Eisenfiihr Speiser
Hamburg, 15 February 2008
ourref.: BH 834-03WO LBI/mue/pot/jla
Durchwahl: 040/309 744 25
Applicant/Proprietor: BIG DUTCHMAN INTERNATIONAL GMBH Application number: New application
Big Dutchman International GmbH Auf der Lage 2, D-49377 Vechta
Poultry cage arrangement
The invention relates to a poultry cage arrangement designed, in particular, for raising poultry for fattening, comprising; a poultry cage provided with a poultry confinement space enclosed on all sides by boundary walls, in particular by grilles, and a floor area; a conveyor apparatus, disposed underneath the floor area and provided with a conveyor surface, in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying the poultry kept in the poultry cage from the poultry cage to a loading station, such as a packing station, wherein the floor area is designed in such a way that it can be moved from a first position in which it defined the bottom of the poultry confinement space and constitutes a standing area for poultry kept therein, to a second position in which said floor area permits the poultry in the poultry confinement space to be removed and placed on the conveyor apparatus by no longer offering any support to the poultry in the poultry cage.
In addition to the classical free-range or cage-free form of poultry breeding, the form of poultry breeding commonplace today, in particular of poultry for fattening, is normally carried out in batteries of cages arranged adjacent and above one

another, wherein poultry breeding and/or poultry within ttie meaning of the invention also means the breeding by fattening of other animals besides poultry. The animals are placed into the cages, and at a later time it is necessary to remove the animals from the cages for loading, for example for slaughter once they are ready for butchering. This procedure is referred to in this description and the attached claims as "removal". It should be understood that the animals may also be removed for some other purpose besides loading.
Manual removal of the animals from each cage by farm animal personnel and immediate packing of the animals in crates or the like that are provided in a gangway alongside the cage in order to be able to transport the animals in these crates, is known in the given context. However, this type of removal is very labour-intensive and hence cost-intensive and for that reason can no longer be used economically in many cases. Manually gripping and moving the animals into the crates may likewise result in damage being caused to the animals, in the form of broken bones, for example.
It is also known to keep the animals in a poultry cage which is provided with a floor area and a poultry confinement space enclosed on all sides by boundary walls, in particular by grilles, wherein a conveyor apparatus is disposed underneath the floor area and provided with a conveyor surface, in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying the poultry kept in the poultry cage from the poultry cage to a loading station, such as a packing station. The conveyor apparatus may be a conveyor belt, in particular. In these designs, the conveyor apparatus may often take the form of a droppings conveyor belt that is provided in any case, and which is used during breeding of the animals to transport away the dirt and contamination dropping from the cages, in order to ensure hygienic conditions inside the cage and which can be used, after cleaning it of such dirt and contamination, to transport the animals during removal. In these developed poultry cage arrangements, the floor area is designed in such a way that it can be moved from a first position in which it defines the bottom of the poultry confinement space and constitutes a standing area for poultry located therein, to a second position in which the floor area permits the poultry kept in the poultry

confinement space to be removed onto the conveyor apparatus by no tenger offering any support to the poultiy in the poultry cage. The animals fall through onto the conveyor apparatus lying below the cage and can be transported with the aid of this conveyor apparatus away from the cage to a loading station.
Various designs of these cage systems are known. On the one hand, for example, it is known to design the floor area as a foldable floor mat. The floor mat is spanned stably across the entire floor area by means of a rod and can be gathered together by means of trusses acting on the rod, as a result of which the floor mat is pulled to one side of the cage and an opening is produced through which the animals can fall onto the droppings belt underneath. Although removal can be carried out efficiently with this configuration, one disadvantage is that the animals may suffer direct injuries by the floor mat being gathered together, or may become jammed in and injured as a consequence. Furthermore, it is necessary in this configuration that the droppings belt be disposed far enough below the foldable floor mat so that, after dropping onto the droppings belt, sufficient standing height is left for the animals so that they can be conveyed underneath the separating walls and the folded floor mat through to the packing station. This requires that the entire cage arrangement have a relatively large overall height, which is disadvantageous, in particular, when a multitier arrangement of the cages is intended, since a mere three tiers can be arranged one above the other with this design and with the overall height typically available in poultry sheds, if the intention is to provide the animals with species-appropriate living conditions; even in such a case, the topmost tier can only be checked using a lifting truck or the like.
In another known design of such cage arrangements, the floor area is designed as a rigid plastic grille and can be pulled out from the side of the cage to a gangway, such that the animals again fall onto a droppings belt disposed underneath the grille and can be removed. The disadvantages with such a design are again the risk of injury to the animals and also the cumbersome operation of the floors during removal, the lack of possibilities for automated operation of the

