Robotic milking

[Spear]

On a side not I’ve never yet found high bactoscans to be plant related. Usually cow or milk sample problem particularly if on night collection.

 

[pappuller]

On a side not I’ve never yet found high bactoscans to be plant related. Usually cow or milk sample problem particularly if on night collection.

Really, brushes out of line or chemical, bulk tank not washing correctly, rarely a cow or sample issue

 

[Slowcow]

Thanks everyone,
Don't think there's a better way to get this kind of information!
On a technical note, if I bought a second hand Lely without the collars is it possible to use eid tags (iso11784/11785) to I'd the cows in the robot?
All are cows a eid tagged and I have made quite a few readers & auto calf feeder so could sort my own reader if the bots won't read them.

 

[Spear]

Really, brushes out of line or chemical, bulk tank not washing correctly, rarely a cow or sample issue

Almost always a sample issue for us. But it will vary from farm to farm.
Years ago when night collections first started our figures went from 10-15 to 1-6k. Almost every sample. Spent fortune on ripping parlour apart and on private samples to discover cause. Nothing found.
Then driver said you do realise the samples stay an extra day before being tested.
6 months, threats of stopping milk collection, heavy financial penalties while at the same time refusing to take separate sample and get tested quicker or put us back on days.

Eventually they relented and change us back to days and the next sample was back below 20.
Still wouldn’t admit testing was to blame but did compensate us for losses.
Needless to say we changed who we supplied shortly after.
We still get issues now on night collections and if put on them we insist that any rise in bactoscan is not penalised.
Know of at least 3 other farms locally that suffer the same. But others don’t.
Depends on the bacteria present on farms.

 

[Peter]

I sure that made complete sense to you but for the rest of us

Robots use fixed amount regardless of strength of chemical. Cheaper means
less cost but at risk of less effective cleaning etc

Not "fixed" on lely. Amount is adjusted and set (by length of time chemical pump runs) done by tech. After water quality test. Had one I had to run acid at 5x concentration to remove calcium buildup after their water softener had broken . Another farm with very hard water had to always run at higher concentration. Much cheaper to treat water first. Then everything works better. Cheap chemicals is false economy. just need to find setup that works for you. Old style of washing pipelines years ago; wash with soap once a day, acid rinse once a week. Never sanitized. this worked on some farms for decades. But the neighbors if they missed one sanitize the bactoscan would go through the roof. The water you start with is most important. testing, calibration and documentation is mandatory here.

 

[Bald Rick]

Not "fixed" on lely. Amount is adjusted and set (by length of time chemical pump runs) done by tech. After water quality test. Had one I had to run acid at 5x concentration to remove calcium buildup after their water softener had broken . Another farm with very hard water had to always run at higher concentration. Much cheaper to treat water first. Then everything works better. Cheap chemicals is false economy. just need to find setup that works for you. Old style of washing pipelines years ago; wash with soap once a day, acid rinse once a week. Never sanitized. this worked on some farms for decades. But the neighbors if they missed one sanitize the bactoscan would go through the roof. The water you start with is most important. testing, calibration and documentation is mandatory here.

We had our E-Links removed for all the CUs (without telling us) to prevent us "fiddling"

 

[Slowcow]

Do the Lely and VMS need a Internet connection to work or will they run stand alone?

 

[Peter]

Do the Lely and VMS need a Internet connection to work or will they run stand alone?

Lely needs Internet connection. Scheduled maintenance by number of milkings, to inform your service technicians when you're due. Software updates, tech support etc.

 

[Sid]

Do the Lely and VMS need a Internet connection to work or will they run stand alone?

Don't know tbh. Ours have to allow us to view from home. Internet access allows the service guys to look from the office and can sort out issues without a call out sometimes.

 

[Spear]

Vms can use cellular, landline or internet to send alarms.
Doesn’t need to be always online

 

[Bald Rick]

On a side not I’ve never yet found high bactoscans to be plant related. Usually cow or milk sample problem particularly if on night collection.

Really, brushes out of line or chemical, bulk tank not washing correctly, rarely a cow or sample issue

Our bacto isn't too clever at the moment (around 50 and we've been through the bots) and we are getting the odd slimy filter sock after washing. Very odd & I suspect that the chemical (think it is occurring on the acid wash) isn't up to spec. Anyone else using Lely Red getting this too?

 

[pappuller]

Our bacto isn't too clever at the moment (around 50 and we've been through the bots) and we are getting the odd slimy filter sock after washing. Very odd & I suspect that the chemical (think it is occurring on the acid wash) isn't up to spec. Anyone else using Lely Red getting this too?

Slimy filter usually a ecoli mastitas here

 

[Bald Rick]

Slimy filter usually a ecoli mastitas here

Interesting but we are not seeing any E Coli at the moment.

 

[Spear]

I’d say it’s mastitis. You say it’s usually after an acid wash...probably means it’s being dissolved by your other detergent

 

[Milkcow365]

Our bacto isn't too clever at the moment (around 50 and we've been through the bots) and we are getting the odd slimy filter sock after washing. Very odd & I suspect that the chemical (think it is occurring on the acid wash) isn't up to spec. Anyone else using Lely Red getting this too?

I was struggling for a few weeks there up in the 50s stopped feeding fodder beet last day and it’s all back to normal... was feeding a serious amount of it though

 

[Bald Rick]

Delved in to the bowels of the buffer tank ...... and lo, found the wash ball was bunged up with splinters of chipboard that we used to use for bedding. Maybe, just maybe, that was a root cause of highish bactos?

Will have a look at the health reports as mastitis never crossed my mind as causing slimy filter socks but we have had a lot of fresh calvers these last few weeks

 

[Limefield]

Anyone order a new Lely A5 yet? With faster attachment will they milk a couple of more cows a day??

 

[s line]

Anyone order a new Lely A5 yet? With faster attachment will they milk a couple of more cows a day??

Yes where i work.

 

[Spear]

Delved in to the bowels of the buffer tank ...... and lo, found the wash ball was bunged up with splinters of chipboard that we used to use for bedding. Maybe, just maybe, that was a root cause of highish bactos?

Will have a look at the health reports as mastitis never crossed my mind as causing slimy filter socks but we have had a lot of fresh calvers these last few weeks

Did you find the cause?

 

[Bald Rick]

Did you find the cause?

Seems to have been the wash ball of the buffer tank as the bactos are down to low 20s consistently now. It's always a bit of detective work with multi robots & long milk lines.

Mind you, had bactos over 8000 recently ....... but that's a whole another story!

Slime seems to have stopped on the milk socks too