1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to industrial livestock production and, more particularly, to an improved method of and apparatus for distributing animal bedding material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Commercial production of livestock is increasingly necessary to provide cost effective food production for the nearly 7 billion people currently populating the planet. Factory farms have developed to hold large numbers of animals, typically cows, pigs, turkeys, or chickens, often indoors, typically at high densities. The aim of the operation is to produce as much meat, eggs, or milk at the lowest possible cost.
Typical of one such operation is demonstrated by the industrial production of broiler chickens. A broiler is a type of chicken raised specifically for meat production. Modern commercial broilers are specially bred for meat production and grow much faster than egg breeds. In one step of such operations, a ‘grower’ specializes in raising a brood from hatchling to maturity, a process which can take approximately 60 days. In such operations, areas for additional efficiency are narrow. Striving for additional yields at maturity is constant; however, one area of overall facility efficiency that receives little attention is the cycle time associated with readying the facility for the next flock.
After a flock has been raised to maturity and sent to production, the growing house needs to be cleaned. The soiled bedding needs to be removed, the facilities cleaned and prepared, and new fresh bedding set in place ready to receive a new brood that has just recently hatched (usually just 24-48 hours prior). To date, the cleaning has been manual, i.e. shovel, load and haul. Similarly, the application of new bedding material is generally placed in a similar manual fashion, i.e., manual shoveling or placing of bedding material (usually sawdust or wood shavings) onto the floor of the growing house. The overall turnaround of such a growing facility can take up to three weeks, and any efficiency obtained will similarly directly impact the overall long term efficience of the facility.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention; however, the following references were considered related.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,250, issued in the name of Garnet, discloses a spreading machine for spreading animal bedding material. Such a device comprises an augured hopper attachment to a front end loader, and while capable of loading and spreading granular product, such a design is inapplicable in for use in an indoor, industrial livestock production facility.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,394, issued in the name of Becker, discloses a bedding material spreader of a similar design (i.e., hopper bucket, auger, and discharge slot). Again, such a design is inapplicable in for use in an indoor, industrial livestock production facility.
And, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0145399, published in the name of Nesseth, again discloses a hopper feeder affixed to a front end loader for capture and distribution of granular material. Again, such a design is inapplicable in for use in an indoor, industrial livestock production facility.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus for and method of distributing livestock bedding material specifically adapted for use with and support of industrial livestock facilities.