None that inspire much confidence! I suspect it is a combination of factors including slow milking (partly routine but maybe also system set up, pulsation etc) Would really like someone who looks at the whole set up as we have sorted our calf rearing and have a simple block cutter for silage so no time and fuel invested in running the CDF and the milking (probably the most important part!) is the only element left to get right!
Cows mucking in the parlour
- Thread starter PREES
- Start date
None that inspire much confidence! I suspect it is a combination of factors including slow milking (partly routine but maybe also system set up, pulsation etc) Would really like someone who looks at the whole set up as we have sorted our calf rearing and have a simple block cutter for silage so no time and fuel invested in running the CDF and the milking (probably the most important part!) is the only element left to get right!
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Ian ohmstad would be the first person to ask, assuming you want an "expert" rather than just a fresh set of eyes
What is the routine?
What is the routine?
Routine (in theory when 2 in parlour) is that they work the pit in two halves each milker dry wiping their batch of 10, then going back to put cups on. we have ACR & ADF so little post milking work. We let cows out when last cow milked and have scissor gate on exit so in theory they can let next batch in before the last cow leaves but they tend to get the whole row out and wash down the standing before letting next batch in & I see the cups hanging up too much. Of course when only one in the parlour the turnover is different in that they have to prep and cup on 10 then drop back to the next 10. the more I think about it I think the cows are in the parlour and fed too long before the cups go on hence getting fed up and mucking then disrupting the routine and it gets worse as they work through the herd!
I would like to put a camera in the parlour to record what they are doing so we can look at the routine without having a stranger in the pit to add another variable.
I would like to put a camera in the parlour to record what they are doing so we can look at the routine without having a stranger in the pit to add another variable.
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Like the camera idea
How long from touching the teat to cups on ?
I'd try not doing 2 halfs
and get the gate open to let them out ASAP
and turn off the volume washer, maybe a small scraper that you could push the muck away without leaving the pit
How long from touching the teat to cups on ?
I'd try not doing 2 halfs
and get the gate open to let them out ASAP
and turn off the volume washer, maybe a small scraper that you could push the muck away without leaving the pit
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
He got good results here so I can only speak from my experience
We had a crap Scandinavian rotary parlour. Between him and roger blowey. They got them out of a few claims by talking crap. Does make you wonder how much a conscious is worth these days. He inspected the early belli aur parlours the fitter said he didn't do half he said and signed it off. So he didn't really know what he was spacing the parlour for.
- Location
- North West
Can you elaborate? Seems to be a sensible guy, who’s not keen to spend a lot of money straight off the bat?
The reason why I was thinking of "Precision Milking" was because I had read somewhere that they had done a good job for a farmer with a similar problem but who knows?
@multi power why do you think we should prep an entire row in one go? I thought you had to limit the time between touching the teat and getting the cups on? problem we have is that the muck tends to get onto the clusters so we have to use the volume wash to try to keep things clean!
@multi power why do you think we should prep an entire row in one go? I thought you had to limit the time between touching the teat and getting the cups on? problem we have is that the muck tends to get onto the clusters so we have to use the volume wash to try to keep things clean!
Yes. We looked into internal rotaries few years ago because milking was 4 am to 8pm at night. Needed some quicker. Westfalia were the main ones then had a quote not signing all dancing but upgradeable. Except I'll say local dealer called dairy dopes got involved and decrap needed a reference plant quick in a new setup. Specced to the max same money of a westfalia. More or less half price. Couldn't really say no. Steve sefton their main man said dealing direct with decrap but had to be paid to dopes.
They f**ked up the base and as it went on respected the parlour and never really finished it. Pulled service and parts off us. Which helped ohnstad no end. Ended up going to the solicitors nearly court for a 2 week trial. Who of would of coated us £250k. While still paying finance for parlour and a from we bought. We had to settle in arbitration because not could of broke us we would of been liable for our costs and theirs if they went pop!
We lost accordance to our kite bloke a million over that time. Hurt a whole herd of cows. Broken ribs, damaged hips and tore one cows udder.
We have just about recovered a few years back. But we broke even on costs. Bought a 2nd hand herringbone.
I could go on. But we knew saddle Holsteins bloke was doing the same thing against them and another bloke with a rotary in Cheshire. Foot trimmer said it didn't end well for the saddle bloke and nearly broke him.
Roger blowey, ian Davies and ian ohntstad are basically scum of the earth to me. In would spread the work round because it was hell of a job to get credible experts to go against them. We asked ohnstad first and he turned us down said it was terrible and wouldn't get involved.
They did make us sign a disclaimer but after a dodgy lot of feed and roger blowey breaking that agreement. I don't mind saying
They f**ked up the base and as it went on respected the parlour and never really finished it. Pulled service and parts off us. Which helped ohnstad no end. Ended up going to the solicitors nearly court for a 2 week trial. Who of would of coated us £250k. While still paying finance for parlour and a from we bought. We had to settle in arbitration because not could of broke us we would of been liable for our costs and theirs if they went pop!
We lost accordance to our kite bloke a million over that time. Hurt a whole herd of cows. Broken ribs, damaged hips and tore one cows udder.
We have just about recovered a few years back. But we broke even on costs. Bought a 2nd hand herringbone.
I could go on. But we knew saddle Holsteins bloke was doing the same thing against them and another bloke with a rotary in Cheshire. Foot trimmer said it didn't end well for the saddle bloke and nearly broke him.
Roger blowey, ian Davies and ian ohntstad are basically scum of the earth to me. In would spread the work round because it was hell of a job to get credible experts to go against them. We asked ohnstad first and he turned us down said it was terrible and wouldn't get involved.
They did make us sign a disclaimer but after a dodgy lot of feed and roger blowey breaking that agreement. I don't mind saying
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
You want 60-90seconds from first touching the teat until cups on
Are you over milking at all?
What milk flows are your ACR set to come off? We went from 350 to 400 and get good results
Milkcow365
Member
- Location
- Sw Scotland
My parlour and routine is similar but when the last cow is in 1wipes and the 2nd man just starts cupping behind nothing special or times or anything just simple,I work on the method of the quicker the unit is on the quicker it’s off
- Location
- North West
He wont be getting a Christmas card then. How was it hurting the cows?
Nearly
Member
- Location
- North of York
Leave the volume washer alone until the last cows are milked. Either use a bucket with a slosh of hypo in or run a low pressure tap to wash the clusters.
My tuppenny worth.
My tuppenny worth.
All ideas gratefully received!
- Location
- Northern Ireland
If I could go back and not put a volume washer in I would
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
I would say try low volume to just rinse the unit, little scraper to push dung away and see.
Agree with @Thomas-milmain routine think one starts wiping one follows and cups better.
Wonder if 2 men is too much in the parlour with adf though? Maybe it’s worse as no one can get a flow going. In my 16:32 one man is right and we are post spraying so with adf maybe try just one man and get a flow going
Agree with @Thomas-milmain routine think one starts wiping one follows and cups better.
Wonder if 2 men is too much in the parlour with adf though? Maybe it’s worse as no one can get a flow going. In my 16:32 one man is right and we are post spraying so with adf maybe try just one man and get a flow going
Bogeyman
Member
- Location
- North Antrim
For what it's worth volume washer not an issue with us.
Why? I was about one in to use plate cooler water.