National Research Development Corporation

British Technology Group Limited

Btg International Limited

Paul S Berry

Michael J Turner

Peter J Kettlewell

David Bernard Tinker

Derek J Frost

John A Benson

Michael O'Callaghan

Ambur Balakrishnan Mohan Raj

Lindsay John Wilkins

Peter F Inskip

Apparatus for electrical stunning and killing poultry comprises a conveyor ( ) and means for applying electrical voltage across the heads of the birds ( ). In one embodiment, means are also provided for applying a voltage between the bird's head and rear by means of a further electrode ( ). In this case, a two stage stun and kill process is used, with the bird being stunned by a voltage applied to it across its head and then killed by a voltage applied between its head and rear, causing fibrillation of the heart. The apparatus may also include means ( ) for restraining the bird's heads and/or facilitating contact of the bird's heads with the electrodes. The electrodes themselves may take a number of forms, including dry resilient foam covered by a conductive wire mesh, or a number of parallel sprung pins, or a rail along which the bird's heads slide, or a conductive endless belt. A pair of manual stunning tongs ( ) is also described.

Electrical animal stun/kill apparatus

Poultry-handling assembly

Poultry harvester

A poultry-handling assembly is provided which includes a pair of rotors arranged side-by-side for rotation about a vertical or predominantly vertical axis. Each rotor includes a central core upon which are arranged groups of guide elements spaced apart around the central core. In operation, the guide elements of each group lie closely adjacent and/or abut and/or intermesh with the guide elements of the other rotor of the pair. In operation a drive elements contra-rotate the two rotors enabling them to gather or accept poultry into the assembly.

A rotor assembly for use in a poultry harvester, comprising first and second rotors arranged side by side about a center line of the assembly for rotation about vertical or predominantly vertical axes, a third rotor equispaced from the first and second rotors in a direction along the center line of the assembly, and drive means for rotating the third rotor in a clockwise or anticlockwise sense, as desired, during operation of the assembly, the drives for the first and second rotors being derived from the motion of the third rotor and being operative to counter-rotate the first and second rotors in rotational senses which remain unaltered irrespective of the direction of rotation of the third rotor at any given moment, each rotor providing a continuous array of radially-extending guide elements closely adjacent and/or abutting and/or intermeshing with the guide elements of the other rotors.

Rotor assemblies

A broiler harvester 10 (FIG. 1a) comprises contra-rotating pick-up rotors 12, 13 and a third pick-up rotor 14 arranged in front of and co-operating with the other two rotors in a triangular formation. In operation the rotors 12, 13 discharge the broilers on to a conveyor belt 18 which in turn discharges them on to a turntable 32 where they remain until removed for packing into crates etc. The support frame 20 for belt 18 is able to scan back and forth around an arc to accelerate the harvesting operation, the front rotor 14 at all times being rotated in the direction of the scan.

Poultry-harvesting assembly

A poultry-harvester 10 (FIG. 1) for use in a poultry house comprises two contra-rotating rotors 12, 13 arranged side by side with the flexible fingers 20 of each rotor abutting and/or intermeshing with the fingers 20 of the other rotor. In operation, as the harvester is driven towards the birds to be harvested, the two rotors are rotated in opposite directions to one another so that the fingers 20 co-operate to carry birds between the two rotors and deposit them on the conveyor belt 45.

Growing community of inventors

Bedford, United Kingdom

Paul S Berry