floors for removal of the poultry, and furthermore the difficulty in cleaning the fioor areas in both the inserted and in the pulled out state.
There is an essential need for a cage arrangement that allows convenient and efficient removal from a cage with minimal risk of injury for the animals, on the one hand, yet involving no increase or only a slight increase in the overall height of the entire cage arrangement, on the other hand. It is also desirable to provide a cage arrangement that permits full and thorough cleaning. The object of the invention is to provide a cage arrangement which at least partially overcomes at least some of the disadvantages described in the foregoing and which provides an improved cage arrangement.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by the floor area consisting of at least one, preferably several pivotable floor segment(s) that is/are pivotable between the first and the second position.
By means of the inventive improvement, the disadvantageous poultry cage floor designs known from the prior art are avoided, and instead an advantageous design with one or several pivotable floor segments is provided. In a first position, the floor segments constitute a contiguous floor standing area for the poultry arranged in the poultry cage. It must be understood in this regard that this contiguous floor area may well be perforated in advantageous manner, or may be designed in some other way such that it is permeable for dirt and contamination. In a second position, in which the floor segments and hence the floor area or floor area sections have been pivoted, this floor area is no longer provided for the poultry, and there is no longer any way for the poultry to find support on the floor area, with the result that the poultry drops through between the fioor segments
i onto the conveyor apparatus underneath. The development according to the invention has the advantage, on the one hand, that it is simple to clean the floor segments, in particular in the pivoted, second position, since as a result of pivoting, both the top side and the underside of each floor segment are easily accessible and can be easily freed of dirt and contamination using a high-
) pressure cleaner or a jet of water. Pivoting the floor segments makes it possible

to have advantageous kinematics that allow, in particular, a geometric design in which the risk of injury for the animals during removal is reduced, on the one hand, while on the other hand additional space is provided above the conveyor apparatus as a result of pivoting, in order to provide a clear height that is required for conveying the poultry.
According to a first preferred embodiment, each pivotable floor segment comprises a floor standing area which is spaced apart from a conveyor surface of the conveyor apparatus by a first distance in the first position, and in the second position is spaced apart from said conveyor surface by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.
This embodiment allows the floor segments, with their floor standing area in the first position, that is, in the position in which the animals stand on the floor standing area, to be disposed at only a slight distance from the conveying surface of the conveyor apparatus, in particular at only such a distance, for example, that is just sufficient for dirt and contamination to be transported away from the cage by means of the conveyor apparatus, but not sufficient for poultry to be transported away. In the second position, that is, in the position used for poultry removal and in which the animals no longer have any support on the floor standing area, a larger distance between the conveying surface and the floor standing area is provided, as a result of which, in particular, a clear height is provided above the conveying surface that enables the animals to be transported away on the conveying surface after dropping onto the latter. Hence, this design allows the entire overall height of a poultry cage arrangement comprising a poultry cage and conveyor apparatus to be kept substantially lower than in the prior art, without having to have recourse to a reduced height for transportation of the animals on the conveying surface and/or to a lower height of the cage itself. Instead, by virtue of the very small distance between the conveying surface and the floor standing area in the first position, it is possible to provide not only the cage height that is required for breeding and keeping of animals in a species-appropriate environment, but also the clear height above the conveying surface that is required for removing the animals from the cage in the second position.

