Farrowing house

Claim 1

A farrowing house for an expectant sow comprising an enclosure having two side walls, two end walls having a structure defining a plurality of rail pivot apertures, and a roof, said side walls essentially defining a truncated "A" in cross section, one end wall having an opening to grade and the other end wall having an opening above grade for ventilation, a crib structure within said enclosure defining two sets of spaced rails having at least one set pivotally connected to said end walls, said sets of rails being spaced upwardly from the grade and forming a means for restricting movement of the sow to the central portion of said enclosure and to said grade opening, each set of rails cooperating with its mating side walls to provide an access area for farrows but precluding access to the sow whereby the farrows are free to nurse and the sow is prevented from lying inadvertently upon the farrows, each of said spaced rails includes a structure defining at least one end member flushing against the face of the end wall and having at least two rail apertures, a first retaining means inserted through one of said rail apertures and received by one of said rail pivot apertures to provide for pivotally swinging said rails with respect to said end walls, a second retaining means inserted through the other of said two rail apertures and received by another of said rail pivot apertures to preclude pivotation and station the rails with respect to said end wall, said at least one end member including an alignment means integrally bound to said at least one end member and abutting a side wall when said rail is pivoted towards a contiguous side wall to facilitate the aligning of a rail aperture with a rail pivot aperture in order that the second retaining means can be inserted therethrough.