or 14a, respectively, of the opposite free stall may also be engaged and lifted by a cow entering the stall from the 'wrong' end, i.e. by leaving its own stall via the front end.

For the animal positioning member Ia shown each arm 10a is attached to respective vertical posts 2a, 2b of the free stall. It is ensured that there is a free passage below the abutment members 13a and 14a. The animal positioning member Ia is connected to a free stall divider. This is depicted from the side in Figs. 1 and 5, and from above in Fig. 7. Thus with reference to Fig. 7, each free stall is sideways delimited by two free stall dividers, e.g. rods 3, which are each connected to a dif- ferent vertical posts 2a and 2b, respectively. To the same vertical posts, 2a and 2b is connected an animal positioning member Ia as described above. By adjusting the distance between vertical posts 2a and 2b it is possible to adjust the width of the free stall, a typical width of a free stall for a cow is 1.2 m; the distance between the arms 10a will likewise be adjusted by moving the vertical posts 2a and 2b. The width of the opposite stall as defined by free stall divider rods 4 will thus follow the distance between the vertical posts 2a and 2b to which free stall divider rods 4 are also mounted. Fig. 5 illustrates how it is also possible to adjust the height positions of both the free stall divider rods 3 and 4 and the animal positioning members Ia and Id as indicated by the vertical arrows. Oppositely placed free stall dividers 3 and 4, need not be placed at the same height; nor do the oppositely placed animal positioning members Ia and Id need be placed at the same height.

In a third aspect the invention relates to a stable for cows with at least two free stalls, e.g. as sideways defined by free stall divider rods 3 and optionally rods 4, in Fig. 7, and a structural element with a number of vertical posts 2a-c arranged along a substantially straight line defined by vertical plane A, optionally further comprising an animal positioning member Ia. The floor 5 of the stable defining this substantially straight line comprises a number of sets of bolt holes (not shown) for re- leasably fastening the vertically arranged posts 2a-c to which the free stall dividers and the animal positioning members la-c, optionally also ld-f, are attached. Thus, the number of free stalls in the stable may be modified by including more or fewer posts, and the width of each free stall may likewise easily be adjusted by dismantling the releasably fastened vertically arranged posts 2a-c, moving them to new positions along the straight line and refastening them. The free stalls may be single or double free stalls, such as defined by rods 3 and rods 4, respectively. When the stable comprises single free stalls these may be ar- ranged along a straight line parallel to a wall of the stable. More typically though, the free stalls will be double free stalls each with room for a farm animal (not shown) standing head-to-head with that in the opposite stall. Double free stalls do not comprise a cross-stanchion or the like, which allows free passage of an animal located in one stall to the opposite free stall.

The free stalls shown in Figs. 5 and 7 comprise animal positioning members Ia-If, which via structural elements 2a-2c are connected to free stall divider rods 3 and 4. Free stall divider rods 3, 4 are arranged at the terminal side of the row of free stalls, whereas a corresponding set of free stall divider rods 3, 4 are positioned between each of the free stalls in the row of free stalls. In the upwards direction in Fig. 7 relative to the plane of the paper the animal positioning members Ic, If are cut, but continue beyond the Figure in this direction since multiple equivalent free stalls may be connected to the row.

As the free stalls are double free stalls the animal positioning members Ia, Id; Ib, Ie; Ic, If, respectively, are arranged symmetrically over a transverse plane A. The vertical posts 2a-2c are fastened to a stable floor 5, e.g. of concrete, via footplates 6 of which an example is shown in more detail in Figs. 5 and 6. In Fig. 5 holes 7 of the footplate 6 are visible - these accommodate screws or bolts (not shown), which are brought into the stable floor 5. The posts 2a-2c made be constructed from a metal, e.g. iron, and have reinforcements 2d, 2e as shown in Fig. 6. In another embodiment, the free stall divider rods 3, 4 are fastened to the post 2a with the aid of a mounting means 8, see Fig. 5. The mounting means 8 has oppositely facing openings for accommodating the free stall divider rods 3, 4 and may be released from the post 2a with the aid of a bolt 9', which is brought from the side of the mounting means 8 into the post 2a. Thus it is possible to raise or lower the free stall divider rods 3, 4 according to the height of the farm animal that is intended to be placed in the free stall. The free stall divider rods 3 and 4 are fastened to the posts 2b-2c with the aid of not shown mounting means corresponding to the mounting means 8. The free stall divider rods 3 and 4 preferably comprise a flexible, elastic material, such as a polymer, a rubber or a carbon fibre. In the embodiment shown, the free stall divider rods 3 and 4 extend from a low position at the head of the farm animal to a higher position at the rear end of the farm animal. This further decreases the risk that the rear end of a farm animal is squeezed under the free stall divider rods, 3 or 4. An appropriate distance between the free stall divider rods 3 and 4 on each side of each free stall is typically around 1.2 m.