it should be understood that the pivoting movement of the floor segments car, occur about an axis that is actually physically present, or about a virtual axis that is provided by constructional elements. The pivoting movement may also occur as a composite movement, for example as a pivoting about two or more axes in succession.
It is also preferred when each pivotable floor segment includes a floor standing area, and the floor standing area is oriented approximately horizontally in the first position, and in the second position is oriented at an incline, preferably vertically.
With this design, even easier cleaning of the floor standing areas in the second position is made possible, and reliable removal of the animals is achieved by pivoting the floor standing area into the second position.
It is also preferred when each pivotable floor segment includes a floor standing area which can be pivoted about a pivot axis that is disposed at a distance, in particular above the floor standing area. A distance between the pivot axis and the floor standing area is to be understood here to mean that the portion of the floor standing area which is used as a standing area for the animals in the cage is spaced apart from the real or virtual pivot axis. Due to this spacing apart, the clear height above the conveying surface can be increased by the pivoting movement from the first to the second position. The required distance between the pivot axis and the floor standing area is therefore to be determined constructionally by a person skilled in the art using the normal means, with consideration being given to the distance between the floor standing area and conveying surface even in the first position, and the possible pivot angle between the first and the second position. The pivot axis can essentially be in the same plane as the floor standing area, for example, but spaced apart therefrom in the horizontal direction. In particular, it is also conceivable to combine such a horizontal spacing apart with a pivot axis that lies vertically below the floor standing area. However, it is basically preferred that the pivot axis is disposed above the floor standing area, since it is possible in this way, with short lever arms between the pivot axis and the floor standing area, to achieve kinematics

that enable a significant increase in clear height above the conveying surface tc be achieved by pivoting the floor segment from the first into the second position.
According to another preferred embodiment, the floor area is fonned by a plurality of floor segments provided with floor standing areas, said floor standing areas being aligned with each other in the first position and thus forming a planar cage floor. With this design, it is possible to design the floor standing areas with minimal dimensions, even in their extension perpendicular to the pivot axis, as a result of which the pivotability can be achieved constructionally in a simplified manner, on the one hand, while on the other hand the risk of injuring the poultry during removal can be further reduced, since floor standing areas are not moved horizontally by any substantial amounts.
It is especially preferred in this regard when each floor segment can be pivoted about a pivot axis, and the pivot axes of the plurality of floor segments lie in a plane. By this means, a robust construction can be realised by a common support structure for all pivot axes.
It is also preferred when the distance between the underside of the floor area and the conveyor surface is less than 10 cm in the first position, more particularly 3 -8 cm, preferably 5 cm, and that in the second position a clear space is provided between the pivoted floor segments and the conveyor surface, that permits poultry arranged on the conveyor surface to be conveyed underneath the floor segments. On the one hand, this design provides a distance between the floor area and the conveying surface that is sufficient for removing dirt and contamination, such as droppings, during breeding of poultry in the poultry cage. At the same time, a low overall height of the entire poultry cage arrangement is provided, which leads to favourable utilisation of the available space in the poultry shed. For example, it is possible with the embodiment according to the invention to realise a four-tier design, without having to reduce the space available to the animals in order to do so, compared to a conventional construction that only permits a three-tier arrangement of poultry cages in the same installation space. In order to guarantee reliable removal of the animals in a manner that avoids

injuries to them, it is necessary in the case of broilers, for example, to provide a clear space that measures 15-20 cm in height above the conveying surface in the second position.
Finally, it is also preferred when the floor segments can be locked in the first and/or the second position. Such locking simplifies cleaning the floor segments in the second position and ensures the safety of the animals in the first position.
Another aspect of the invention is a poultry cage arrangement comprising a plurality of poultry cages arranged in a row, wherein each poultry cage comprises poultry confinement spaces enclosed on all sides by boundary wails, in particular by grilles, a floor area, conveyor apparatus disposed underneath the poultry cages and extending along the poultry cages, and provided with a conveyor surface, in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying the poultry kept in the poultry cage from each of the poultry cages arranged in a row to a loading station, such as a packing station, wherein the floor area of each of the poultry cages is designed in such a way that it can be moved from a first position in which it defines the bottom of the poultry confinement space and constitutes a standing area for poultry kept therein, to a second position in which said floor area permits the poultry kept in the poultry confinement space to be removed and placed on the conveyor apparatus by no longer offering any support to the poultry in the poultry cage.
The poultry cage system according to the invention implements the previously explained principle of the poultry cage arrangement, according to the invention, for a row of poultry cages arranged in a line and which use a common conveyor apparatus that runs underneath all the poultry cages arranged in a row. It is particularly preferred, in this regard, when the poultry cages are developed according to one of the advantageous designs described in the foregoing. It is further preferred when the distance between the floor area of each poultry cage and the conveyor surface is less than 10 cm in the first position , more particularly 3-8 cm, preferably 5 cm, and that in the second position a clear space is provided between the pivoted floor segments and the conveyor surface, which

