referring to drawings , and in particular fig1 a farrowing crate is shown generally at 10 . farrowing crate 10 is for positioning in a generally rectangular pen 1 1 . the crate as shown in fig1 includes a front portion 12 , a back portion 14 , end support 16 and an opposed end support 18 . it will be appreciated that the nomenclature of front , back , end and opposed end is used merely to distinguish these in the drawings and description rather than because of any innate orientation of these portions of the farrowing crate . a typical pen 11 is 5 feet by 7 feet ( approximately 150 by 210 cm ) and 18 inches high and keeps the piglets separated so that different litters cannot co - mingle . pens 11 are typically made from plastic or metal . farrowing crate 10 can fit into an area of 5 feet by 6 feet . a typical farrowing pen 11 is 5 feet by 7 feet ( approximately 150 by 210 cm ). accordingly , farrowing crate 10 of the present invention can be fitted into existing farrowing pens and thus existing barns . referring to fig2 and , in part , to fig8 end support 16 has a pair of spaced apart vertical support members 20 and a cross member 22 . these are all formed of 2 &# 34 ; tubular steel . preferably vertical support members 20 and cross member 22 are integrally formed of the same tubular steel . the inventors used a spacing of 15 . 4 inches . where the spacing is such that a sow can fit therethrough a barrier such as a sow feeder can be used to block the passage of the sow therethrough . alternatively , bars or other types of barriers could also be used . end support 16 is adjustably attached to an end stand 24 . end support includes a pair of inner vertical members 26 welded to a base plate 28 . preferably inner vertical members 26 are made from 13 / 4 &# 34 ; tubular steel and base plate 28 is 1 / 4 &# 34 ; steel plate . plate 28 has three holes ( shown as vertical lines ) 30 therein for receiving bolts ( not shown ). thus end stand 24 may be bolted in position to the floor . inner vertical members 26 fit snugly inside vertical members 22 . each inner vertical member 26 has a hole formed therein ( not shown ) for receiving a pin . each vertical support member has a series of holes 32 formed therein . holes 32 are adapted so that each can be positioned in registration with the hole formed in inner vertical member 26 and a pin ( shown in fig8 ) can be positioned therethrough . thus , the height of end support 16 can be easily adjusted . a sow feeder ( not shown ) can be attached to end support member 16 . referring to fig3 similarly , opposed end support 18 has a pair of spaced apart vertical support member 34 and a cross member 36 . these are all formed of 2 &# 34 ; tubular steel . preferably vertical support members 34 and cross member 36 are integrally formed of the same tubular steel . the spacing between vertical support members 34 is such that a sow can fit therethrough . the inventors used a spacing of 26 inches between support members 34 of opposed end support 18 . a door 37 is attached by hinges 39 to opposed end support 18 and is secured with a latch 41 . door 37 allows for ingress and egress of the sow . opposed end support 18 is adjustably attached to an end stand 38 . end support 18 includes a pair of inner vertical members 40 welded to a base plate 42 . preferably inner vertical members 40 are made from 13 / 4 &# 34 ; tubular steel and base plate 42 is 1 / 4 &# 34 ; steel plate . plate 42 has three holes ( shown as vertical lines ) 44 therein for receiving bolts ( not shown ). thus , opposed end stand 38 may be bolted in position to the floor . inner vertical members 40 fit snugly inside vertical support members 34 . each inner vertical member 40 has a hole formed therein ( not shown ). each vertical support member 34 has a series of holes 46 formed therein . holes 46 are adapted so that each can be positioned in registration with the hole formed in inner vertical member 40 and a pin ( not shown ) can be positioned therethrough to secure inner vertical member 40 to vertical support member 34 . thus , the height of opposed end support 18 can be easily adjusted . end support 16 and opposed end support 18 are positioned generally parallel . referring to fig1 and 4 , front portion 12 extends between end support 16 and opposed end support 1 8 . front portion 12 includes an upper rail 48 , a lower rail 50 and a plurality of outwardly bowed generally vertical bars 52 . the shape of upper rail 48 and lower rail 50 is the same . upper rail 48 and lower rail 50 each include an arcuate section 54 and a straight longitudinal section 56 , as best seen in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 5 , similarly , back portion 14 extends between end support 16 and opposed end support 18 . back portion 14 includes an upper rail 58 , a lower rail 60 and a plurality of outwardly bowed generally vertical bars 52 . the shape of upper rail 58 is that same as the shape of lower rail 60 . upper rail 58 and lower rail 60 each include an arcuate section 62 and a longitudinal section 64 . arcuate section 54 of front portion 12 is positioned diagonally opposed to arcuate section 62 of back portion 14 . bowed bars 52 are spaced such that a sow cannot put her head between the bars . this ensures that the sow will not hurt