Cow Ankle ID straps- Any Good?

[Rossymons]

You're still working with something that is designed to be covered in muck

 

[Ball acre]

I have taken on a contract farming agreement on a farm with a fast exit parlour which has a big muck tray that covers cows freeze brands. The parlour has auto ID but sometimes it seems to miss cows. Checking is almost impossible without getting out of the pit to read ear tags.

Therefore I am considering buying plastic ankle straps marked with the cows line numbers. I have been quoted £2.30/strap. But how long will the straps last and are they easy to read or do they get quite mucky? Has anyone experience of these type of straps?

Swap the stainless with perspex?

 

[farmer on a bike]

So we had a bit of a disaster on Friday night and the dry cows and milking cows ended up together ( don't ask, but I have to take some of the blame). We ended up using the auto I'd to separate them which answered a few questions. Basically we have a few tags missing but also a few dud tags rather than it being the id reader. We know this as the same cows failed to read on both parlour and shedding gate having set the system to shed all with no tags.

A painful way to learn ( we finished at 10pm) but answered where our issues lay. Thanks for all the advice. I do like the idea of a Perspex muck tray though, but I wonder if it would scratch up over time and no longer be see through, does anyone have any knowledge on that?

 

[glow worm]

I have taken on a contract farming agreement on a farm with a fast exit parlour which has a big muck tray that covers cows freeze brands. The parlour has auto ID but sometimes it seems to miss cows. Checking is almost impossible without getting out of the pit to read ear tags.

Therefore I am considering buying plastic ankle straps marked with the cows line numbers. I have been quoted £2.30/strap. But how long will the straps last and are they easy to read or do they get quite mucky? Has anyone experience of these type of straps?

Been using them for years on the odd white cow that is difficult / impossible to freeze brand ( high time black freeze brands were invented!) Available from Schippers, although I expect others also do them. Dalton used to but as far as I know, stopped years ago. They are useful for white cows, especially when, for whatever reason the auto id dos'nt work .. bulling cow swaps places, odd numbers let in, identical white twins, etc etc. and for relief milkers that maybe don't know all the cows. 1st batch had the line numbers in two places on the strap .. best as can then be read no matter which side she comes in.Last batch they only printed in one place. Won't do that again!! Our girls are quiet but even they object to me trying to fiddle with the strap! Reasonably easy to keep readable with regular wash off in parlour. Paler colour straps are best as the black print shows up better. Never .. up to this moment in time .. mus'nt tempt fate!!..been responsible for mastitis. Never gone 'tight' or fallen off. Numbers never worn off. Would never replace freeze brands / auto id for speed of use but as a back up for the instances I've listed, are very useful.

 

[farmer on a bike]

Been using them for years on the odd white cow that is difficult / impossible to freeze brand ( high time black freeze brands were invented!) Available from Schippers, although I expect others also do them. Dalton used to but as far as I know, stopped years ago. They are useful for white cows, especially when, for whatever reason the auto id dos'nt work .. bulling cow swaps places, odd numbers let in, identical white twins, etc etc. and for relief milkers that maybe don't know all the cows. 1st batch had the line numbers in two places on the strap .. best as can then be read no matter which side she comes in.Last batch they only printed in one place. Won't do that again!! Our girls are quiet but even they object to me trying to fiddle with the strap! Reasonably easy to keep readable with regular wash off in parlour. Paler colour straps are best as the black print shows up better. Never .. up to this moment in time .. mus'nt tempt fate!!..been responsible for mastitis. Never gone 'tight' or fallen off. Numbers never worn off. Would never replace freeze brands / auto id for speed of use but as a back up for the instances I've listed, are very useful.

Useful to know, it was the Schippers ones I was looking at. Maybe I will try a few on the white cows and see how we like them.

 

[Headless chicken]

So we had a bit of a disaster on Friday night and the dry cows and milking cows ended up together ( don't ask, but I have to take some of the blame). We ended up using the auto I'd to separate them which answered a few questions. Basically we have a few tags missing but also a few dud tags rather than it being the id reader. We know this as the same cows failed to read on both parlour and shedding gate having set the system to shed all with no tags.