permits poultry arranged on the conveyor surface to be conveyed undemeatn the floor segments. This design takes account, in particular, of the design restrictions that are necessary in a row/ arrangement of poultry cages and that relate in particular to the removal and transportation of the animals by means of the conveyor apparatus being obstructed by cage elements other than the floor segments, such as partition walls between the individual poultry cages, or the like. In order to ensure reliable conveying and a low risk of injury, the invention provides that, in the second position of the floor segments, in the conveying region underneath the poultry cages along the entire conveying apparatus, no elements of the poultry cages project into the clear space that is required for conveying the animals.
It is further preferred when the poultry cage system according to the invention is developed by including a first actuator for pivoting the floor segments of a first poultry cage, in particular of a first group of poultry cages, a second actuator for pivoting the floor segments of a second poultry cage, in particular a second group of poultry cages, wherein the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages and the second poultry cage or second group of poultry cages are arranged along a common conveyor apparatus in such a way that the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages is arranged between the second poultry cage or second group of poultry cages and a loading station such as a packing plant, a control unit for controlling the removal of poultry by actuating the first and second actuator, said control unit being designed in such a way that it actuates the first actuator at a first time in order to pivot the floor segments of the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages into the second position, and actuates the second actuator at a second time in order to pivot the floor segments of the second poultry cage or second group of poultry cages into the second position, and thereby holds the floor segments of the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages in the second position by means of the first actuator.
On the one hand, this preferred embodiment permits automatic removal of the poultry, in that the floor segments are pivoted by actuators. An actuator may be provided for each individual poultry cage, or adjacent poultry cages may be

actuated by means of a common actuator. It is essential to understand that more than two actuators may also be used in large-scale poultry cage systems. The control unit according to the invention is designed in such a way that it prevents the conveyor apparatus from being overloaded by simultaneous removal of poultry from a large number of poultry cages, namely by firstly removing the poultry from the cage closest to the loading device, then removing the poultry successively from poultry cages further away, which is advantageous in particular because the animals must be conveyed from the poultry cages further away underneath the poultry cages that have already been emptied, i.e. those poultry cages closer to the loading device must be in the second position when poultry is removed from the poultry cages further away, in order to provide the clear height required for through transportation.
It is further preferred when the poultry cage arrangement is developed by including a pivotable lower separating grille segment which can be pivoted between a first position in which it separates the poultry cage arrangement from an adjacent cage arrangement, and a second position in which it permits poultry located on the conveyor surface to be transported out of the region underneath the poultry confinement space. With a poultry cage arrangement, it is essential that no animal can escape out the side of the poultry confinement space, regardless of whether, by doing so, the animal could reach the general area of the poultry shed or an adjacent poultry cage arrangement. This can basically be prevented by providing rigid separating grille walls between the poultry cage arrangements. However, with the development according to the invention, such a rigid separating grille cannot extend as far as the level of the floor standing area, since in that case the lower portion of the separating grille would prevent the animals from being transported away on the conveyor apparatus. This additional problem is avoided by the aforementioned development of the invention, according to which a lower separating grille segment is designed to be movable. This can be effected, in the simplest case, by the lower separating grille segment being mounted on an upper pivot axis that extends horizontally along a rigid separating grill portion situated above it, as a result of which the lower separating grille segment is pivoted into an open position by the animals that are being

