Apparatus for unloading poultry

Abstract

Apparatus for unloading poultry onto a conveyor from a cage having an opening in the side thereof, wherein a frame adapted to be positioned adjacent to the conveyor supports a carriage for holding the cage, the carriage being movably mounted on the frame in such a manner that the carriage can be moved to incline the cage and cause the poultry contained therein to slide out of the cage through the opening. A chute is attached to and carried by the carriage, the chute being so positioned that the birds sliding out of the cages slide onto the chute and then slide downward onto the conveyor. The use of the chute insures that, regardless of the position of the cage when doors of the cages are opened, the birds can fall no further than the distance from the cage to the chute to thereby prevent bruising of the birds. Preferably, a plurality of cages are arranged in a bank, the chute extending in a direction parallel to the face of the bank such that the birds from each cage in the bank slide onto the chute when the bank is inclined and the doors of the cages are opened. In a most preferred embodiment, banks of cages are secured together in a back-to-back relationship, with the carriage being provided with two chutes so positioned that birds sliding from the cages in each bank slide into contact with one of the chutes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.