Milking Parlour’s Upgrade Dilemma
- Thread starter Half Full
- Start date
dinderleat
Member
- Location
- Wells
Fair enough employe more people then and only do one milking per day?
betweenthelines
Member
- Location
- southwest
Have a couple of months each year with no calvings, split the herd into two, convert the parlour to a swingover and either have a milker for each herd (should be no more than 2.5/3 hrs per milking for the "fresh" herd) or 1 man milks am, another does the pm. With the herd split into two blocks (even if each block is 5 months) you'll always have one fresh and one stale herd so there will always be one herd that's quick to milk and another that's steadier, so the time in the parlour can be evened out. If you feed a lot in the parlour, there's no point in doubling up, in a swingover, cows still eating won't slow down milking. Two herds will allow better utilisation of grazing as well.
PS Send me 10% of the money you save by not building another parlour.
PS Send me 10% of the money you save by not building another parlour.
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
Who planned the 32:32. You must be doing something well to be able to bin that after 10 years and start again.
My concern that efficient 1 man parlours have been covered but apart from rotaries nobody steps up with a good example of how to efficiently use 2 people.
If you go for 2 parlours side by side you can no longer have a number 2 both people will have to be at the top of their games as there will be no chance for a second opinion on questionable cows.
My concern that efficient 1 man parlours have been covered but apart from rotaries nobody steps up with a good example of how to efficiently use 2 people.
If you go for 2 parlours side by side you can no longer have a number 2 both people will have to be at the top of their games as there will be no chance for a second opinion on questionable cows.
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
Would you share the spec level your hoping to achieve for that money? I had a price and a very good guide £5k a point and double it for all other associated works when finished.
yield has a big baring on what parlour? Do you group highs and lows?
How are you sheds setup to feed I.e. do you have to feed during milking and when do you feed normally if not during milking?
is increasing yield an option? Is increasing solids an option?
Do you need full routine?
The issue I see with two smaller parlours is the day someone calls in sick it’s going to be proper sh!t but a rotary you just slow it down. Imo it’s easier to create a better working environment in a rotary than a herringbone I.e. height adjustable floor, heaters, fans or air con , you can get away from the sh!t etc etc. It also futures proofs it in that this is where all the technology is being focuses.
what do you current staff feel is the way forward? I know someone locally who put a rotary in and staff hated it as they felt very isolated at cups off but I think they were there for a full 4 hour milking just spraying or pulling dump buckets off.
Spec level of Rotary was 50 point concrete deck with milk meters, retention bars, feeding and upgraded bearings/rollers and as you say double the cost for finished parlour.
Yield wise we are just over 8000 litres with over 4000 litres from forage, no groups at all, barring fresh and lame that come in last from a straw yard. We don’t have to feed during milking but we do because that’s when it suits me, the increasing yield option I’m not sure that would increase profits, I benchmark with three different groups of farmers and in my experience it doesn’t. Solids wise we are on a liquid contract so no massive gain from increasing solids we are already above average on that. Routine wise we could cut it but previous experiments into that have led to increased mastitis. Most Staff haven’t milked on a Rotary but the one who has bulked when I put the idea out there due to major problems where they worked before but that was an older rotary, most think a swing over but not all.
Yield wise we are just over 8000 litres with over 4000 litres from forage, no groups at all, barring fresh and lame that come in last from a straw yard. We don’t have to feed during milking but we do because that’s when it suits me, the increasing yield option I’m not sure that would increase profits, I benchmark with three different groups of farmers and in my experience it doesn’t. Solids wise we are on a liquid contract so no massive gain from increasing solids we are already above average on that. Routine wise we could cut it but previous experiments into that have led to increased mastitis. Most Staff haven’t milked on a Rotary but the one who has bulked when I put the idea out there due to major problems where they worked before but that was an older rotary, most think a swing over but not all.
I planned the 32/32 but we were milking half the cows we are now, regarding staffing I feel we are moving towards most of the milkers just being milkers and someone else sorting issues out after milking, these parlours can be set to segregate cows for low yield etc.
stablegirl
Member
- Location
- North
£600k for a 50 point, jesus, would it really get to that? i can see the £250,000 for the parlour, and compared with £100,000k tractor i dont really have any issuses with that.
But you would get a LOT of building work for £300,000, does this include new collecting yard building, seg gates, auto footbaths, new dairy, new bulk tank?
50 point whould be milking your cows in 4 hours/day? Problem i see is £600,000 to work 4 hours a day? Going to need more cows. And so it goes on!
But you would get a LOT of building work for £300,000, does this include new collecting yard building, seg gates, auto footbaths, new dairy, new bulk tank?