transported away, when they are pressed by the conveyor apparatus against tne pivotabie separating grille segment. However, developed configurations are also conceivable in which the lower separating grille segment can be pivoted for poultry removal into the second position with its own actuator system, with mechanical coupling or the like, in order to prevent it from being actively operated by the animals themselves.
It is particularly preferred when the lower separating grille segment is fixed in the first position by one of the two adjacent floor segments when this/these floor segment(s) is/are in the first position.
It is particularly preferred in this regard when the lower separating grille segment is coupled to at least one floor segment, preferably to a floor segment adjacent to it, and can be pivoted with said floor segment. Such coupling can be simply achieved by forming a connection, for example, between the separating grille segment and a floor segment using a cable pull, a pull rod, a push rod, or the like. It is preferred, in particular, that the lower separating grille segment be embodied on the floor segment that is laterally attached to the separating grille. In that case, the separating grille segment may be pivotably mounted on the floor segment. In particular, however, the separating grille segment may be integrally and rigidly embodied on this floor segment, as a consequence of which the separating grille segment is pivoted by the pivoting action of the floor segment itself. It should be noted here that, with such a design, it must be possible to pivot the floor segment by such an angle that no standing area on which an animal can resist removal is provided by the integrally formed separating grille segment.
Finally, it is also further preferred when a plurality of poultry cages arranged in a row are arranged in tiers one above the other, and that a conveyor apparatus is arranged underneath each row of poultry cages. As already explained, one of the advantages of the poultry cage arrangement according to the invention consists in its lower height compared to the prior art, which means that a multitier design is advantageous, particularly in combination with the poultry cage arrangement according to the invention.

Another aspect of the invention is a floor segment for a pouttry csge arrangement, said floor segment comprising a floor standing area and at least one, preferably two pivot bearing points arranged in such a way that the pivot axis defined by the pivot bearing point(s) is spaced apart from the floor standing area and when the floor segment is pivoted about said pivot axis, the floor standing area is pivoted from a first position, in which it is arranged at a first height, to a second height that is above the first height. Such a floor segment is suitable, in particular, for subsequent modification of existing poultry cage arrangements in order to utilise the invention. Yet another aspect of the invention, finally, is a method for removing poultry from their cages, said method comprising the following steps: arranging the poultry for breeding in a cage, preferably in a plurality of cages, on a floor standing area, preferably on a plurality of floor standing areas arranged in alignment one adjacent the other, in a first position of the floor standing area, pivoting the floor standing area about an axis lying outside the floor standing area to a second position in which the poultry no longer has any support on the floor standing areas, letting the poultry drop onto a conveyor apparatus disposed underneath the cage, and conveying the poultry by means of the conveyor apparatus from the cage to a loading station, such as a packing plant.
The device according to the invention preferably operates according to this method, and the aforementioned method is suitable, in particular, for being carried out by means of a poultry cage arrangement or poultry cage system as described above.
It is particularly prefen-ed in this regard when the floor standing areas are pivoted about a pivot axis in such a way that they are arranged in the first position atxjve the conveyor apparatus in such a way that the clear height above the conveyor apparatus is not sufficient for conveying the poultry underneath the cages, and that they are arranged in the second position above the conveyor apparatus in such a way that the clear height above the conveyor apparatus is sufficient for conveying the poultry underneath the cage.

Preferred embodiments of the invention shali now be described vvitr, reference lo the attached drawings, in which
Figure 1: shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a poultry cage system according to the invention, seen at an angle from above,
Figure 2: shows a side view of the embodiment in Figure 1, with the floor segments in a first position.
Figure 3: a side view as in Figure 2, with floor segments pivoted by approximately 40°,
Figure 4: a side view as in Figure 2, with floor segments pivoted by approximately 80°,
Figure 5: a side view as in Figure 2, with floor segments pivoted by approximately 110°,
Figure 6: a side view as in Figure 2, with floor segments pivoted by approximately 145° in a second position
Figure 7: shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a poultry cage system according to the invention, seen at an angle from above,
Figure 8: a side view of the embodiment in Figure 7, with the floor segments in a first position,
Figure 9: a side view as in Figure 8, with floor segments pivoted by
) approximately 20°,
Figure 10; a side view as in Figure 8, with floor segments pivoted by approximately 45°,

