Device for the individualized monitoring of the feed conversion ratio of poultry and installation comprising said device
The invention relates to a device ( 100 ) for the individualized monitoring of the feed conversion ratio of poultry comprising: a weighing station ( 30 ) comprising side walls and a front wall defining an available internal volume able to contain a bird, a bird identification means ( 40 ), able to identify one bird positioned in the available internal volume of the weighing station ( 30 ) and to provide identification information of the bird, a bird weighing means ( 10 ), able to measure the weight of one bird positioned in the available internal volume of the weighing station ( 30 ) and to provide weight information of the bird, a feeder ( 50 ) containing poultry feed, coupled to a feed weighing means ( 20 ) able to measure the weight of the feed contained in the feeder ( 50 ) and to provide weight information of the feed, wherein said feeder ( 50 ) comprises a dispensing area ( 51 ), wherein said dispensing area ( 51 ) is accessible only to one bird positioned in the available internal volume of the weighing station ( 30 ), and a data processing module ( ) coupled to the bird weighing means ( 10 ) and to the feed weighing means ( 20 ) able to generate a feed conversion ratio from the weight information provided by the weighing means ( 10 ) and by the feed weighing means ( 20 ), for the bird identified from the identification information provided.
1. A device for individualized monitoring of a feed conversion ratio of poultry comprising:
a weighing station defining an available internal volume configured to accommodate only one bird at a time through an entrance thereof, said entrance being free of a door such that a bird located in said available internal volume for feeding is free to exit therefrom,
a bird identification means configured to identify said one bird from among a plurality of birds having access to said weighing station,
a bird weighing means effective to measure a weight of said one bird positioned in the available internal volume of the weighing station,
a feeder for containing poultry feed coupled to a feed weighing means, said feed weighing means being effective to measure a weight of feed contained in the feeder, said feeder comprising a dispensing area accessible only to said one bird positioned in the available internal volume of the weighing station, and
a data processing module coupled to the bird weighing means and to the feed weighing means, said data processing module being configured to generate a feed conversion ratio from the measured weight of said one bird and the measured weight of said feed in said feeder correlated to identification information for said one bird.
2. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , wherein the weighing station comprises a front wall having an opening able to allow the head of said one bird to pass, said opening having a shape defined by a variable height and width, wherein said width increases with said height over a vertical distance of said opening.
3. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 2 , the opening having a substantially trapezoid or triangle shape, wherein the base of the triangle or the longest base of the trapezoid is oriented towards an upper part of the front wall.
4. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , the weighing station comprising side walls, wherein said front wall and side walls are not movable.
5. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , further comprising a restraint system comprising an insert for adapting the available internal volume of the weighing station to the size of said one bird.
6. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 5 , the restraint system being removable.
7. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 5 , the weighing station comprising guide members for the restraint system.
8. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , the feeder being movable to adjust a distance between the feed dispensing area of the feeder and the weighing station according to the size of said one bird.
9. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , the identification means comprising a radio frequency reader configured to receive information from a radio frequency tag attached to said one bird.
10. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 9 , the radio frequency reader being positioned close to a front wall or a side wall of the weighing station.
11. An installation for individualized monitoring of a feed consumption ratio of poultry, comprising a plurality of individualized monitoring devices according to claim 1 .
12. The installation according to claim 11 , wherein the feeders of said individualized monitoring devices are attached directly or indirectly to a cross member configured to be moved by a displacement means.
13. The installation according to claim 11 , the weighing stations of the individualized monitoring devices being attached directly or indirectly to a first cross member, the feeders of the individualized monitoring devices being attached directly or indirectly to a second cross member and being movable in unison to uniformly adjust respective distances between each said feeder and the associated weighing station according to an average size of said plurality of birds.
14. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 5 , said insert further comprising means blocking part of an entrance of the weighing station to prevent others of said plurality of birds from entering said available internal volume at the same time as said one bird.
15. The individualized monitoring device according to claim 1 , said feeder being coupled to at least one displacement means configured to move the feeder along a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, so as to adjust a distance between said dispensing area of the feeder and the weighing station based on the size of said one bird.
16. A device for individualized monitoring of feed conversion ratios of a plurality of birds, the device comprising:
a weighing station defining an available internal volume configured to admit only one of said birds at a time through an entrance thereof, said entrance being free of a door such that a bird located in said available internal volume for feeding is free to exit therefrom, the weighing station comprising a radio frequency reader configured to receive identifying information from radio frequency tags attached respectively to each of said birds and thereby to identify which of said birds is within said available internal volume, and bird weighing means for detecting a weight of a bird located in the available internal volume;
a feeder comprising a feed dispensing area accessible only to a bird located in said available internal volume, and feed weighing means for detecting a weight of feed in said feeder; and
a data processing module configured to calculate and monitor respective feed conversion ratios for each of said plurality of birds as said birds individually enter said available internal volume and feed from said feed dispensing area over time.
17. The device according to claim 16 , said weighing station further comprising a front wall opposite said entrance and located adjacent to said feeder, said front wall comprising an opening having a variable width that increases with its height adapted configured to accommodate a head of a bird located in said available internal volume in order to access said feed dispensing area.
18. The device according to claim 16 , said weighing station having side walls that converge from a rear end adjacent to an entrance thereof to a front end adjacent to said feeder.
19. The device according to claim 16 , further comprising a plurality of different-sized removable inserts for adjusting an effective size of said available internal volume of said weighing station based on an average size of said plurality of birds.
20. The device of claim 16 , said feeder being movable in order to adjust a distance between said feed dispensing area and said weighing station to accommodate different neck lengths of said birds as they grow over time.