herself . the maximum spacing between bars 52 that was used by the inventors was 20cm . the shape of the outwardly bowed generally vertical bars 52 varies dependent on its position in the front or back portions 12 and 14 respectively . various shapes of bowed bars 52 are shown in fig6 a through j , showing a progression in curvature of the bars . as the bowed vertical bars 52 approach the end of opposed end supports 12 , 14 the maximum bow is adapted to the dorsal curvature of a sow in the lateral recumbent position . fig7 shows a sow 66 positioned adjacent to back portion 12 . the bowed bars 52 can be used by the sow to provide some support as she lies down . the height of front and back portions are set so that piglets 68 can pass freely thereunder . end bars 70 at each end of front and back portions 12 and 14 are straight . preferably upper 48 , 58 and lower 50 , 60 rails of front 12 and back 14 portions are made from 2 &# 34 ; tubular steel . end bars 70 are also made from 2 &# 34 ; tubular steel . the remaining bowed bars 52 are made from 11 / 2 tubular steel . back and front portions 12 and 14 are attached to end and opposed end supports 16 and 18 respectively with the same type of connection . one such connection will be described with reference to fig8 . front portion 12 is releasably attached to end support 16 . a pair of hollow tubes 72 extend outwardly from end bar 70 . similarly a pair of hollow tubes 74 extend outwardly from end support member 16 . hollow tubes 72 and 74 are aligned and elongate rod 76 extends therethrough . elongate rod 76 has an upper end portion 78 which extends laterally therefrom . a significant advantage of the present invention over previous farrowing crates is that it provides a space so that the sow can turn around 360 ° which allows her to monitor the piglets in every direction . this allows her to exercise so that she can maintain muscle strength and general health and have an easier means of expression of vacuum nest - building activities before farrowing . it also enlarges the sow - piglet interaction zone , facilitating snout - snout contact between the sow and piglets and eases frustration resulting from the inability to visually inspect unexpected external stimuli such as piglets &# 39 ; squealing or sudden noises . in addition it increases environmental complexity , thereby reducing boredom and boredom - related vices for the sow . the farrowing crate of the present invention effectively utilizes the space . the farrowing crate 10 covers 5 by 6 feet of the 5 by 7 feet pen 11 . this leaves a 5 by 1 foot area , shown in fig1 as 80 , that can be used for a number of purposes . area 80 can be used by the piglets as a resting area . it can be provided with a heated floor or heated kennels for the piglets . in addition it can be provided with a feeder for the piglets . someone skilled in the art will appreciate that even though the crate 10 occupies only 5 by 6 feet of the pen 11 the sow is provided with enough room to lie down and stand up . in effect the sow is provided with more room along the diagonal than she had in a rectangular crate that was 5 by 7 feet . the farrowing crate of the present invention provides enough space for the sow to turn around 360 ° while it provides safe space for the piglets to access the sow and a zone where the sow cannot crush the piglets . where a sow becomes aggressive with the piglets or tries to savage them , which may occur after a first pregnancy , this farrowing crate provides a zone where the piglets can be safe . it provides areas for the sow to feed and drink , for the piglets to feed and drink , and for a heating bar . the farrowing crate 10 of the present invention provides all of these features and it is able to fit into a typical existing pen 11 . it will be appreciated that the above description related to one embodiment by way of example only . specifically the size and shape of the members used are by way of example only . many variations on the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and such obvious variations are within the scope of the invention as described herein whether or not expressly described . for example end support 16 could merely be a post with back portion 14 and front portion 12 each attached to the post , as long as the overall shape of the crate as viewed from above is maintained .
a farrowing crate is disclosed . the farrowing crate includes an end support and an opposed end support . back and front portions extend therebetween . back and front portions includes top and bottom rails and a plurality of bowed bars extending therebetween . back and front portions include an arcuate section and a straight longitudinal section . the curvature of the bowed bars vary along the length of the back and front portions . the curvature of bowed bars increases as they approach the arcuate section . the curvature of bowed bars decreases as they approach support members . the farrowing crate of the present invention provides enough space for the sow to turn around 360 °, this allows the sow to visually monitor her piglets in all directions and allows her to change posture more easily . the farrowing crate provides adequate room for the sow to stand and lie down comfortably when she is aligned along the diagonal .