Figure 11: a side view as in Figure 8. with floor segments pr^otec Dv approximately 90° in a second position
Figure 12: a side view of a third embodiment of the invention, and
Figure 13: shows a side view of the third embodiment in Fig. 12, with the floor segments and a bottom separating grille segment in a pivoted position.
Figure 1 shows a section of a poultry cage system according to the invention and depicts two poultry cage arrangements 100a, b arranged in a row. Poultry cage arrangements 100a, 100b are essentially of identical design. Only the front poultry cage system 100a in Figure 1 is shown with the relevant details and shall be described in the following:
Poultry cage arrangement 100a is separated from the adjacent poultry cage arrangements by a separating grill 110 at the front and a separating grille 120 at the back. It should be understood that the left-hand and right-hand sides of poultry cage arrangement 100a in Figure 1 are also separated by such a grille and that, to aid understanding, these grilles are not depicted.
In Figure 1, a feeding arrangement provided with a supply line 130 and a feed removal point 131 is disposed at a central location. Drinking water supply devices with supply lines 140a and 140b and tapping points 141a, b, 142a, b are provided to either side of this feeding arrangement in order to supply feed and water to the broilers kept in poultry cage arrangement 100a.
The floor standing area of poultry cage arrangement 100a is formed by four floor segments 150a-d disposed one beside the other. Floor segments 15Ga-d are of identical design. Each floor segment consists of a floor standing area 151a-d which is connected on both sides to a triangular frame 152a-d, 154a-d and is preferably formed integrally therewith.

The floor standing areas 151s-d of floor segments 150a-d fonr, a pianar focr area of poultry cage arrangement 100a. In Figure 1, floor segments 150a-c are depicted in a first position in which the broilers living in poultry cage arrangement 100a can find support on said floor area. It should be understood that floor standing areas 151a-d are preferably perforated so that dirt and contamination can drop through from the area where the animals are kept.
Lateral triangular frames I52a-d and 154a-d connect floor standing areas 151a-d, respectively, to pivot bearings 153a-d, 155a-d disposed at the upper end of frames 152a-d, 154a-d. Pivot bearings 153a-d, 155a-d are disposed on horizontal bars 160, 161 extending along either side of the poultry cage arrangement and between two vertical bars 170-172. A droppings belt 180, 181, the upper run 180 of which extends at a distance of approximately 8 cm from the underside of floor segments 150a, 150b and the lower run 181 of which is guided at a distance of approximately 5 cm from upper run 180, extends underneath floor standing areas 151a-d across the entire width of the floor standing areas. Droppings belt 180, 181 extends the entire length of the poultry cage system; in the region of poultry cage arrangement 100b, the upper run can be seen in its entirety because the floor segments of the poultry cage arrangement are not depicted.
Figure 2 shows a side view of the poultry cage system in Figure 1, with the floor segments in the first position as also shown in the latter Figure. It can be seen that the lateral triangular frames 152a-d demarcate the sides of the space where the broilers are kept. The pivotability of the floor segments about their respective pivot axes 154a-d, and the area that is swept thereby is shown with dashed circular lines 154a'-d'.
Figures 3-6 depict the pivoting sequence of floor segments 150a-d in the poultry cage system of Figure 2. It can be seen that the two floor segments 150a, 150b depicted on the left are pivoted in the clockwise direction, whereas the two floor segments 150c, 150d depicted on the right are pivoted in the anticlockwise direction. The floor segments are designed in such a way that no collision of the floor segments can occur when they are pivoted simultaneously.

Figure 6 shows the floor segments in the second position, which corresponds i" a final position of the floor segments. As a person skilled in the art will see. rhe broilers in the poultry cage arrangement lose support on the floor standing areas 151 a-d of floor segments 150a-d in the course of pivoting as depicted in Figures 3-6 and fall onto the upper run 180 of droppings conveyor belt 180, 181 located underneath the floor segments. At the same time, a clear space of height H ensues above said upper run 180, which provides the broilers on the upper run sufficient standing height and allows the broilers to be transported to the side from the region of cage arrangements 100a by driving droppings conveyor belt 180,181.
Figure 7 shows a second embodiment of a poultry cage system, comprising poultry cage arrangements 200a, 200b according to the invention that are arranged in a row. The second embodiment is designed with many constructional features that are identical to those of the first embodiment according to Figures 1-6, and a detailed description of these identical features is dispensed with here. Elements of this second embodiment that are of identical constructional design to those of the first embodiment are marked in Figures 7-11 with corresponding reference signs raised by 100.
Unlike the first embodiment according to Figures 1-6, the embodiment depicted in Figure 7 has floor segments 250a-d whose lateral frames 252a-d, 254a-d are not triangular, but somewhat trapezoidal in shape. Lateral frames 252a-d likewise extend from the floor standing areas 251 a-d of floor segments 250a-d and connect the latter to pivot axes 253a-d, 255a-d. These pivot axes are an-anged eccentrically to the middle line of floor standing areas 251 a-d and lie above a side bar of the trapezoidal lateral frames 252a-d, 254a-d.
Figures 8-11 show a sequence in which floor segments 250a-d are pivoted from a first position as shown in Figure 8 to a second position as shown in Figure 11. As can be seen from the Figures, the two floor segments 250a, 250b depicted on the left are pivoted in the clockwise direction in the second embodiment as well, and the two floor segments 250c, 250d depicted on the right are pivoted in the

