Method and apparatus for automatically treating animals, preferably birds, such as young chicks, young guineafowls, young turkeys

Apparatus for automatically treating animals such as birds at a high speed, comprising:

• a frame,
• a spindle mounted on said frame,
• drive means for rotating said spindle,
• a table mounted on said spindle and provided with a plurality of spaced-apart bird supports, each bird support comprising means for supporting the bird immobilized in the neck area,
• movable support means freely mounted on said spindle for moving with respect to said frame from a non-operative position to an operative position,
• means for administering a substance to said animals, said means being linked to said movable support means and comprising,
• a syringe,
• a suction device comprising a perforated nozzle provided with a perforated surface means for surrounding and extending vertically along the neck area retained in the bird support for the purpose of drawing back a predetermined area of the neck skin before an injection is made by said syringe,
• a reservoir,
• a treating-substance dosage element connected to said reservoir,
• a feeding duct connecting said dosage element to said syringe, and
• a safety device for preventing administration of the substance when no animal is held in a said bird support said device comprising a feeling member means for passing through said movable support means and having a lower end and an upper end, said upper end having means for actuating said dosage element, and a stop member means for blocking entrance of said lower end through an opening in said table when no bird is retained in said bird support.