Loading aid for stacked transport containers to be filled with live poultry animals

A method for sequentially filling stacked transport containers, which are at least partially open to the top, with live poultry animals, comprising the steps of:

• a) removing all the transport containers of a stack formed of at least three empty transport containers from a lowermost transport container of the stack;
• b) filling the lowermost, empty transport container with live poultry animals;
• c) stacking a further, empty transport container on the filled transport container, the empty transport container covering the filled transport container;
• d) filling the further, empty transport container with live poultry animals;
• e) repeating steps c) and d) until all the transport containers of the stack are filled;
• and
• f) covering the topmost, filled transport container of the stack with a lid;
• wherein, for removing the transport containers according to step a), a loading aid is placed in front of the stack of empty transport containers that is to be filled and all the transport containers of the stack, with the exception of the lowermost transport container, are pushed into the loading aid for temporary intermediate storage, the loading aid comprising:
• a rack which can be positioned on a solid and flat ground surface;
• the rack has on a front side facing the stack that is to be filled;
• at least two vertical support struts arranged spaced apart from one another;
• and
• at least two insertion openings for transport containers arranged one above the other and formed between the vertical support struts;
• and
• the rack has on a rear side remote from the stack that is to be filled;
• at least two vertical support struts arranged spaced apart from one another;
• and
• the rack further having slide rails extending on both sides of the rack from the vertical support struts on the front side to the vertical support struts on the rear side to form a receptacle for a transport container;
• the rack having at least two receptacles arranged one above the other for in each case one transport container;
• the slide rails on the front side of the rack facing the stack of transport containers that is to be filled protrude beyond the vertical support struts;
• and
• wherein the rack has an associated handling device which is formed and adapted for lifting the transport containers from the stack, in such a manner that the stacked transport containers can be brought out of engagement with one another at least on the side facing the rack,
• wherein the handling device comprises a manually operable lever arm arrangement by means of which all the transport containers of a stack, with the exception of the lowermost transport container, can be lifted and lowered again, and
• wherein the vertical support struts situated on the front side of the rack have associated adjusting elements which are movable up and down relative to the support struts and which are articulated with the lever arm arrangement, and the slide rails on the rear side of the rack are mounted in a stationary and articulated manner on the support struts of the rear side, while the slide rails on the front side of the rack are mounted in a non-stationary and articulated manner on the adjusting elements;
• and
• wherein the empty transport containers for steps c) to e) are pulled one by one, from bottom to top, out of the loading aid onto the already formed stack of filled transport containers as soon as the topmost transport container of the already formed stack of filled transport containers is completely filled.