The Taylor Group, Inc.

Herbert D Horton

A cooping apparatus by which a large number of chickens, such as may be found growing within a chicken house, are mechanically transferred into a multi-tiered coop. A conveyor is supported along the length of a boom, and a chicken gathering apparatus is supported from the depending end of the boom for gathering the chickens onto the boom conveyor, which moves then onto an elevated intermediate conveyor system. Overlying the conveyor system is a pivotally mounted set of distribution vanes that uniformly distributes the chickens as they continue to move along the conveyor system towards the receiving end of a transfer divider. The transfer divider divides the chickens into a plurality of horizontal parallel paths, each path leading into the compartments of one tier of a multi-tiered coop that is supported on the rear of the machine. An elevator device sequentially positions the discharge from the transfer divider respective to each of the tiers of the coop being loaded so that the chickens are discharged from the divider, where they move along the horizontal parallel paths, into appropriate compartments of a selected tier of the coop. The loaded and empty coops automatically are moved into a position convenient for a forklift vehicle to engage and remove from the cooping apparatus. A modified apparatus shows among other things a loading conveyor at the loading area and deflectors for successively deflecting the chickens into the various compartments of the various tiers of the chicken coops.

Method and apparatus for cooping chickens

A cooping apparatus by which a large number of chickens, such as may be found growing within a chicken house, are mechanically transferred into a multi-tiered coop. A conveyor is supported along the length of a boom, and a chicken gathering apparatus is supported from the depending end of the boom for gathering the chickens onto the boom conveyor, which moves them onto an elevated intermediate conveyor system. Overlying the conveyor system is a pivotally mounted set of distribution vanes that uniformly distributes the chickens as they continue to move along the conveyor system towards the receiving end of a transfer divider. The transfer divider divides the chickens into a plurality of horizontal parallel paths, each path leading into the compartments of one tier of a multi-tiered coop that is supported on the rear of the machine. An elevator device sequentially positions the discharge from the transfer divider respective to each of the tiers of the coop being loaded so that the chickens are discharged from the divider, where they move along the horizontal parallel paths, into appropriate compartments of a selected tier of the coop. The loaded and empty coops automatically are moved into a position convenient for a forklift vehicle to engage and remove from the cooping apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, MS, United States of America

Herbert D Horton