400 cow + herds what parlours and how many staff members.

[DairyGrazing]

How are people milking their medium sized herds, how many milkings are people doing and who is doing them?

400 cows
200 youngstock
Housed during winter and everything is out day/night asap in the spring.

38:38 parlour 4 hours am 3 hours pm. Two people milking and The parlour is old and slow due to layout.

Problem is I want to get the next generation in the pipe line as we have an aging work force. So realistically we need a new parlour to get milking below 3 hrs am and 2.5 pm.

To accommodate future growth we need to milk at least 180 cows and hour. 32-35 litres per day.

 

[I thats it]

How are people milking their medium sized herds, how many milkings are people doing and who is doing them?

400 cows
200 youngstock
Housed during winter and everything is out day/night asap in the spring.

38:38 parlour 4 hours am 3 hours pm. Two people milking and The parlour is old and slow due to layout.

Problem is I want to get the next generation in the pipe line as we have an aging work force. So realistically we need a new parlour to get milking below 3 hrs am and 2.5 pm.

To accommodate future growth we need to milk at least 180 cows and hour. 32-35 litres per day.

I'd try to get milking times down to 2 hours if putting in a brand new parlour, not sure how or what parlour you would need as we're only milking half the cows you milk.

 

[deleted user 837354]

I agree, milkings down to 2 hours each, 7 hours a day in the pit is no good.

 

[Fergieman]

200 cows an hour, is that not into rotary ground?

 

[DairyGrazing]

I agree, milkings down to 2 hours each, 7 hours a day in the pit is no good.

Agreed but how you go about doing that is the hard part.

Thought about splitting the herd and going to 2 units but that has its own problems.

 

[vantage]

Chap in my discussion group has just put in a 40 point rotary,we visited beginning of June, 300 cowsAutumn block herd,averaging 29l on the day,1.5 hrs ,one man.
@Walwyn has a new rotary.
If a new parlour is required rotary ticks the boxes.

 

[vantage]

How are people milking their medium sized herds, how many milkings are people doing and who is doing them?

400 cows
200 youngstock
Housed during winter and everything is out day/night asap in the spring.

38:38 parlour 4 hours am 3 hours pm. Two people milking and The parlour is old and slow due to layout.

Problem is I want to get the next generation in the pipe line as we have an aging work force. So realistically we need a new parlour to get milking below 3 hrs am and 2.5 pm.

To accommodate future growth we need to milk at least 180 cows and hour. 32-35 litres per day.

50 cows per man hour is very low ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

200 cows an hour, is that not into rotary ground?

Depends on the routine, and yield, and cowflow.
I used to milk 420 cows by myself in a 30 aside HB in about 2.5 - 3 hours, including hosing out while the plant washed, two of us took it under 2 hours.
Simple routine, good flow, simple routine though. Knew the slow cows, and cupped them the second they stop.

Then went to a 54 bail rotary with 750 cows and it was no faster in terms of cows per hour, as the cows only come in so fast and milk out so fast.

These were only 420kgMS cows though, not high yielders by UK standards, and no prep as a rule.

 

[MJKFarming]

470 cows here

400 in milk currently. Split into low and high yielders, through a 32:32 takes 2 people 4hrs AM and 3.5 PM including washing down etc.

Roughly 12,000 litres/day

 

[DairyGrazing]

50 cows per man hour is very low ?

Only way to speed up would be to group on milking speed and stop pre wiping. Then spend 80 k knocking out the dairy and 60 cubicles. I would rather put the money into a new set up.

 

[DairyGrazing]

470 cows here

400 in milk currently. Split into low and high yielders, through a 32:32 takes 2 people 4hrs AM and 3.5 PM including washing down etc.

Roughly 12,000 litres/day

Whats your plan for the future? We are on 10800 so not too dissimilar.

 

[DairyGrazing]

Depends on the routine, and yield, and cowflow.
I used to milk 420 cows by myself in a 30 aside HB in about 2.5 - 3 hours, including hosing out while the plant washed, two of us took it under 2 hours.
Simple routine, good flow, simple routine though. Knew the slow cows, and cupped them the second they stop.

Then went to a 54 bail rotary with 750 cows and it was no faster in terms of cows per hour, as the cows only come in so fast and milk out so fast.

These were only 420kgMS cows though, not high yielders by UK standards, and no prep as a rule.

Ours are not in a hurry to do anything so cow flow is non existent.

 

[vantage]

Only way to speed up would be to group on milking speed and stop pre wiping. Then spend 80 k knocking out the dairy and 60 cubicles. I would rather put the money into a new set up.

In the future I’ll potentially have the same issue over output. We’ll peak at 220/230 this winter,Tb depending,a fair bit of land locally coming up. Choice is a second 20/40 or a rotary if cows double.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Ours are not in a hurry to do anything so cow flow is non existent.

Our shed was on a very steep uphil slope, enough to roll an aerosol can from the front of the pit to the back - I know that makes a difference as I've worked in all sorts.

Sprinklers on the holding yard can make a big difference to summer cowflow, it seems once they feel pregnancy they just lose their mojo in the heat

We had a round yard, with a gantry that the washdown hose was on; I just teed into that and put a big sprinkler on it, another out the front, so anytime the washdown pump came on the cows waiting would get a shower.

I also used to wet all the concrete 2x before milking to cool the show down, a wind tunnel most of the year and yet stinking hot in summer!

 

[MJKFarming]

Whats your plan for the future? We are on 10800 so not too dissimilar.

Short term, maybe 3x a day and get milking times down to 3 hours each.

Longer term. 300 cows and robots.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Short term, maybe 3x a day and get milking times down to 3 hours each.

Longer term. 300 cows and robots.

Your consideration will be labour then. Would you not sooner go through one bundle of grief (changing to robots) than two?

I honestly believe that all major (and probably minor) decisions regarding business development need to focus on labour due to the scarcity and/or ever rising cost of it. Even if you are 100% family 'un-paid' labour everyone needs a life.

 

[Bald Rick]

Short term, maybe 3x a day and get milking times down to 3 hours each.

Longer term. 300 cows and robots.

x3 is ok if you can get reliable staff but it is very marginal once all costs have been factored in.
With robots, be very careful not to get passed a certain number of machines or your life will be hell unless you go big enough to have 24 hour cover

You really cannot beat a rotary for numbers/speed.

 

[MJKFarming]

Your consideration will be labour then. Would you not sooner go through one bundle of grief (changing to robots) than two?

I honestly believe that all major (and probably minor) decisions regarding business development need to focus on labour due to the scarcity and/or ever rising cost of it. Even if you are 100% family 'un-paid' labour everyone needs a life.

The business isn’t currently in a position to invest in putting robots in due to partnership splits etc.

So thinking that 3x would reduce the work load and make milking easier and generate slightly more income providing we can get good staff. Hopefully will make it easier on current staff and myself?

 

[MJKFarming]

x3 is ok if you can get reliable staff but it is very marginal once all costs have been factored in.
With robots, be very careful not to get passed a certain number of machines or your life will be hell unless you go big enough to have 24 hour cover

You really cannot beat a rotary for numbers/speed.

You still 3x?

 

[dinderleat]

Just put a rotary in and be done with it.