The animal positioning members Ia-If are shown seen from above and with more detail in Fig. 7. The animal positioning members Ia-If each comprise a pivotable arm lOa-lOf, which via fitting means 1 Ia-I Ij from each side of the pivotable arm lOa-lOf is fastened pivota- bly to the posts 2b-2c. The pivotable arms lOa-lOf are thus each pivotable around axes normal to the neck of the farm animal when the farm animal is standing correctly in the free stall, see the respective arrows in Fig. 5.

The pivotable arms lOa-lOf each comprise a U-shaped tubular element bent into shape in the form of abutment members 13a-13c, 14a-14c. The U-shaped abutment members 13a-13c, 14a-14c are each at the sideways edges of the respective pivotable arms lOa-lOc fastened extensibly to the fitting means 1 Ia-I Ij, so that the length of each pivotable arm lOa-lOc may be adjusted according to the length of the farm animal placed individually in the free stall by greater or smaller extension of the respective tube 13a-13c, 14a-14c from the respective fitting means 1 Ia-I Ij. Due to this possibility of adjustment the free stalls may be adjusted individually to farm animals of different body lengths, including different races, so that their excrements will correctly end in the receiving gutters 12a, 12b placed behind the free stalls, see Fig. 5.

The pivotable arms lOa-lOf may thus pivot up from a horizontal position corresponding to that shown in Figs. 5 and 7 to an essentially vertical position (not shown) where the U-shaped abutment members 13a-13c, 14a-14c open downwards.

The abutment members 13a-13c, 14a-14c are constructed from a flexible material, such as a polymer, a rubber or a carbon fibre or a combination of these. The heights of the pivotable arms 10a, 1Od are as such adjustable, and this adjustment is provided by loosening a bolt 15 passing through a hinge part of the fitting means 11a, Hf and into the post 2a, see Fig. 5. Similar applies for the pivotable arms 10b, 10c and 1Oe, 1Of.

All components of the free stall are preferably constructed from elements that the farmer can assemble and set up himself. This further facilitates replacement of single components and minimises costs for transportation. When a farm animal enters one of the free stalls the preferably flexible and elastic free stall divider rods 3 and 4, respectively, guide the animal to the animal positioning member Ia-If in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 5 and 7. If the animal hits the free stall divider rods 3 or 4 with part of its body they will yield without harming the animal. The animal positioning members Ia-If are normally placed in the horizontal position shown in Figs. 5 and 7 at a height of around 1 m and may then be adjusted according to the size of the individual farm animal with the aid of bolts (15 in Fig. 5). When the farm animal then enters the free stall along the free stall divider rods 3 and 4 and sticks its head and neck beneath the animal positioning member it will feel a light touch along the back of its neck as the abutment memberl3a-13c, 14a- 14c with an abutment member touches the back of the neck of the animal. The animal will then stop. The weight and position of the animal positioning member Ia-Ic is preferably such that the farm animal will lay down in exactly the right place in the free stall.

