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

[yin ewe]

If I need to milk 200 never mind 400 to make a living it's time for a change of profession,I'd drive a Tesco van or be a womble,lifting litter from the side if the road,life is too short

I can't get my head around the fact that the OP described a 400 cow herd as 'medium sized'. Not a small enough category for my 70 at that rate.

 

[Grassman247]

@DairyGrazing I just re read this thread and saw your comment about rotaries costing 60k in repairs after 6 years?!

Mines 12 years old and cost me 6k last year including liners changed 4 times and 2 services

Who on earth are your service guys and have you got alot of tech on your current parlour or something?

 

[lazy farmer]

Really interesting thread. Was thinking about this during milking tonight. How about a doubled up 20/40?
I banged 160 an hr through ours tonight.

 

[ollie989898]

Really interesting thread. Was thinking about this during milking tonight. How about a doubled up 20/40?
I banged 160 an hr through ours tonight.

I really do think folk want to be cows through and washed up in under 2 hours. Anything longer is a soul-destroying job.

At college- and I mean years ago now- two of us (well 1 and a quarter as I was shet at most things) could milk their 200 cross breds in under two hours without a single cow so much as taking a pish in the parlour. 24/48 I think, no feeders just a backing gate.

 

[Dead Rabbits]

@DairyGrazing I just re read this thread and saw your comment about rotaries costing 60k in repairs after 6 years?!

Mines 12 years old and cost me 6k last year including liners changed 4 times and 2 services

Who on earth are your service guys and have you got alot of tech on your current parlour or something?

Reckon you are due for a new wear strip?

 

[Grassman247]

Reckon you are due for a new wear strip?

I did think that the other day but when I looked it still looks like it could do another 12 years tbh, we are even on our original drive wheels still, service man says we are a very few people who keep the oiler topped up which helps keep the wear strip looking decent

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I did think that the other day but when I looked it still looks like it could do another 12 years tbh, we are even on our original drive wheels still, service man says we are a very few people who keep the oiler topped up which helps keep the wear strip looking decent

That’s good. They definitely self destruct without an enough oil

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I did think that the other day but when I looked it still looks like it could do another 12 years tbh, we are even on our original drive wheels still, service man says we are a very few people who keep the oiler topped up which helps keep the wear strip looking decent

That’s good. They definitely self destruct without an enough oil

 

[Hurl]

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.

milking 400 spring calving 53/106swing over herringbone bare bones no automation 2 men 2 hrs in morning 1.5 evening

 

[Cows 'n grass]

milking 400 spring calving 53/106swing over herringbone bare bones no automation 2 men 2 hrs in morning 1.5 evening

What an odd size and that's a lot of units for two people to keep up with. What country?

 

[Barmyfarmer]

What an odd size and that's a lot of units for two people to keep up with. What country?

Bet the neighbour had put in a 52/104

 

[Hurl]

What an odd size and that's a lot of units for two people to keep up with. What country?

Northern Ireland just push them in straight rump rail and trough only electrics are the milk pumps,lights[optional should not be milking in the dark anyway] and backing gate switch

 

[holywell farmer]

How do you manage to keep a girlfriend?

60/90 that's huge hours it's no wonder the dairy industry has a staff shortage

 

[heritagefarmer]

Been there myself we employ 11 people, drove us to near selling up, apart from 1 polish guy we now employ UK citizens who are either married or have families.

The current team we have are absolutely excellent and we ourselves have been extremely guilty of not making the staff feel included, I’ve employed a consultant to do quarterly sessions of 2 hrs with all staff involved giving them a roundup of our performance and actually giving them some praise, again I’ve been crap at that.

We are hoping to do internal monthly meetings as well and run an annual trip out for everyone. I hadn’t realised just how important some of this stuff really was.

As for the technology we need stuff that doesn’t break, proven things that work on farm not gizmos and gimmicks

The fact you have seen these things and actually done something about them is fantastic!!!

 

[Blue.]

The reason I didn’t put X2 parlours in was you can milk with a numpty in a 32/64,god knows what a numpty would be doing in a 2nd parlour.

If I did it again I’d put a 25/50 rapid exit in,quicker to wash down and when they kick off they’re easier to get at than on a rotary.

Just had a like for this post,ten years on and I’m thinking of shortening my parlour,numpties are on another level nowadays.