Robotic milking

[coco]

Try deleting the heifers from t4c and putting all the info again , seem to remember having something similar years ago

I will try that......thanks for input.

 

[coco]

I tried deleting a heifer from t4c, it did not work. ..... 102 is my training heifer robot, so they usually go in there to get milked. They were sore and leaking. I phoned a technician again and he came down.

We finally decided to change the 3d camera, and it was like Cinderella fairy Godmother waved her magic wand and the machine went under the heifer and milked her with no hiccup.
So I guess my 3d camera range was starting to fail, which could see the smaller jersey heifers on and off. ( I have a few jerseys in my her).

So I have to write this in my Lely troubleshooting notepad for next time. Thanks again for all your input, well appreciated.

 

[Peter]

Aha the clue was in your mentioning the arm "But I noted on 102 the arm seems to rock slightly back and forth while all cows are milking and standing perfectly still." Sorry I had not thought of that sooner. Not doing service anymore, brain a little slower.
Saw that once before. During a startup of two robots, started with the arm jiggling back and forth. Checked the camera and there was a spiders web with a fly hanging in front of the camera waving back and forth. Pulled it off and fixed.
Make part of your daily inspection with laser cleaning, ID clean and camera clean.

 

[coco]

You know its funny. Its hard because I was dealing with 4 technicians over 3 days. One said my Jersey heifers were too small for robot and I told him it was impossible because they have been successful for 100 to 150 days. 2nd technician said it was probable because other cows were hanging around the robot and reader was picking up their tags and not reading the heifers. I told him that's impossible because my system has been working for the last 4 years why would it do this the last 2 days. 3rd technician told me he was feeding his sheep. Thank Goodness 4th technician stuck around and watched what was going on and these heifers were standing still and helped me fix the problem.

 

[coco]

You know its funny. Its hard because I was dealing with 4 technicians over 3 days. One said my Jersey heifers were too small for robot and I told him it was impossible because they have been successful for 100 to 150 days. 2nd technician said it was probable because other cows were hanging around the robot and reader was picking up their tags and not reading the heifers. I told him that's impossible because my system has been working for the last 4 years why would it do this the last 2 days. 3rd technician told me he was feeding his sheep. Thank Goodness 4th technician stuck around and watched what was going on and these heifers were standing still and helped me fix the problem.

Thanks Peter

 

[kp_n_plghng]

You know its funny. Its hard because I was dealing with 4 technicians over 3 days. One said my Jersey heifers were too small for robot and I told him it was impossible because they have been successful for 100 to 150 days. 2nd technician said it was probable because other cows were hanging around the robot and reader was picking up their tags and not reading the heifers. I told him that's impossible because my system has been working for the last 4 years why would it do this the last 2 days. 3rd technician told me he was feeding his sheep. Thank Goodness 4th technician stuck around and watched what was going on and these heifers were standing still and helped me fix the problem.

Its amazing how many technicians come up with causes for faults which make no logical sense!! Glad you got sorted.

 

[pappuller]

@coco now you have introduced yourself onto the forum us nosey robot farmers would like to know a little more about your system

 

[Peter]

Takes time for technicians to gain experience. I have been a milking equipment tech for over 35 yrs. Worked for Surge, Westfalia, Lely 14yrs. Semi retired, work part time for a Lely dealer doing installation and milkline welding. He has 16 sold for this year and another 17 in the works. Going to be busy.

 

[Peter]

You know its funny. Its hard because I was dealing with 4 technicians over 3 days. One said my Jersey heifers were too small for robot and I told him it was impossible because they have been successful for 100 to 150 days. 2nd technician said it was probable because other cows were hanging around the robot and reader was picking up their tags and not reading the heifers. I told him that's impossible because my system has been working for the last 4 years why would it do this the last 2 days. 3rd technician told me he was feeding his sheep. Thank Goodness 4th technician stuck around and watched what was going on and these heifers were standing still and helped me fix the problem.

Tell the company owner about the 4th tech. Compliments and a pat on the back for doing what the other 3 should have done before him.

 

[Scania143h]

So the big question is has anyone actually done any costing's after going from milking with a parlour to robotic milking. We are currently thinking off going down the robotic route and I was wondering how much better/worse off are people after switching? Of course robot salesmen tell me I will be better off with the increased milk yield,better fertility,less mastitis etc.. Any thoughts??

 

[AWJ26]

Yes you can buy the older collar. Have just done so and no mention was made of discontinuing that style by 2020 - which by my calculations is only 3 years away! If they do, Lely & SRC can send a team down and spend a week changing all our transponders.

