Overhead conveyor for poultry

Abstract

The invention relates to an overhead conveyor for poultry, for example chickens, having a conveyor line, and along the conveyor line movable hooks suspended therefrom with holders for the ends of the poultry's legs. The hooks are rotatable about a substantially vertical axis for the selective adjustment of a direction of movement of the poultry. Each hook is provided at the top with an adjusting plate with cams. Guide members are arranged along the conveyor line and are designed to intermate with the cams, wherein the adjusting plate is provided with at least a first type of cam having a predetermined first length and one or several cams of a second type having a predetermined second length. The first length is smaller than the second length, and the guide members are arranged such that the first type of cam is able to pass a guide member without intermating and the second type of cam is able to pass the guide member only by intermating. The hook can pivot in relation to the adjusting plate about a substantially horizontal axis. Between the adjusting plate and the holders for the ends of the poultry's legs, a catch member is provided for moving said hook out of a vertically suspended position.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.