Abstract: An automatic animal processing device for automatically processing a domestic animal from its stall the animal while restraining the animal and without impeding passage in the aisle. The animal processing device, while operating, allows a person to walk-by the system with minimal constraints. The animal processing device may be a milking machine may be a milking machine having a milking head assembly and a cleaning system. The animal processing device may be mounted on a movable platform, such that the processing device may be automatically moved from one stall to the next. For installations in which the processing device is installed on tracks in the middle of two rows of animals, the processing device may be rotatable on its movable platform, such that it may process the animals of both sides of the aisle.

Abstract: There is provided an autonomous vehicle for pushing feed lying on a floor, comprising a frame; a skirt rotatably connected to the frame, wherein a bottom portion of the skirt continuously contacts the floor to push the feed. The vehicle comprises a sensor assembly for detecting a magnetic field emitted from a magnetic guiding element inserted in the floor and a control unit mounted for directing rotation of the skirt and for guiding the vehicle along a predetermined path formed by the magnetic guiding element. Also provided is an autonomous vehicle with a skirt drive mechanism mounted to the frame for driving rotation of the skirt, and an autonomous vehicle comprising a prism-shaped skirt rotatably connected to the frame. There is also provided methods for installing a magnetically guided autonomous vehicle and for pushing feed using an autonomous vehicle, as well as systems and kits comprising said vehicle.

Abstract: There is provided an autonomous vehicle for pushing feed lying on a floor, comprising a frame; a skirt rotatably connected to the frame, wherein a bottom portion of the skirt continuously contacts the floor to push the feed. The vehicle comprises a sensor assembly for detecting a magnetic field emitted from a magnetic guiding element inserted in the floor and a control unit mounted for directing rotation of the skirt and for guiding the vehicle along a predetermined path formed by the magnetic guiding element. Also provided is an autonomous vehicle with a skirt drive mechanism mounted to the frame for driving rotation of the skirt, and an autonomous vehicle comprising a prism-shaped skirt rotatably connected to the frame. There is also provided methods for installing a magnetically guided autonomous vehicle and for pushing feed using an autonomous vehicle, as well as systems and kits comprising said vehicle.

Abstract: An improved teat cup, teat cup sleeve, milking machine and milking method provides cleaner milk by drawing air into the milk stream from away from the teat cup. The teat cup may include an air duct having a first end in fluid communication with the milk conduit extending outside of the shell to a second end located away from the shell of the teat cup. The air duct may form part of an air passage that extends between the milk conduit and an air inlet which allows control of the source, flow and purity of air entering the milk stream.

Abstract: An automatic animal processing device for automatically retrieving a domestic animal partly from a stall to process the animal while restraining the animal. The animal processing device includes an animal controlling mechanism operative to engage, position and restrain the animal for processing. The animal controlling mechanism may include at least on articulated arm to constrain and immobilize an animal to process it, e.g. milk it. The animal processing device may be a milking machine may be a milking machine having a milking head assembly and a cleaning system therefor whereby the milking head assembly is cleaned inside a compartment. The animal processing device may be a dual animal milking machine having full and half operation modes whereby two sets of processing equipments are used to service two animals simultaneously or only one set is used for both respectively.

Abstract: A hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length. A rotor (28) driven by an electric motor (66-67) has cutting blades (35) projecting through the openings to contact a bottom face (159) of a bale of hay (160) displaced over the grill. The rotor has a driveable shaft (29) secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism (45) to displace the blades (35) in the openings and above the grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load appliA hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length.

Abstract: A utility car for maintenance of a livestock environment is comprised of a container compartment which is supported on wheels and displaceable over a floor surface by a motor drive operated by a conductor person. A front-end loading bucket is provided for loading feed/hay into the container compartment. The container compartment has a discharge trough and a conveyor feeds the feed/hay from the compartment into the discharge trough. The front end loading bucket has a pivotal rear gate in an upper end section of a rear wall thereof for guidingly discharging feed/hay from the loading bucket into an open top end of the front wall of the container compartment and closes the open top end when the loading bucket is at a discharge position.

Abstract: A hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length. A rotor (28) driven by an electric motor (66-67) has cutting blades (35) projecting through the openings to contact a bottom face (159) of a bale of hay (160) displaced over the grill. The rotor has a driveable shaft (29) secured to a displaceable suspension mechanism (45) to displace the blades (35) in the openings and above the grill a variable distance depending on the resistive load appliA hay bale processor (10) having a cylindrical rotatable drum (14) adapted to displace a bale of hay (156-157) over a grill (26) which has a plurality of spaced-apart parallel slot openings (27) which are adjustable to define an average fiber cut length.