anticlockwise direction, a.nd the broile.rs in poultry cage arrangement 200B hose their support on floor standing areas 251a-d in the course of this pivoting and fali onto the upper run 280 of the droppings conveyor belt 280, 281 underneath trie floor segments.
Due to the eccentric arrangement of pivot bearings 253a-d, 255a-d, it is only necessary to pivot the floor segments in the second embodiment by about 90° in order to provide a clear height H for the broilers on the upper run 280 of the droppings conveyor belt. As a result, the floor standing areas of floor segments 250a, 250b stand exactly perpendicular when in the second position as shown in Figure 2, which additionally facilitates cleaning them.
Figures 12 and 13 show a third embodiment which is similar to a degree to the embodiment shown in Figures 7-11, but which differs somewhat in the geometrical design of the floor segments. In Figure 12, a lower separating grille segment 361, which is also depicted in magnified form in Figure 12, can be seen in a circle marked A. The lower separating grille segment 361 is pivotably fixed by means of a pivot bearing 362 at its upper edge. The lower separating grille segment 361 abuts with its upper edge flush against a fixed separating grille segment 363 disposed above it, and in the pivoted position shown in Figure 12 forms an aligned separating grille plane with separating grille segment 363, between a left-hand poultry cage arrangement 300a and a right-hand poultry cage arrangement 400a. In this pivoted position, the lower separating grille segment 361 is prevented from pivoting to the left by a floor segment 352d of the left-hand poultry cage arrangement 300a, said floor segment being disposed to the left of the lower separating grille segment 361. In this pivoted position, the lower separating grille segment is also prevented from pivoting to the right by a floor segment 452a of poultry cage arrangement 400a disposed to the right of the separating grille, and is therefore fixed in the position shown. In this way, poultry are reliably prevented from moving between the two poultry cage arrangements 300a, 400a.

Figure 13 shows the two pou'rtry .oage arrangements 30Ga, 40^3= aeptc:*- ~ Figure 12, in a second position with ftoor segments pivoted for poultry removal. As can be seen, the lower separating grille segment 361 is released for pivoting as a result of the two floor segments 352d and 452a being pivoted, and can therefore be pivoted by poultry which move from left to right undemeath the pivoted floor segments, into the second position marked 361a, thus enabling these poultry to pass through underneath the fixed separating grille segment 363. The lower separating grille segment 361 can also be pivoted in like manner into the second position 361b, shown by broken lines, by poultry that moving from right to left underneath the lower separating grille in a correspondingly different conveying direction of the conveyor apparatus.

1. Poultry cage arrangement, in particular for raising poultry for fattening,
comprising:
a poultry cage provided withi. a poultry confinement space enclosed on all sides by boundary
walls, in particular by grilles, and ii. a floor area;
a conveyor apparatus disposed underneath the floor area and provided with a conveyor surface, in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying the poultry kept in the poultry cage from the poultry cage to a loading station, such as a packing station, i. wherein the floor area is designed in such a way that it can be
moved from a first position in which it defines the bottom of the
poultry confinement space and constitutes a standing area for
poultry kept therein, ii. to a second position in which said floor area permits the poultry
kept in the poultry confinement space to be removed and placed
on the conveyor apparatus by no longer offering any support to the
poultry in the poultry cage, characterised in that the floor area consists of at least one, preferably several pivotable floor segment{s) that is/are pivotable between the first and the second position.
2. The poultry cage arrangement of claim 1,
characterised in that each pivotable floor segment comprises a floor standing area which is spaced apart from a conveyor surface of the conveyor apparatus by a first distance in the first position, and in the second position is spaced apart from said conveyor surface by a second distance that is greater than the first distance.

