Cow flow through parlour

[Whisper64]

No in parlour feeding, no backing gate…! How to you get cows to flow through the parlour better without investing thousands ! Any ideas?

 

[Blue.]

I made my own backing gate,it cost less than £1k.

 

[JES]

Feed them after milking preferably after each milking and if you have parlour troughs, block them off with scaffold poles to keep the cows head up.

 

[Bottom of the pile]

We tried it. Did 11 years. Then put feeders back in . Never leave the pit now

 

[Case895]

We had this problem ath the start of the year with our new to us parlour. Feeders made the most difference with getting cows in. The cow standings and rump rail and trough can be a big part in getting them in as well.

 

[Bottom of the pile]

Carrots better than any stick

 

[Jdunn55]

Cheap batch feeders and feed 1kg per cow of something cheap?

 

[betweenthelines]

And@Jdunn55 gives his standard reply to every problem-even more cake!



IMO the best way to get cows into the parlour is by NOT getting out of the pit to fetch them in. They get so used to you fetching them in that they wait for you.

 

[Blue.]

And@Jdunn55 gives his standard reply to every problem-even more cake!



IMO the best way to get cows into the parlour is by NOT getting out of the pit to fetch them in. They get used to you fetching them in that they wait for you.

True!
a good bell on the backing gate is a must,they know to move then.

 

[DairyNerd]

And@Jdunn55 gives his standard reply to every problem-even more cake!



IMO the best way to get cows into the parlour is by NOT getting out of the pit to fetch them in. They get used to you fetching them in that they wait for you.

You could try giving a reply to a thread without making insulting comments on someone else's. I agree with your second statement completely but in future it might give your comments more weight if you refrain from including the first part.

 

[DairyNerd]

I don't personally like backing gates. Are your cows coming in with an edge to appetite and going out to fresh grass? We had terrible cow flow in a parlour with feeders once and it was because cows sometimes had to wait at a road crossing, even if they were going out the other way they were still slow, once we put in a system so they could cross the road straight away the problem disappeared.

 

[Jdunn55]

And @betweenthelines gives his standard reply in the form of being an arse!!

 

[Dead Rabbits]

If you don’t want a back gate, can you put gates in the holding pen about halfway down? You do have to shut those part way through milking but should help.

Also is the first cow following the last cow into the parlor? If you can’t do this you will never get the best flow.

Making the parlor a place the cow wants to be in with bright lights, no shadows, quiet (no whistle no shouting) and pleasant, no water spraying will help.

Or just train a dog to load the parlor. With the right dog it’s unbelievable what they can do to increase efficiency .

 

[Bald Rick]

Carrots better than any stick

Absolutely. Too many milkers use the backing gate as a weapon rather than a mechanism to separate groups or to gently move them forward.
You know it's wrong when the cows turn to face it.
Rubberised parlour entry and exit helps too

 

[miniconnect]

I don't personally like backing gates. Are your cows coming in with an edge to appetite and going out to fresh grass? We had terrible cow flow in a parlour with feeders once and it was because cows sometimes had to wait at a road crossing, even if they were going out the other way they were still slow, once we put in a system so they could cross the road straight away the problem disappeared.

what did you do with the road crossing?

 

[box]

Nothing makes a half tonne ruminant move on their own like food.

They should be hungry going into the shed and going to fresh feed once milked.

Backing gates and better shed flow only get you so far. If the cows are in a big, fat, happy/lazy mood, they'll just stand there.

 

[DairyNerd]

what did you do with the road crossing?

It was a minor road, only really lead to houses/farms on the same estate. Diverted traffic round the road crossing with a cattle grid each side if that makes sense. So you basically blocked the road off with double gates and diverted traffic round where you could then dig in grids.

 

[Whisper64]

I made my own backing gate,it cost less than £1k.

How does it work? Any pictures?

 

[Whisper64]

I don't personally like backing gates. Are your cows coming in with an edge to appetite and going out to fresh grass? We had terrible cow flow in a parlour with feeders once and it was because cows sometimes had to wait at a road crossing, even if they were going out the other way they were still slow, once we put in a system so they could cross the road straight away the problem disappeared.

In the afternoons coming into feed and staying in overnight. In the morning I’m holding them until after milking then turning out

 

[Thompyd]

It was a minor road, only really lead to houses/farms on the same estate. Diverted traffic round the road crossing with a cattle grid each side if that makes sense. So you basically blocked the road off with double gates and diverted traffic round where you could then dig in grids.

Only seen the idea this week from a Lely Facebook post. Simple and brilliant