New Way To Clean Layer Houses

New Way To Clean Layer Houses LIVESTOCK Poultry The Litter Loader from Automated Ag Solutions makes shoveling out layer houses a thing of the past Only 24 in wide the motorized cleaning cart travels the aisles between layer cages picking up debris as it goes “After 10 years of shoveling litter and pushing litter-filled carts the length of the chicken house I knew there had to be a better way ” says Scott Gochenaur “At first I visualized a motorized cart I could shovel into but I didn’t want to shovel anymore I figured there had to be a way to pick up the litter ” Gochenaur’s first prototype was a modified snowblower that would throw the litter into a cart behind him That didn’t work but it got the creative process started and ideas started to come together in his mind “I can figure things out but I don’t have a welding shop where I can make things ” says Gochenaur “I described my ideas to a company that manufactures feed carts and mixers but they weren’t interested They did agree to build the drivable part of a chassis to my specifications ” Gochenaur then worked with a local welding shop to add a hopper and the pickup assembly he wanted “I took it home and tried different things until I had something that worked pretty well ” says Gochenaur The motorized cart has an operator’s station at the rear and an auger at the front of the cart to gather litter and feed it to an apron that carries it up and into the hopper Once the hopper is full the Litter Loader is driven out of the barn where an auger in the hopper unloads the material A Honda motor powers a hydraulic pump with hydraulic motors on the drive wheels the augers and the apron as well as the unloading auger A joystick controls forward and back movement of each drive wheel for turning or straight-line travel “My original intent was to find a better way to take care of my problem ” says Gochenaur “When I realized how well it worked I figured others had to be as tired of shoveling as I was ” Getting his prototype to market has not been simple The welding shop wasn’t interested in getting into manufacturing but the company that built the motorized chassis was However they weren’t interested in selling it Automated Ag Solutions agreed to handle marketing and distribution A planned introduction at poultry industry shows this year didn’t materialize as shows were cancelled due to COVID-19 Gochenaur and Automated Ag Solutions are spreading the word with ads and personal contacts The Litter Loader is priced at $13 000 and weighs around 1 000 lbs It is 24 in wide about 6 ft long and 4 ½ ft high The hopper has a capacity of about 30 cu ft It’s fabricated from stainless steel as are other key components all designed to stand up to the harsh layer house environment “My layer house is about 400 ft long with 7 aisles to clean ” says Gochenaur “In the past when we cleared out a flock it took 2 weeks to clean out the aisles I expect I’ll be able to do it in 2 days with my Litter Loader I think it would work equally well in a cage-free environment ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Automated Ag Solutions 2187 North Penryn Rd Manheim Penn 17545 ph 717 879-9219; info@automatedagllc com; https://automatedagllc com

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