Robotic milking

[Sid]

Mastitis ????

What about it?

 

[richy]

I found a picture of compost pack in Holland. Cows looked great on it . Only cleaned out every year or so it had a drainage system to take away all the liquid . Cows were calving on it as well but maybe the climate is more suited to it I wonder how it would work in damp weather.

 

[dairydurham]

What about it?

The vast amount of it compared to freestall cows ( I have cows on both )

 

[Sid]

The vast amount of it compared to freestall cows ( I have cows on both )

So do I, no difference between the two.

 

[Wesley]

Weighing up adding a 4th robot, it will be a single unit in a new building.
We have in adequate loose housing for milkers and feel a straw yard would be beneficial but the bedding cost of straw vs cubicles and sawdust is pretty eye-watering. Are there any other sensible bedding options that people are using on loose yard robot systems ?

Our plan is to build a couple decent sized pens behind the robots & fit them with calving pen mattresses. Then anything needing a bit extra tlc can be put in there for a bit. Hose them out with a volume washer & a sprinkle of sawdust. We wanted to avoid the hassle of straw & dung.

 

[dairydurham]

So do I, no difference between the two.

What ,s the secret .I have tried just about everything and moving highs onto sand beds has seen the biggest difference

 

[pappuller]

Our plan is to build a couple decent sized pens behind the robots & fit them with calving pen mattresses. Then anything needing a bit extra tlc can be put in there for a bit. Hose them out with a volume washer & a sprinkle of sawdust. We wanted to avoid the hassle of straw & dung.

We have a small pen behind 1 robot for fresh/poorly cows but it isn't really big enough, what do you use as a loose pen at the moment
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if I'd had my time again I would have made a bigger pen.

 

[Sid]

What ,s the secret .I have tried just about everything and moving highs onto sand beds has seen the biggest difference

Plenty of space and good quality straw.

 

[s line]

Surely straw will be cheaper this year. Like sid says give the cow's plenty of room and good quality straw.

 

[Sid]

We have a small pen behind 1 robot for fresh/poorly cows but it isn't really big enough, what do you use as a loose pen at the moment
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if I'd had my time again I would have made a bigger pen.

Calving /poorly cows need to be right next to robots.
Ours is plenty far enough away tbh.
Last thing you want to be doing is walking them 100 yards to be milked

 

[Wesley]

We

We have a small pen behind 1 robot for fresh/poorly cows but it isn't really big enough, what do you use as a loose pen at the moment
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if I'd had my time again I would have made a bigger pen.

We’re in the process of building a new 2 robot unit & won’t be in until later this year. Only problem with calving pen mattresses is you’re restricted to about 12’ wide unless you want a join. So we’re doing 2 pens 12’x26’ behind the robots. Will mat one to begin with & use the other for the bobman & sawdust until we see if its needed for cows or not.

 

[Sid]

We’re in the process of building a new 2 robot unit & won’t be in until later this year. Only problem with calving pen mattresses is you’re restricted to about 12’ wide unless you want a join. So we’re doing 2 pens 12’x26’ behind the robots. Will mat one to begin with & use the other for the bobman & sawdust until we see if its needed for cows or not.

We have chalk floors in ours, and mats in one on parlour.
Wouldn't have just concrete.

 

[pappuller]

We’re in the process of building a new 2 robot unit & won’t be in until later this year. Only problem with calving pen mattresses is you’re restricted to about 12’ wide unless you want a join. So we’re doing 2 pens 12’x26’ behind the robots. Will mat one to begin with & use the other for the bobman & sawdust until we see if its needed for cows or not.

Sounds good, whereabouts you located ?

 

[Wesley]

We have chalk floors in ours, and mats in one on parlour.
Wouldn't have just concrete.

Thats why we decided against having a straw pen. Nicely cleaned out concrete floored pen & fresh straw looks great but is too hard & slippery, great for a little while when the dung builds up a bit but before long it needs cleaning out again. Far too variable a surface for a sick pen/fresh calver.

 

[Wesley]

Sounds good, whereabouts you located ?

East Devon.

 

[pappuller]

East Devon.

We spent a few nights at a holiday let down that way last autumn out in the sticks, just on the Somerset/Devon border not too far from Taunton.

 

[pappuller]

Thats why we decided against having a straw pen. Nicely cleaned out concrete floored pen & fresh straw looks great but is too hard & slippery, great for a little while when the dung builds up a bit but before long it needs cleaning out again. Far too variable a surface for a sick pen/fresh calver.

When are you planning your startup ? I know our project was about 10 months from ordering to milking

 

[Wesley]

We spent a few nights at a holiday let down that way last autumn out in the sticks, just on the Somerset/Devon border not too far from Taunton.

It didn’t belong to a member from TFF by any chance? Sounds like the perfect description to where we are.

When are you planning your startup ? I know our project was about 10 months from ordering to milking

It was supposed to be started last spring & milking in there by now. But due to circumstances beyond our control we’re way behind. Hopefully make good progress this spring. It has to be all up & running by August.

 

[Gerbert]

What's the most time it took people to train a cow that's calved for the first time (don't know the english word)? I have one calved 30 days ago and has just been going on her own for a few days. Do not wish to make that a regular thing.

 

[pappuller]

It didn’t belong to a member from TFF by any chance? Sounds like the perfect description to where we are.

It was supposed to be started last spring & milking in there by now. But due to circumstances beyond our control we’re way behind. Hopefully make good progress this spring. It has to be all up & running by August.

Yes indeed it did