50 point whould be milking your cows in 4 hours/day? Problem i see is £600,000 to work 4 hours a day? Going to need more cows. And so it goes on!
Barmyfarmer
Member
Rough guide I got for a 40 point at a decent spec was £200k for the parlour and £150k for the civils, building to put it in and collecting yard, seg gates, footbaths and dairy were on top of that which realistically would of been another £100 - £150k
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
If you bench.ark with 3 groups of farmers surely there must be someone In these groups that has solved your problem successfully.
If not I would question wether you are coming at the problem from the right direction.
If your staff are just robots operating a routine and someone is overseeing this from outside the parlour then again rotary seems the answer.
Made me cough a bit as well, if I was intending on upping numbers dramatically I wouldn’t dismiss it because I do think it is the most labour efficient way of milking lots of cows. Re spec all new except Bulk tank and sort gate, I could do it but this Farm is now set up well for 500 cows but I can’t see us milking many more on this site due to grazing area, shed-space and now becoming more important my quality of life
They have and one of them has two parlours side by side and says it works well, my staff are not just robots but if they are milking for large periods of time I don’t expect them to deal with all issues that happen during milking until afterwards. I have spoken to someone who has done some relief milking for me previously and he milks on a new 50 point, says it is faster but not a lot when you divide it by three people.
Sparkymark
Member
If you’re at 500 cows AYR i say a rotary is the way forward. If you can’t afford one now then you need to struggle on with your 32:32 until you can.
Surely the staff could be juggled around so they only milk once a day or in shifts?
The other thing to consider is your age and if you have a next generation behind you? You can end up spending a lot on infrastructure just for the privilege of working!
Surely the staff could be juggled around so they only milk once a day or in shifts?
The other thing to consider is your age and if you have a next generation behind you? You can end up spending a lot on infrastructure just for the privilege of working!
Staff wise I employ four full time at the moment so it’s not quite that simple when taking into account days off etc, I’m 44 so am not quite retiring age yet, I have three boys but not making to many decisions based on what they end up doing or not doing.
jimmer
Member
- Location
- East Devon
Make what you have, a 40 40 or 48 48, same two milkers 170+ cows an hour
Grassman247
Member
600k?! What brands are you looking at?!
Stick a Waikato in, put in the basic amount of tech you can get away with to start with and then add the more complex stuff as you can afford it out of cashflow.
We are milking 650 cows in 2.5 hours when there peaking at 32 litres, only one man putting on and one taking off but we could swap the cups off man to cups on with some tech and do full teat prep no problem.
Gerbert
Member
- Location
- Dutch biblebelt
Like @Thomas-milmain said, is a rapid exit not an option? Surely it's the logical way of getting the cows to leave quicker. Do you feed cake to yield? If not, go tmr and get rid of parlour feeding.
Just some wild thoughts.
Just some wild thoughts.
40/40 just gone in not far from me, proper routine doing 120 an hour. Ok but not going to shorten the day much.
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
I'm still not convinced your maximising your 32:32.
2 men you should be getting 10 sides an hour or 160 cows.
What is full routine. How rigorously is the routine enforced in that 1 person does this then second person starts doing this and every side identical.
Achieving 100 an hour your managing 6 sides that means it is taking 20 minutes from cow 1 in until cow 16 is milked and leaving. She is being milked maybe 7 mins 13mins is being lost somewhere.
Big ask post a video of that 20 mins and ask for advice on how the routine can be improved.
Hell of a lot cheaper than buying 2 new parlours.
2 men you should be getting 10 sides an hour or 160 cows.
What is full routine. How rigorously is the routine enforced in that 1 person does this then second person starts doing this and every side identical.
Achieving 100 an hour your managing 6 sides that means it is taking 20 minutes from cow 1 in until cow 16 is milked and leaving. She is being milked maybe 7 mins 13mins is being lost somewhere.
Big ask post a video of that 20 mins and ask for advice on how the routine can be improved.
Hell of a lot cheaper than buying 2 new parlours.
jimmer
Member
- Location
- East Devon
1 dips/sprays as they load, 2mins
2 wipes
1 puts on , first unit 2.5 mins after entry, 10 secs per cow, 3.5 mins, so 6 mins after entry last cow attached
2 is post dip/spraying other side letting go reloading and pre dipping/spraying
1 wipes
2 puts on
Plenty of time for last cow on previous side to be finished and ready to let side go
Being generous that's 2 sides milked in 15 minutes
40 x 4 =160
I think it should be nearer 10mins per 2 sides
Admittedly this is without problem/treated cows slowing things up