Unloading system and method for unloading transport units for live poultry

A method of unloading at least one transport unit which is configured for transporting and/or storing live poultry and has at least one rack and at least one transport crate mounted in the at least one rack for receiving the poultry, wherein each at least one transport crate has an open top, a crate bottom with at least one ramp-like molding, and peripheral side walls and when mounted in the rack, each transport unit is covered at a top by a cover arranged at a distance from upper edges of the side walls, wherein the at least one rack includes a transport restraint for each at least one transport crate that has a horizontal surface and an angular surface, and at a respective transport restraint, a portion of the at least one transport crate is arranged on the horizontal surface and the angular surface faces the ramp-like molding, the method comprising:

• introducing at least one transport unit into an unloading station,
• ejecting pushing, via a pushing device, an end of at least one transport crate situated in an ejection position from the rack in a pushing direction toward a receiving device, whereby the at least one ramp-like molding, which is arranged on an end of the at least one transport crate opposite the end being pushed by the pushing device, is pushed along and over the transport restraint and the crate bottom is pushed along and over the transport restraint, and
• receiving on the receiving device at least a part of the crate bottom when each transport crate reaches a tipping point over the transport restraint, and pressing upwardly the at least the part of the crate bottom received and conveying each transport crate ejected from the rack by the receiving device, which is arranged on a side of the unloading station opposite the pushing device,
• wherein a position of each transport crate situated in the ejection position in relation to the cover is controllable during an entirety of a pushing operation in the pushing direction so that, as the at least one ramp-like molding is pushed along and over the transport restraint, an upper edge of a leading peripheral side wall of each transport crate being pushed is vertically raised in relation to the cover, and, as the crate bottom slides along and over the transport restraint, a maximum distance is maintained between an upper edge of a trailing peripheral side wall of each transport crate being pushed and the cover in dependence on a position within the rack of each transport crate being pushed, and
• wherein, after the tipping point of each transport unit, the pressing upwardly of the at least the part of the crate bottom received maintains the maximum distance between the upper edge of the trailing peripheral side wall of each transport crate in the pushing direction and the cover in dependence on a position in the rack of each transport crate being pushed until the trailing peripheral side reaches the transport restraint.