The farm animal will only attempt to proceed forward out of its free stall if there is not a farm animal in the oppositely located free stall. If there is not a farm animal in the oppositely located free stall the animal positioning member should be in its upright position where the U- shaped tube 13a-13c, 14a-14c opens downwards. This exactly leaves room for the farm animal to run at first under the U-shaped tube 13a- 13c, 14a-14c of its own free stall, i.e. "through" the U itself, when the tube pivots upwards from the thrust of the animal. The animal may then freely run through the tube 13a-13c, 14a-14c of the oppositely located free stall without breaking its neck or back. It must thus be emphasised that there are no transverse elements through the L) itself, since such would impinge on the farm animal when it runs under the tube 13a-13c, 14a-14c. If the farm animal for other reasons, e.g. when it attempts to rise, impinges hard on the tube 13a-13c, 14a-14c the pivotable arm lOa-lOf will yield and in the fitting means lla-llj pivot upwards towards the vertical position; thus relieving the load on the back of the neck of the farm animal. This situation may also arise even when two farm animals are standing opposite from each other, each in their own free stall.

The flexible and elastic free stall divider rods 3 and 4 yield, when the farm animal is standing in the free stall, to a light pressure against the animal, so that if it lays down against one of them it will lay itself correctly. Should the farm animal never the less move beneath the free stall divider rod 3 or 4 it may rise without being injured since the free stall divider rod 3 or 4 will yield.

The free stall divider according to the invention may be carried out in other ways than described above. For example, the animal posi- tioning member may as well be used in free stalls in a single row where animal positioning members placed symmetrically opposite of each other are replaced with a single animal positioning member.

The farm animal in the free stall may be a cow, a sheep or another suitable domestic animal. Dimensions and shapes of the individual elements of the free stall may thus be arranged according to the species and race of the animal.

Within the scope of the invention the U-shaped tube may have other appropriate shapes. It may thus advantageously have a shape fitting the back of the neck of another farm animal, e.g. be curved cen- trally in the lengthwise dimension of the free stall, so that the neck of the farm animal will enter a depression if the surface of the tube. Thereby it is possible to increase the area of contact between the farm animal and the abutment member, and the load on the back of the neck of the farm animal is decreased further. The U-shaped tube may also be replaced by for instance a pivotable plate or the like - it is only important that the animal positioning member yields when the farm animal impinges hard on it.

The pivotable arm may for example be replaced with an element that is spring-loaded in the downwards direction or merely a loosely suspended element with a certain weight and stop, preventing it from reaching a desired minimum height (e.g. around 1 m).

Moreover, the free stall divider and the animal positioning member of the invention are not limited to indoor use; they may also be used outside, e.g. in a field or the like.

Example

A stable was fitted with free stall dividers and animal positioning members according to the invention, as shown in the photo in Fig. 8. Over a six months period the cows in the stable became more relaxed than they were in a stable constructed according to the prior art. In particular it was noted that the possibility for the cows to pass from one free stall into the opposite and thus get away when they felt threatened by stronger cows made the cows more relaxed. Furthermore, no cows had any injuries, bumps or deformations from impingement or the like after the six months period.

Without being bound by theory, it is believed that an increased blood circulation to the udder led to an increase in milk production of around 1 litre per hour per cow.

Claims

P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. A free stall divider for a free stall stable for cows comprising a rod having a free end and an opposite end, which opposite end is attached to a mounting means adapted for being fixed to a struc- tural element of a free stall of said stable, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by further comprising a spring joint at said opposite end such that said rod is pivotable about said spring joint relative to said mounting means.

2. A free stall divider according to claim 1, wherein said spring joint is such that said rod can pivot at least 45°, preferably at least 70°, more preferably at least 90°, about said spring joint relative to said mounting means.

3. A free stall divider according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said mounting means comprises a hinge with a first hinge part hingedly con- nected to a second hinge part, said first hinge part being secured to said opposite end of said rod, said second hinge part comprising means for being fixed to said structural element.

4. A free stall divider according to claim 3, wherein said spring joint comprises a first end secured to said rod and a second end abutting said second hinge part, said spring joint preferably comprising a helical spring protruding from the end of the rod.

5. A free stall divider according to any of the previous claims, wherein said mounting means is fixed to a structural element of a free stall, said structural element being attached to a floor of said free stall.

6. A free stall divider according to claim 5, wherein said rod is pivotable between an upper extreme position in which said rod abuts said structural member and a lower extreme position in which said rod abuts said floor, preferably said free stall is adapted to retain said rod in said upper extreme position, e.g. with the aid of a retainment means, such as a bar, hook or the like, or due to the force of gravity acting on the rod.

