The present invention relates to a machine for poultry farming.

Nowadays in the poultry farming sector the use is broadly widespread of large sheds inside which the cages containing the hens are arranged.

The sheds are typically made with a supporting structure with which self-supporting insulating panels are associated which form the walls. The sheds are conveniently ventilated by way of ventilation systems, for example with a moveable dome or with air exit ports to be paired with fans in order to induce air flows. In fact windows are also present, which in various open configurations make it possible to distribute air in the shed according to requirements, and windproof hoods are often associated with the windows.

In the sheds, the structures are usually provided with automatic systems for distributing fodder and water and for conveying eggs and feces outside.

The cages are arranged in batteries, one over the other on metallic supporting frameworks according to a configuration of levels, in order to optimize space and costs.

Between one battery and the next walkways are installed, either one on the intermediate floor or several at different heights, and these form inspection passageways between the batteries of stacked cages.

Sheds built thusly are efficient from the point of view of making good use of space and of the automation systems installed in them. However, the need is felt to reduce the overall time and cost of construction and installation of the poultry farm structure.

Usually, in fact, the cages can be installed inside the shed only after it is built and, then, the various automation systems, such as the ventilation systems and the systems for conveying eggs and feces outside. The cages and the subsystems must therefore be chosen and designed as a function of the size of the shed, or vice versa for a shed designed only for poultry farming.

The aim of the present invention is to devise a machine for poultry farming, which is capable of achieving the functions of normal sheds for poultry farm systems but with reduced construction costs and times.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to devise a machine that is efficient from the production and management points of view.

Another object of the invention is to ensure automated management of the poultry farming.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a machine for poultry farming, characterized in that it comprises a frame-like supporting structure with uprights and cross-members and multistory batteries of farming cages installed directly on said uprights and between parallel series thereof, defining passageways between said batteries in the volume of said supporting structure.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the machine according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

- Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a machine according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is an enlarged detail of the machine according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the machine according to the invention is generally designated with the reference numeral 10.

The machine 10 is designed for poultry farming and comprises a frame-like supporting structure 11 with uprights 12 and cross-members 13 and multistory batteries 14 of farming cages 15 installed directly on the uprights 12 and between parallel series thereof, defining passageways 16 between the batteries 14 in the volume of the supporting structure 11. The supporting structure 11 is preferably made of metallic material, as are the farming batteries 14 that are installed on it.

The machine 10 comprises a lower floor slab 17 which rests on the ground and on which the frame-like supporting structure 11 is installed.

The machine 10 also comprises covering panels 18 of the supporting structure 11 , which are installed directly thereupon and substantially define external walls 19 and a roof 20.

The covering panels 18 are preferably of the thermal insulating type.

There are passageways 16 on the ground floor and optionally, according to the overall height of the frame of the structure, on raised intermediate levels, as in the case shown. They are in fact negotiable by users 21 at intermediate levels of the supporting structure 11 on walkways 22 which are installed on the supporting structure 11 between the batteries 14. The walkways 22 can conveniently be constituted by metallic gratings or by wooden boards mounted directly on the cross-members of the supporting structure 11.

The passageways 16 can be alternated with the farming batteries 14 as in the example shown in Figure 1 or, for cages 15 that are shallow, the passageways 16 can be alternated with laterally adjacent pairs of batteries 14.

The structure of the machine 10 is conveniently provided with stairs (not shown) for reaching the upper floor, which can be mounted directly on the supporting structure 11.

The machine 10 comprises a plurality of automated subsystems which are installed on the supporting structure 11.

Such subsystems comprise ventilation means 23 on the external walls 19, for the extraction, exchange and recirculation of air.

In particular, as can be seen from the illustration in Figure 1, some portions of external walls 19 and even of the roof 20 are not covered with the covering panels 18, in order to permit the installation of such ventilation means 23 directly on the supporting structure 11.

In the example shown the ventilation means 23 comprise fans 24, which are shown schematically, and air exit ports 25.

The air exit ports 25 installed on the external walls 19 consist of windows covered by windproof and rainproof slats 26, the inclination of which is adjustable in order to control the air flow to be induced in the machine 10.

The air exit ports 25 installed at the roof 20 comprise ventilation domes 27.

Among the various subsystems the machine 10 also comprises feeding means 28 for the animals held in the cages 15, which are installed on the supporting structure 11.

The feeding means 28, which can be seen in the enlargement in Figure 2, can comprise a system for distributing food in the mangers 29.

As illustrated, the mangers 29 are installed directly on the cages 15 and are supplied by adapted cascading distributors 30 of an adapted feed supply apparatus installed on the supporting structure 11. The feed supply apparatus can comprise, for each series of batteries 14, a supply trolley 31, conventional, which can move along the inspection corridor 16, supplying the manger 29 with the fodder.

The machine 10 must also be provided with a system for distributing water in adapted drinking troughs (not shown). The drinking troughs can be supplied by pipes 32 for conveying water, at least one for each level of each battery 14, extending along it for its entire length, from which offtake pipes branch off which gradually fill the respective drinking troughs arranged in the cages 15.

For farming with laying hens, the machine 10 is conveniently provided with means of gathering the eggs 33, installed on the supporting structure 11.

The means of gathering the eggs 33, which are also part of the automated subsystems, comprise the baskets 34, which are conventional and which extend substantially along the entire length of the respective battery 14, being conveniently mounted directly on the cages 15 as illustrated in Figure 2. The means of gathering the eggs 33 also comprise systems (not shown) installed directly on the supporting structure 11 , which can include a conveyor belt that is positioned within each basket 34 for conveying the eggs outside the structure and which is conveniently moved by electric motors.

Also among the automated subsystems of the machine 10 are means of collecting the litter 35, which are also installed on the supporting structure 11.

In particular, the means of collecting the litter 35 comprise a collection tray 36, which is arranged below each level of cages 15 of each battery 14 and which runs along the entire length thereof, and also an apparatus (not shown) installed directly on the supporting structure 11, which can include, inside each collection tray 36, a conveyor belt for extracting the litter from the farming batteries 14 and for conveying it to a drying machine.

Operation of the machine, according to the invention, is evident from what is described and explained above.

It is also evident that the cages 14 are substantially integrated in the supporting structure 11 and the various subsystems are substantially part of the machine 10, being installed directly on its supporting structure 11.

The supporting structure 11 substantially substitutes the columns and floors of a shed within which the various subsystems of the poultry farm system are installed.

The various subsystems, for example for ventilation and for feeding the hens, like the covering panels 18, which substantially constitute a subsystem for protection from atmospheric agents, are installed directly on the supporting structure 11 and on the cages 14. The machine 10 in fact substitutes an automated poultry farm system.

The cages 14 and the various subsystems are designed in conformance with the rest of the machine 10, being substantially integrated in it and making it possible to drastically reduce the cost and time of building a poultry farm system.

In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the set aim and object by providing a machine for poultry farming at low cost and in a shorter time than the sheds that are known today and used in the sector, while being equally efficient and automated from the production and management points of view, and capable of achieving the functions of normal sheds for poultry farm systems.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2015A000084 (102015902345879) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.