Animal pen flooring system

Abstract

An animal confinement pen flooring system, particularly adapted for swine farrowing operations, includes at least first and third rows of spaced-apart molded plastic foraminous flooring panels and an intermediate row of cast iron foraminous flooring panels, all of the panels being supported on spaced-apart elongated support rails in a stand off position above a subfloor. The plastic and cast iron panels each include opposed sets of hooked-shaped flanges for engagement with support rails, respectively, for supporting the panels thereon. The cast iron panels each include a boss and an opposed recess disposed on opposite sides thereof for interconnecting adjacent panels by cooperating hook portions formed on the boss and in the recess of the adjacent panel, respectively. The combination of the cast iron and molded plastic flooring panels provides enhanced comfort for swine in farrowing operations.

1 - 13 . (canceled)  
   
   
       14 . In a flooring system for an animal confinement pen, particularly adapted for swine farrowing operations, in which multiple flooring panels are disposed upon spaced-apart supports and interconnected to form said flooring system, the improvement in which adjacent ones of said interconnected panels each have a construction comprising: 
 (a) a generally rectangular shaped main portion which is sufficiently foraminous to allow animal wastes to fall therethrough;    (b) flange members disposed at opposite ends of said main portion, with depending hook portions adapted for engaging, and when the panel is mounted in said flooring system engaging, at least one of said spaced-apart supports, said hook portions defining channels in which said spaced-apart supports are disposed;    (c) spaced apart bosses extending toward, but spaced from, said depending hook portions, and projecting into said channels to tighten the fit on the supports and assist in locating, and minimizing shifting movements of, the said panels when mounted on the spaced-apart supports; and    (d) hook means projecting from at least one of the two sides of the main portion which are transverse to said opposite ends, a hook receiving means provided in the other one of the two sides;    (e) the projecting hook means of one of the adjacent panels received within the opening of the other one of said adjacent panels to provide the interconnection therebetween.    
   
   
       15 . The improvement as defined by  claim 14  in which the generally rectangular shaped main portion is of cast iron.