7. A free stall divider according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said spring joint defines a relaxed position for said rod corresponding to an angle of <90° to vertical.

8. A free stall divider according to any of the previous claims, wherein said rod comprises a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, a rubber or a carbon fibre material, preferably said rod comprises a core of carbon fibre surrounded by a sheath of said flexible material.

9. A free stall divider according to any of the previous claims, wherein said free stall divider forms a first free stall divider, a second, similar free stall divider being provided at a distance corresponding to the width of a cow, each free stall divider being fixed to a structural element such as to form a free stall between them.

10. A free stall divider according to claim 9, wherein each said free stall divider is attached to each their vertically arranged post of said structural element by means of said respective mounting means.

11. A free stall divider according to claim 9 or 10, wherein a footplate is connected to each of a bottom end of each said posts, said footplate having fastening means, such as bolt holes, for being releas- ably fastened to a stable floor.

12. A free stall divider according to any of claims 9 to 11, wherein said posts and said footplates are manufactured from metal, and wherein said posts and footplates are welded together.

13. A free stall divider according to any of claims 9 to 12, wherein said mounting means of each said free stall divider are adjustable in a height direction, preferably said mounting means each comprise a plate with at least one bolt hole, said structural element having a number of corresponding, vertically distributed bolt holes.

14. A free stall divider according to any of claims 9 to 13, wherein oppositely to said first and second free stall dividers third and fourth similar free stall dividers are fixed to said structural element such as to form an opposite free stall between them such that the four free stall dividers define a double stall adapted for two cows to be positioned head-to-head.

15. An animal positioning member for attachment to a structural element of a free stall for a stable for cows, comprising two fitting means, each being adapted for being fixed to respective vertical posts of a structural element of said free stall, a first and a second arm, each arm near respective first ends being pivotably attached to a respective fitting means so as to be pivo- table about a pivot axis, an abutment member for abutting onto the back of a neck of an animal moving forward in said free stall and having two ends, each of said two ends of said abutment member being attached to a respective second end of each said first and second arms, said pivot axis being positioned such as to divide each arm into a first arm part and a second arm part, said second part extending in a direction extending oppositely from said abutment member, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that at least one of said fitting means has a stopper means, said second part of at least one of said arms abutting said stopper means when pivoting downwards such as to stop said arm in a lower extreme position.

16. An animal positioning member according to claim 15, at least one of said fitting means comprises a second stopper means defining an upper extreme position for said abutment member relative to said structural element when said first part of said arm abuts said second stopper means, and preferably a retainment means, such as a hook or bar, said abutment member being adapted to be retained in said upper extreme position by the aid of said retainment means.

17. An animal positioning member according to claims 15 or 16, wherein said arms are extensibly attached to said respective fitting means so as to allow a distance from said abutment member to the fitting means to be adjusted telescopically.

18. An animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 17, wherein said animal positioning member is U-shaped, said arms of said animal positioning member each being pivotably attached to a fit- ting means fixed to the same or two different structural elements, wherein a single abutment member is attached to said two arms.

19. An animal positioning member according to claim 18, wherein said abutment member comprises a telescopically extensible element such as a sleeve so that the distance between the two arms is adjustable.

20. An animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 19, wherein at least one component of said member, preferably said abutment member, is constructed from a flexible material, such as a polymeric material, rubber, carbon fibre, or a combination of these.

21. An animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 20, wherein said animal positioning member is placed symmetrically to another animal positioning member with a plane of symmetry between the two animal positioning members defined by a vertical plane between and parallel to said axes.

22. An animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 21, each arm being attached to respective vertical posts of a structural element of a free stall.

23. An animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 22, wherein it is connected to a free stall divider according to any of claims 1 to 14.

24. A stable for cows comprising at least two free stalls, and a structural element with a number of vertical posts arranged along a substantially straight line, c h a r a c t e r i s e d by further comprising a free stall divider according to any of claims 9 to 14 and/or an animal positioning member according to any of claims 15 to 23.