3. Tne poultry cage arrsngemeni of any of the preceding ciai—s characterised in that each ph>/otable floor segment includes a floor standing area and the floor standing area is oriented approximately horizontally in the first position, and in the second position is oriented at an incline, preferably vertically.
4. The poultry cage arrangement of any of the preceding claims, characterised in that each pivotable floor segment includes a floor standing area which can be pivoted about a pivot axis that is disposed at a distance, in particular above the floor standing area.
5. The poultry cage arrangement of any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the floor area is formed by a plurality of floor segments provided with floor standing areas, said floor standing areas being aligned with each other in the first position and thus forming a planar cage floor.
6. The poultry cage arrangement of the preceding claim,
characterised in that each floor segment can be pivoted about a pivot axis, and the pivot axes of the plurality of floor segments lie in a plane.
7. The poultry cage arrangement of any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the distance between the underside of the floor area and the conveyor surface is less than 10 cm in the first position, more particularly 3-8 cm, preferably 5 cm, and that in the second position a clear space is provided between the pivoted floor segments and the conveyor surface, which permits poultry arranged on the conveyor surface to be conveyed underneath the floor segments.
8. The poultry cage arrangement of any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the floor segments can be locked in the first and/or the second position.
9. The poultry cage system of any of the preceding claims, characterised by a pivotable lower separating grille segment which can be pivoted between a first position in which it separates the poultry cage

arrangement from an adjacent cage arrangement, and a second px-sroon -. wTiicr, it permits poultry located on the conveyor surface to be transported ou: of the region underneath the poultry confinement space.
10. The poultry cage system of claim 9,
characterised in that the lower separating grille segment is coupled to at least one floor segment, preferably to the floor segment adjacent to it, and can be pivoted with said floor segment.
11. A poultry cage system, comprising
a plurality of poultry case arranged in a row, wherein each poultry cage
comprises
i. poultry confinement spaces enclosed on all sides by boundary
walls, in particular by grilles, and ii. a floor area,
a conveyor apparatus disposed underneath the poultry cages and extending along the poultry cages, and provided with a conveyor surface, in particular a conveyor belt, for conveying the poultry kept in the poultry cage from each of the poultry cages arranged in a row to a loading station, such as a packing station
wherein the floor area of each of the poultry cages is designed in such a way that i. it can be moved from a first position in which it defines the bottom
of the poultry confinement space and constitutes a standing area
i for poultry kept therein,
ii. to a second positbn in which said floor area permits the poultry
kept in the poultry confinement space to be removed and placed
on the conveyor apparatus by no longer offering any support to the
poultry, ) characterised in that the floor area consists of at least one, preferably several pivotable floor segment(s) that is/are pivotable between the first and the second position.

12. The poultry cage sysien-^ of :he Dre-ceding claim,
characterised by a pivotabie lower separating grille segment wTiich is disposec between two adjacent poultry cages and in a first position separates these frorr; each other and in a second position permits poultry located on the conveyor surface to be transported out of the region underneath the poultry confinement space, and which is prevented in the first position by stop members on the two floor segments of the two adjacent poultry cages respectively adjacent to the separating grille segment from moving to the second position, and in particular is fixed in the first position.
13. The poultry cage system of the preceding claim 11 or 12, characterised in that the poultry cages are developed according to one of the poultry cage arrangements of the preceding claims 1 to 10.
14. The poultry cage system of any of the preceding claims 11 to 13, characterised in that the distance between the floor area of each poultry cage and the conveyor surface is smaller than 10 cm in the first position, more particularly 3-8 cm, preferably 5 cm, and that in the second position a clear space is provided between the pivoted floor segments and the conveyor surface, which permits poultry arranged on the conveyor surface to be conveyed underneath the floor segments.
15. The poultry cage system of any of the preceding claims 11 to 14, characterised by
a first actuator for pivoting the floor segments of a first poultry cage, in particular of a first group of poultry cages,
a second actuator for pivoting the floor segments of a second poultry cage, in particular of a second group of poultry cages,
wherein the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages, and the second poultry cage or second group of poultry cages are arranged along a common conveyor apparatus in such a way that the first poultry cage or first group of poultry cages is arranged between the second

poultry cage or secovic g'ouD of pouar*' cages and a ;c>a3rrg 5t=rc~ such as a paci