A painful way to learn ( we finished at 10pm) but answered where our issues lay. Thanks for all the advice. I do like the idea of a Perspex muck tray though, but I wonder if it would scratch up over time and no longer be see through, does anyone have any knowledge on that?

@multi power has a that on his I think. The Perspex does go cloudy after a while though but it's fairly cheap to sort out. If they're a uniform size could you not have a gap just at brand height?

 

[multi power]

I can't always read the number, but I can read enough to confirm that it is the same as what the auto id says

 

[farmer on a bike]

@multi power has a that on his I think. The Perspex does go cloudy after a while though but it's fairly cheap to sort out. If they're a uniform size could you not have a gap just at brand height?

No chance of describing the herd as uniform. Was bred from friesian to high type Holstein ( tall, low fertility/longevity) to now crossing to Swedish red with a lot of bought in cows as well.

 

[farmer on a bike]

I can't always read the number, but I can read enough to confirm that it is the same as what the auto id says

Thanks, was yours made that way or was it altered afterwards? Did your milking machine supplier get the Perspex? Is the Perspex window continuous or a window in every space?

Ours is welded stainless steel, I will have to look if putting Perspex in would damage its structural integrity

 

[multi power]

Thanks, was yours made that way or was it altered afterwards? Did your milking machine supplier get the Perspex? Is the Perspex window continuous or a window in every space?

Ours is welded stainless steel, I will have to look if putting Perspex in would damage its structural integrity

It's a stainless steel trough with perspex on top, if I remember I will get some photos this afternoon , as far as I know it was installed that way

 

[farmer on a bike]

It's a stainless steel trough with perspex on top, if I remember I will get some photos this afternoon , as far as I know it was installed that way

Thanks that would be useful

 

[Headless chicken]

It's a stainless steel trough with perspex on top, if I remember I will get some photos this afternoon , as far as I know it was installed that way

Thanks that would be useful

You can see the idea from pit side here

 

[glow worm]

You can see the idea from pit side here

Do you miss signs of bulling / abortion etc in a parlour like this and do cows stop becoming 'individuals' as you no longer see the whole animal? Also, if needed, how do you crook / take temperature / inject oxytocin etc ? Sorry if these questions are so obvious to anyone who milks in a rapid exit parlour but I'm only used to a herringbone.

 

[farmer on a bike]

Do you miss signs of bulling / abortion etc in a parlour like this and do cows stop becoming 'individuals' as you no longer see the whole animal? Also, if needed, how do you crook / take temperature / inject oxytocin etc ? Sorry if these questions are so obvious to anyone who milks in a rapid exit parlour but I'm only used to a herringbone.

In our case we have collars to detect bulling and lack of rumination etc, but I do have reservations about the lower level of observation.

 

[multi power]

Do you miss signs of bulling / abortion etc in a parlour like this and do cows stop becoming 'individuals' as you no longer see the whole animal? Also, if needed, how do you crook / take temperature / inject oxytocin etc ? Sorry if these questions are so obvious to anyone who milks in a rapid exit parlour but I'm only used to a herringbone.

If I want to take temperature I just draft her out and do it in the race, I can inject but have to climb up, I'm not sure it would be my first choice of parlour but I believe it suited well for fitting into the existing building

 

[glow worm]

If I want to take temperature I just draft her out and do it in the race, I can inject but have to climb up, I'm not sure it would be my first choice of parlour but I believe it suited well for fitting into the existing building

Stroppy heifers must be challenging in this type of parlour!?

 

[farmer on a bike]

Stroppy heifers must be challenging in this type of parlour!?

Actually they seem to get used to milking very quickly, I have been very impressed with that aspect of it. Possibly they feel happier with another cow each?

 

[Rossymons]

Actually they seem to get used to milking very quickly, I have been very impressed with that aspect of it. Possibly they feel happier with another cow each?

I think there's something to be said for that. Our AI race and even working with cows at the feed face - all a lot quieter then I expected.

 

[multi power]

Stroppy heifers must be challenging in this type of parlour!?

Hefiers are no problems