An important point in the designing of an animal housing is to ensure good living conditions for the animals in the housing. Particularly the atmosphere in the housing is of great importance for the well-being, and therefore ultimately also for the yield of the animals. Strict demands are therefore made in respect of both the quality and the temperature of the air in the housing. A problem here is that the atmosphere in the animal housing is adversely affected by the presence of manure produced by the animals themselves. Much attention is therefore focussed in all animal housing on ventilation, wherein an effort is also made to bring the air into intensive contact with the manure in order to dry the manure as rapidly as possible and thereby minimize the emission of ammonia.

Known animal housings are generally provided with ventilation and air circulation systems whereby fresh air from the environment is drawn in through flaps or valves arranged in the outer walls of the housing and used air is blown or drawn out of the housing through discharge openings.

The invention now has for its object to provide an animal housing of the type described in the preamble, wherein a good control of the atmosphere in the housing is possible with relatively little effort.

According to a first aspect of the invention this is achieved in that the airflow generating and guiding means are adapted to guide the airflow substantially horizontally through the coops. By guiding the airflow horizontally through the coops the air in the housing is

ventilated in effective manner, while in addition an intensive aeration is achieved of manure which will be located on the bottom of the housing. Owing to the effective ventilation and the direct discharge of the air used by the animals which are possible with this system, the living conditions in the animal housing are greatly improved. Not only is the oxygen content in the housing thus improved, but the air humidity is also reduced, whereby the quality of the litter present in the coops is improved. The improvement of the living climate has in turn the consequence that a larger number of animals can be accommodated in the same space, whereby the utilization of the animal housing is optimized. This higher degree of utilization results in a greater quantity of heat being produced by the animals, whereby the housing requires less heating and the energy requirement of the housing is thus smaller.

The litter is moreover dried quickly by this heat, whereby overheating and the occurrence of breast blisters are prevented.

The airflow generating and guiding means preferably comprise at least one fan and at least one controllable flap arranged in a flow path through the coops, or even a controllable flap at a determined level for each coop or each group of coops. The airflow through the coops or even through each coop can thus be precisely controlled, and an even distribution of the airflow over all coops can be ensured or, conversely, an uneven distribution when all coops are not equally occupied. A closed air channel can herein be defined on at least one side of the coops, and the or each controllable flap can be placed between the coop and the closed air channel. The airflow is thus precisely controlled.

In a preferred embodiment of the animal housing the coops are disposed in rows and passageways are defined between each of the rows, at least some of which function as air channel. The gangways, which are also necessary to enable access to the coops for diverse operations and inspections, are thus further used efficiently and no separate pipe systems are required.

A structurally simple embodiment, wherein the airflow can moreover be well regulated, is obtained when the or each controllable flap takes the form of a slide.

In a preferred embodiment of the animal housing according to the invention each coop is provided with an at least partially air-permeable floor and a substantially airtight bottom lying at a distance thereunder, and the airflow generating and guiding means are adapted to guide at least a part of the airflow between the floor and the bottom. An excellent aeration of litter lying on the floor and the manure lying on the bottom beneath the floor is thus obtained. The or each slide is advantageously provided herein with a deflecting edge directed toward the inside of the coop, whereby the airflow can thus be directed toward the floor.

When at least some of the coops are provided in conventional manner with a drinking installation, this is advantageously arranged therein close to the side where the airflow enters therein. In this manner the airflow entering the coops, the moisture-absorbing capacity of which is maximal, can be used to dry the layer of litter on the floor below the drinking installation.

According to a second aspect the invention provides an animal housing wherein the temperature control means comprise at least one radiating element placed in the path of the airflow. Such a radiating element is readily controllable, whereby the desired temperature in the housing can be maintained in simple manner. In addition, the efficiency of such a radiating element, because energy transfer herein takes place through both radiation and convection, is considerably higher than that of a hot-air blower, whereby the energy consumption is reduced. Nor, in contrast to a hot-air blower, does a radiating element relinquish combustion products to the air in the animal housing.

The temperature control means preferably comprise at least one radiating element for each level of the coops, whereby control of the temperature per level or even per coop becomes possible. The or each radiating

element is herein advantageously arranged in a coop, thereby enabling a very effective control of the temperature in the coop. In this case the or each radiating element is preferably arranged in the coop close to the side where the airflow enters therein, whereby the entering airflow can be used optimally to distribute in the coop the heat generated by the radiating elements.

When the or each radiating element comprises a heat exchanger through which flows a liquid, it can serve not only to heat, but also to cool the air flowing past. In this way a very efficient system is thus obtained.

In order to enable control of the temperature in the whole housing, this latter preferably has central control means preferably connected in controlling manner to the flaps and/or the radiating elements. These control means can herein advantageously be programmable.

The invention is now elucidated on the basis of two embodiments, wherein reference is made to the annexed drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a partly cut-away perspective view of an animal housing according to a first embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 shows a cross-section along the line II-II in fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows a view corresponding with fig. 2 of another embodiment of the animal housing, and Fig. 4 is a detail view on enlarged scale of a coop of the animal housing of fig. 3.

An animal housing 1 (fig. 1) is defined by two side walls 2 and 3, a rear wall 4 and a front wall (not shown here). At the top the walls are connected by a ceiling 5, in which is arranged a number of air supply openings 6, each closable by a controllable flap 7. Situated above ceiling 5 is a pitched roof 8 which, together with ceiling 5 and the front and rear wall defines a loft 9.