Abstract: A utility car for maintenance of a livestock environment is comprised of a container compartment which is supported on wheels and displaceable over a floor surface by a motor drive operated by a conductor person. A front-end loading bucket is provided for loading feed/hay into the container compartment. The container compartment has a discharge trough and a conveyor feeds the feed/hay from the compartment into the discharge trough. The front end loading bucket has a pivotal rear gate in an upper end section of a rear wall thereof for guidingly discharging feed/hay from the loading bucket into an open top end of the front wall of the container compartment and closes the open top end when the loading bucket is at a discharge position.

Abstract: A hay chopper is used for chopping elongated stems of hay into small fragments. The hay chopper comprises two superimposed screens comprising an identical set of slots recessed thereon. When the two screens are well aligned, effective slot windows result from the superimposition of slots from each one of the screens. A chopping element is also provided within the hay chopper, this chopping element comprising sharp-edged blades emerging periodically from underneath said screens through said effective slot windows, in order to cut the hay located onto the chopping element of the hay chopper. By varying the alignment between the two screens, the effective slot windows' width can be adjusted accordingly. It is the width of these slots that will determine approximately the length of the chopped fragments of hay that is allowed to slip therethrough by gravity and/or drive force from the rotating blades.

Abstract: A hay chopper is used for chopping elongated stems of hay into small fragments. The hay chopper comprises two superimposed screens comprising an identical set of slots recessed thereon. When the two screens are well aligned, effective slot windows result from the superimposition of slots from each one of the screens. A chopping element is also provided within the hay chopper, this chopping element comprising sharp-edged blades emerging periodically from underneath said screens through said effective slot windows, in order to cut the hay located onto the chopping element of the hay chopper. By varying the alignment between the two screens, the effective slot windows' width can be adjusted accordingly. It is the width of these slots that will determine approximately the length of the chopped fragments of hay that is allowed to slip therethrough by gravity and/or drive force from the rotating blades.

Abstract: The cow training device has a bracket attached to the front cross-stanchion of the cow stall, over the neck of the cow. The bracket holds a rear pivotable arm, which has an outer free end adapted to be located spacedly over and proximate the cow's back. The bracket also holds a short selectively powered frontward rotatable whip, linked to a switch which is activated only if the rear arm is upwardly pivoted. If the cow is located at the front portion of its stall and it wants to evacuate, it will arch its back, which will come into upward abutment with the arm outer free end and upwardly pivot the arm. The switch will then be activated, and power will be supplied to the whip which will rotate to sting the cow's neck. To escape this treatment, the cow will normally back up in its stall reactively to position its hind portion over the rear stall gutter. Its arched back will then not abut on the arm outer free end, and the whip will stop rotating, thus relieving the cow of this whipping treatment.

Abstract: The cattle feed mixer comprises a self-standing container having a cylindrical inner chamber in which is journaled a coaxial shaft rotatably carrying a number of radially extending paddles. An upper opening mouth allows hay and other cattle feed elements to be poured into the inner chamber, where the paddles are rotated to mix these elements together. Sector portions of a number of circular saw blades project into the inner chamber through slits made in the bottom of its inner wall, and rotate at high velocity to shear the hay carried thereagainst by the paddles. Once the mixing and cutting operations are completed, a discharge door is opened to allow the paddles to scoop the now homogeneous cattle feed out through a discharge opening, to be dispensed in suitable receptacles. The container has a collecting trough located under the slits of the saw blades, which is connected via an upwardly-extending sleeve to the inner chamber.

Abstract: This system for feeding livestock is conceived to automatically identify the positions of the animals or of their stalls, and to automatically produce and dispense rations containing individualized feed mixtures programmable in relation with each particular animal and to readily adjust the rations according to the requirements of each animal. This livestock feeder system comprises an overhead guide track, a feed container suspended by a weighing scale from the guide track and divided into a plurality of compartments for different ingestible substances, conveyor screws to dispense and mix the substances and to produce and discharge the mixture, a programmable control unit to preset the different individualized rations, animal or stall position identifiers, and electric sensors to detect the positions and discharge the right ration at the right position for any particular animal.

Abstract: A vehicle and, in particular, a feed cart as used in a barn to feed the livestock, which vehicle or feed cart is distinctively provided with an electric motor, an electric plug in cord supplying electric power to the motor from an electric outlet of the barn, a reel for the cord, and a reel drive assembly rotatively biasing the reel toward winding of the cord thereon to thus maintain the cord taut and to prevent entanglement and soiling of the cord, independently of displacement of the latter.