SCR salesman told me about them being discontinued in 2020. Depends how many lely have in stock after that time.
Ever wondered why Lely quietly dropped them off the master contract? Would have cost them a lot of money when they became obsolete and the only solution is to replace complete system with LD tags. So now it's going to cost the farmer, hence the 60% discount on the LD system to soften the blow.

 

[AWJ26]

So does the cow locator system also do activity/heat detection?

Yes, see the link below.

http://en.nedap-livestockmanagement...agement/nedap-cowcontrol/cow-positioning.html

 

[wasted years]

So the big question is has anyone actually done any costing's after going from milking with a parlour to robotic milking. We are currently thinking off going down the robotic route and I was wondering how much better/worse off are people after switching? Of course robot salesmen tell me I will be better off with the increased milk yield,better fertility,less mastitis etc.. Any thoughts??

My thoughts are to forget the reasons you are thinking of as whether a robot(s) will be good for you.
Robots are all about back up and how they fit the labour available on farm.
You may instal them and claim they have cured this and that or made the other thing worse but you will never be sure.
Robots make milking cows easier day to day, fact, but can make getting away on holiday for example harder if you are a one man band, because who will you leave with even half of the knowledge to look after it?
If you cannot stand the thought of having to turn out at 11pm on a Saturday night to fix something , steer well clear of robots but if you like the option of 'doing up' a few hours earlier on a wet dark winter's Saturday then they maybe for you.

 

[Bald Rick]

SCR salesman told me about them being discontinued in 2020. Depends how many lely have in stock after that time.
Ever wondered why Lely quietly dropped them off the master contract? Would have cost them a lot of money when they became obsolete and the only solution is to replace complete system with LD tags. So now it's going to cost the farmer, hence the 60% discount on the LD system to soften the blow.

Oh great ...... at some point there is going to be a dust up with Lely coming! I'm jiggered if I'm going to swop over 600 collar transponders just because they have decided that the antenna system (which works extremely well on our heifers running Heat Time) is the way to go as namby pamby Holsteins can't be arsed to go through the box to have their collars read. It's discrimination - cow-ist in fact. I go through this ritual every time as Lely try and lump on £3000 for a Jersey box.
And they try & palm me off with 120g filters which are totally useless to us as they block solid with fats within 7 hours. Trying to get 70g ones is like trying to get blood from a stone

 

[upnortheast]

So the big question is has anyone actually done any costing's after going from milking with a parlour to robotic milking. We are currently thinking off going down the robotic route and I was wondering how much better/worse off are people after switching? Of course robot salesmen tell me I will be better off with the increased milk yield,better fertility,less mastitis etc.. Any thoughts??

The thought process here was - Do we want to be in milk for the next 10 years Answer yes (our bottling plant is going well)
Do we want to stand in a hole in the ground for 4 hours a day Answer Not if there is another way
@wastedyears post above sums it up nicely

 

[pappuller]

The thought process here was - Do we want to be in milk for the next 10 years Answer yes (our bottling plant is going well)
Do we want to stand in a hole in the ground for 4 hours a day Answer Not if there is another way
@wastedyears post above sums it up nicely

Quite agree being a one man band with a young family the appeal was that id spend enough time in a hole in the ground after the day of reckoning, I can run 180 cows on my own with some part time help (10 hrs a week) and still have time off and holidays away, I am more relaxed as a person and more focused on my business rather than chasing round cos the clocks tickin toward milkin time.
With regards to whether my robots are more cost effective than a parlour ? I doubt it but I didnt purely put them in for that reason. But the 500k aia limit did help

 

[Scholsey]

Quite agree being a one man band with a young family the appeal was that id spend enough time in a hole in the ground after the day of reckoning, I can run 180 cows on my own with some part time help (10 hrs a week) and still have time off and holidays away, I am more relaxed as a person and more focused on my business rather than chasing round cos the clocks tickin toward milkin time.
With regards to whether my robots are more cost effective than a parlour ? I doubt it but I didnt purely put them in for that reason. But the 500k aia limit did help

I agree totally, and think sometimes we are slightly over staffed in normal times so relief staff are capable to cover when i am away, that is the case here but isnt a bad position to be in, can train someone to milk in a parlour in a couple of milkings but to get someone upto speed with robots can take months and you will still need to be available on the phone/teamviewer 24/7.

 

[jockthethistle]

Who with robots will be the first to get there cows out grazing this spring .. don't be shy. Dib on neighbours please. jtt.

 

[yin ewe]

Who with robots will be the first to get there cows out grazing this spring .. don't be shy. Dib on neighbours please. jtt.

Still sheep on grazing ground here!! Usually end of April beginning of May depending on weather and grass growth so doubt very much that we will be the first!

 

[Chips]

I have been a bit tempted this last week but contractor hasn't been yet to replace all the 3 year old rotten posts yet , but quite glad looking at the weather now , usually March here