Arranged between the edges of roof 8 and the upper edge of side walls 2,3 are air suction openings 10, which are likewise closable by controllable flaps 11.

In the actual housing, which is bounded by walls 2, 3,4, ceiling 5 and a floor 12, are placed coops 13 for

the animals. These coops 13 are stacked on top of each other, thereby forming different layers or levels. The stacked coops 13 are further placed in rows 14, which are mutually separated by gangways 15S, 15D. These gangways serve in alternating manner as feed channel 15S or exhaust channel 15D. On one side, in the shown embodiment on the side of exhaust channel 15D, the coops 13 are provided with a hermetically sealed end wall.

Formed in this end wall 16 is an opening which is closed by a precisely controllable flap 17. In the shown embodiment the flap 17 is a pivotable flap, which is hingedly mounted along its upper edge.

The airflow through the coops is generated by a number of fans 18, which are arranged in the outflow channels 19 debouching above the roof 8 of animal housing 1 (fig. 2). These fans 18 create an underpressure in the associated gangways 15D serving as exhaust channels, which results in an airflow starting up from the loft 9 through the openings 6, via the gangways 15S serving as supply channel, through the coops 13 to exhaust channels 15D, at least when flaps 7 and 17 are opened. By controlling the degree of opening of each flap 17 the airflow through each coop or each layer of coops 13 can be precisely regulated. In this way the airflow is thus guided substantially horizontally through the coops, directly between the animals 29 present in coops 13 and over a litter layer 30 present in the coops. A relatively large airflow is thus generated through coops 13, resulting in an improvement in the well-being of the animals and a quicker drying of the manure in litter layer 30 on the floors 20 of the 13.

The animal housing 1 further comprises means for regulating the temperature. These temperature regulating means comprise a number of radiating elements 21, which in the shown embodiment are arranged at each level of coops 13 such that the airflow through coops 13 is first guided along these radiating elements 21. Radiating elements 21, which may each comprise a heat exchanger through which liquid flows, are here suspended from the ceiling of the coops, on the side of supply channel 15S,

and extend over practically the entire length of each of the coops 13. By using different radiating elements 21 in coops 13 instead of a hot-air blower placed centrally in housing 1, the temperature can be precisely regulated per layer of coops 13. Furthermore, radiating elements 21 are not only suitable for heating animal housing 1, the coops 13 can also be cooled herewith in the summer by guiding a liquid with a low temperature through the heat exchangers.

Provisions are also arranged on air loft 8 for centrally preheating or cooling the indrawn air. For heating thereof the air is brought into heat-exchanging contact with outflow channels 19, in which the discharge air heated by the animals in housing 1 flows. For cooling of the indrawn air a liquid-atomizing system 22 is arranged on the loft 8. Because the drawing-in and discharging of the air takes place via loft 8, the surface area taken up by the animal housing 1 can also remain limited.

The coops 13 are of course further provided with conventional lighting systems 23, drinking water supply systems 24 and feeder systems 25, which are here only shown schematically.

In another embodiment of the invention, which is recommended at this time, the closed wall 16 of coops 13 is formed by the wall on the side of supply channel 15S.

The supply of air to coops 13 is thus controlled therefrom, instead of the discharge. In this variant the controllable flaps 17 are embodied as vertically displaceable slides, which are structurally simple and additionally enable a very precise control of the airflow. Each slide 17 herein further takes a bent form on its lower edge 26, whereby the airflow is deflected slightly downward as it enters coop 13 so that it brushes along the floor 20 of coop 13.

This floor 20 may take an air-permeable form, for instance as perforated mat, belt or plate, wherein an airtight bottom 27, which can likewise take the form of a mat, belt or plate, is then formed at some distance below the permeable floor 20. Manure can be collected in the space 28 defined by floor 20 and bottom 27 when the

openings in floor 20 are large enough to allow passage of this manure, optionally after it has been reduced in size by the foraging animals 29. The walls of coops 13 can further be provided at the height of this space 28 with air supply and discharge openings 31, whereby a substantially horizontal airflow can also be generated through space 28.

Each radiating element 21 is placed in this embodiment below the suction opening closable by slide 17 in the proximity of the floor 20 of the coop.

Lighting 23, a drinking water system 24 and a feeder system 25 are again arranged in each coop 13. In this embodiment the drinking water system 24 is therein placed close to the suction opening, so that the litter layer 30 under drinking water system 24 can be dried by the air flowing past, which still has the maximum moisture-absorbing capacity at that position.

In this embodiment flaps 32 are also arranged in outflow channels 19. By opening these flaps 32 a part of the extracted air can be recirculated and mixed with the ambient air drawn in through air supply openings 6.

Particularly at very low or, conversely, very high outside temperatures the temperature in animal housing 1 can be held practically constant with relatively little effort. A preheating system 33 is further arranged in this embodiment along the upper part of each supply channel 15S, whereby the radiating elements 21 in the coops 13 themselves need only function as additional heating. This preheating system 33 can be dispensed with during use in warmer climates.

The different components of the airflow guiding and circulation means, such as the flaps 7,11 and 17 and the fans 18 are preferably centrally controlled. This is also the case for the temperature regulating means. For this purpose a central control system may be present which can preferably implement different programs, subject to the conditions in and outside housing 1.

Although the invention has been elucidated above on the basis of embodiments, it will be apparent that it is not limited thereto. The choice of lay-out for the housing can thus be very different from that shown here, while the placing of the fans, flaps, radiating elements and the like can also be varied as desired. The scope of the invention is therefore defined solely by the appended claims.