Livestock handling system and apparatus therefor

摘要

Apparatus for handling small livestock such as chickens comprising open topped slideable drawers (12) in a rectangular housing (10) from which they are slid to allow for loading and subsequently for unloading onto a transfer conveyor (20). A roof (34) over the conveyor covers the open tops of the drawers as they move therealong to prevent the livestock from escape. An elevating platform (28) adjacent the conveyor (20) allows the housing (10) to be raised and lowered to allow the drawers to be pushed or pulled from the housing directly onto the conveyor. A method of collecting and handling livestock involves the step of filling the drawers in the housing with livestock, transporting the housing to a drawer unloading station where the drawers are removed from the housing onto a conveyor, for movement therealong beneath a roof which serves to cover the open tops of the drawers to prevent the livestock escaping, while they are transferred to a livestock unloading station at which the roof terminates. A conveyor for transferring open topped drawers containing livestock includes a roof below which the drawers are moved to prevent the livestock from escaping.