Assembly for handling a plurality of animal semen packaging straws

An assembly for manipulating a plurality of straws for packaging animal semen, each of said plurality of straws having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined length, comprising a freezing rack having a rim and a bottom surrounding a central free space, said bottom comprising two toothed walls which extend longitudinally along said central space, each toothed wall having an apex and a set of toothing at said apex, the sets of toothing of said toothed walls comprising a succession of teeth and hollows, each tooth of said toothed walls being identical with each hollow delimited by a surface having a curvature according to said predetermined diameter;

• wherein
• in said freezing rack said bottom comprises a bottom wall in the form of a rectangular frame surrounding the central free space, the bottom wall comprising two transverse sections and two longitudinal sections, said toothed walls extending transversely to the bottom wall and internally bordering said longitudinal sections, said rim extending transversely to the bottom wall and comprising two longitudinal walls externally bordering said longitudinal sections of the bottom wall and two transverse walls externally bordering said transverse sections of the bottom wall, said longitudinal walls each comprising an apex and a gutter portion at said apex of each of said longitudinal walls;
• said assembly further comprises a transfer device for said plurality of straws comprising two lateral skids and a collector for said plurality of straws that is disposed between the two lateral skids, said freezing rack and said transfer device being configured to have a first extreme position in which said transfer device is disposed with each lateral skid bearing on a said gutter portion while said collector is located over a first of said two transverse sections of said bottom wall, to have a second extreme position in which said transfer device is disposed with each lateral skid bearing on a said gutter portion while said collector is located over a second of said two transverse sections of said bottom wall, and such that by sliding the transfer device from the first extreme position to the second extreme position with said skids sliding on said gutter portions, said plurality of straws initially disposed on said rack is collected in said collector of said transfer device.