Robots and parlour

[Farmer_1994]

We are looking at buying a neighbouring dairy that is currently set up as a robot facility with 2 gea boxes. Has a good newer barn and a pack barn that would be good for calving fresh cows out in.

Our home farm is double 12 parallel parlour and we are limited for space and facilities to do a proper job of calving our fresh cows.

Just wondering if it would work to calve our cows on the robot dairy and at around 40 dim move most of them to home farm? Calves would be raised to weaning weight at this robot facility as well. What are guys thoughts on this? Are we just asking for trouble?

Cash flow wise it would be quickest return to crack on with the bots from the start, could fit a new parlour facility down the road if we wanted to on this location. Not tied to robots if we feel we can get better performance off a parlour.

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

Disrupting cows coming to peak lactation and coming up to serving would be my concern

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

Moving once PD+ is a different matter

 

[upnortheast]

I think, once a robot cow, always a robot cow is the best way

 

[surprisefarmer]

I would be tempted to do it in reverse. I would calve your cows at home and milk them in the parlour for a couple of days, until the antibiotics are gone and you are happy the cow is healthy, then move her to the robots.

I would then move them out of the robots back to the parlour when they are getting ready for drying off/going stale. Basically keep your robots for the cows that are flying, that is how you really make money from robots. I have 2 Delaval robots which I love, but often toy with the idea of putting in a small parlour also and doing what I explained above.

 

[yin ewe]

We have a seperation area beside the robot with half a dozen cubicles in it where we keep fresh calved cows and heifers for about a week around calving (before and after) as we find them easier to keep an eye on them.
As said moving at 40 days not ideal, better moved at 120 days and pd'd in calf.

 

[had e nuff]

I've been told it doesn't work switching cows backwards and forwards between systems.

 

[yin ewe]

I've been told it doesn't work switching cows backwards and forwards between systems.

I know 2 who do it near here- 1still moves them over to parlour once they are going stale and pd+, reckons they lose about 15-20% yield and roar for 3 days looking back to the robot. The other lasted a year before he put in a second robot.

 

[Farmer_1994]

Thanks for the replies everyone, always good to get outside opinions. We know it could be a bit challenging but feel the place is priced right and has a lot of potential. As said before we are not stuck to the robots. It would be the perfect farm to run as a flying herd the way it is set up now. Having a conversation with our parlour fitters to see if they would take the robots on trade for used parlour as well.

 

[happycows]

Thanks for the replies everyone, always good to get outside opinions. We know it could be a bit challenging but feel the place is priced right and has a lot of potential. As said before we are not stuck to the robots. It would be the perfect farm to run as a flying herd the way it is set up now. Having a conversation with our parlour fitters to see if they would take the robots on trade for used parlour as well.

Monobox or Mione??

 

[Farmer_1994]

Monobox or Mione??

Monobox

 

[happycows]

Monobox

You stand a better chance of making them work.
Are they very old?? Do you have good backup??

 

[Farmer_1994]

They are 2019s with some warranty left. Dealer is no good, we are tossing around swapping in delaval bots as we run delaval parlour already. Would be cheaper than adding a parlour as is going to be costly to put up a shed and decent parlour.

 

[pappuller]

We are looking at buying a neighbouring dairy that is currently set up as a robot facility with 2 gea boxes. Has a good newer barn and a pack barn that would be good for calving fresh cows out in.

Our home farm is double 12 parallel parlour and we are limited for space and facilities to do a proper job of calving our fresh cows.

Just wondering if it would work to calve our cows on the robot dairy and at around 40 dim move most of them to home farm? Calves would be raised to weaning weight at this robot facility as well. What are guys thoughts on this? Are we just asking for trouble?

Cash flow wise it would be quickest return to crack on with the bots from the start, could fit a new parlour facility down the road if we wanted to on this location. Not tied to robots if we feel we can get better performance off a parlour.

Which gea robot ?

 

[Farmer_1994]

Which gea robot ?

Monobox

 

[happycows]

Monobox was recently rated Europe’s best robot.
Ironically the Mione was probably one of the worst!!

 

[Farmer_1994]

Monobox was recently rated Europe’s best robot.
Ironically the Mione was probably one of the worst!!

Must have learned a lot of what not to do from previous model.

 

[Farmer_1994]

Would it be to early to move cows to robot by 3 dim? Would keep them on robot till dry off then. Thinking about what has all been suggested here I’d rather move them sooner than later and leave them be on the robot till end of lactation then send them back to home farm at dry off. Would keep it super simple for the person running it there. Just feed, breed, and fetch cows in theory.

 

[surprisefarmer]

That's the time to get her on to the robot, as early as possible as long as she is in good health.

 

[Dave79]

We did exactly what you’re talking about for years. Now all robots. They can be moved as soon as you feel they’re ready. If you think they need protecting for any reason, hold off. Some will be ready in 2 days, others will be sore, have mastitis, not cleanse. You want them feeling great going onto the robots, so they are motivated to visit from the get go.