Robotic milking

[coomoo]

Same amount of feed used on parlour as robots. We run both and combine delivery's at same time.
We use fresh grazing to move cows not water or concentrates or quad

Robots must stack up at that then. 3/4kg concentrate then?

 

[Sid]

1.2ppl

120 cows @6500 litres @ 1.2ppl is £9360.

 

[Sid]

Robots must stack up at that then. 3/4kg concentrate then?

Top cows giving 40l on an 18% from 6kg.
Once pd+ we expect them to eat forage and lots of it!

 

[Beef farmer]

120 cows @6500 litres @ 1.2ppl is £9360.

Your point?

 

[coomoo]

Top cows giving 40l on an 18% from 6kg.
Once pd+ we expect them to eat forage and lots of it!

What’s your M+ at the fence?

 

[Sid]

Your point?

Was just comparing the cost compared to 2 robots. But then your not milking 100 cows.

 

[Sid]

What’s your M+ at the fence?

What ever the forage is.
Just are just conc and silage. Sweet and simple at both places

 

[coomoo]

What ever the forage is.
Just are just conc and silage. Sweet and simple at both places

For a 40 litre I’ll be the same here, M+25 at fence.

 

[Milkcow365]

You've got a wind farm!!

All our team are housed and 3 family members, so 6 houses and 2 dairys are 0.55ppl 0r 0.06pkgms

80kw solar array on 1 roof

1 house on ground source

Dairy on different site, that electric is just for dairy I suppose and not grain farm which does feed dairy farm, but then I put my own feed at bought in value so that should include its electric in theory,

 

[nonemouse]

Just starting my 11th year with the robot, capital cost wise we got grant under the old RDPE scheme which made it low risk because I could have sold robot at 5 years and would have got back most of my capital invested, building work was minimal ( just a leanto on end of existing shed to house robot, and form an ‘office’.
We did alter a straw yard into cubicles at the same time as putting robot in, but savings in straw and improved under health paid for that.
When I did my costings, I was comparing milking cows with robot v’s quitting dairy.
Electric costs went down with the robot, but that is because we 20kw of solar panels in and heat recovery to preheat robot hot water.
Like Sid just feed blocks of silage down a feed fence plus cake in robot. Last few years averaging about 9700 lts 4.25bf 3.5 prtn. Feeding about 2.3 tn cake per year. Try and graze March - November weather permitting. Again like Sid once cows are out , don’t really have to chase cows, but I abandoned 3 paddock and went back to 2 paddock, using electric fences to keep small amounts of fresh grass in front of cows.

 

[upnortheast]

They do it over in Italy. I was wanting us to do it over here also tbh, to save time. But we do run a grass based system almost all year, so was wondering how you guys did it via a grass based system and such

I`ve heard Buffalos are slow milkers - is that right ?
If so it will affect the number of buffalo 1 robot can milk

 

[Sid]

I`ve heard Buffalos are slow milkers - is that right ?
If so it will affect the number of buffalo 1 robot can milk

But less volume?

Pre and post routine can be the time consuming part.

 

[pappuller]

What’s your M+ at the fence?

M+24kg here av 7kg conc in robots

 

[Jdunn55]

Top cows giving 40l on an 18% from 6kg.
Once pd+ we expect them to eat forage and lots of it!

How many kg dm would you budget on them eating from grazing?

 

[Sid]

How many kg dm would you budget on them eating from grazing?

Too complicated for me, all done by eye and brain.

 

[pappuller]

Too complicated for me, all done by eye and brain.

Surely tho you must have an indication of how much forage your cows are eating tho ?
Do your robots not require input of data regarding whats been fed out of the robot ?
If you can't measure it you can't manage it

 

[Sid]

Surely tho you must have an indication of how much forage your cows are eating tho ?
Do your robots not require input of data regarding whats been fed out of the robot ?
If you can't measure it you can't manage it

No they robots don't.

Measure grass growth by eye on both farms.

 

[pappuller]

No they robots don't.

Measure grass growth by eye on both farms.

Forgive me for being thick, if you don't know how much feed value you are feeding outside the robot how do you know if your feeding enough/too much in the bot ?

 

[Seasider]

Forgive me for being thick, if you don't know how much feed value you are feeding outside the robot how do you know if your feeding enough/too much in the bot ?

It’s a skill few dairy farmers possess. Knowing your cows knowing your farm

 

[Sid]

Forgive me for being thick, if you don't know how much feed value you are feeding outside the robot how do you know if your feeding enough/too much in the bot ?

Grass quality can vary from field to field, from paddock to paddock from day to day.

By the time you have tested all those variables its all changed again.

Set concentrate and proteinlevels in summer depending on grass availability, time of season,clover growth, stage of lactation.
Done it for enough years to know what to feed.