You probably said a while ago but when do you expect it to be up and running? Are you more or less on target?
You spin me right round, baby
- Thread starter Bald Rick
- Start date
You probably said a while ago but when do you expect it to be up and running? Are you more or less on target?
Could be a whole debate about that. with the robots ,[as you are finding] they are easily transferable and worth money
When we pulled the trigger, we were "assured" that it was do-able by end July.
Having been building stuff steadily since 2012, we mentally adjusted that by 4 weeks and end August does look possible provided trades etc come together. Still a lot to do, never mind getting cows to accept a new form of milking
Don't disagree but I think the valuers point was that the infrastructure now makes conventional milking more attractive and, TBH, robots are still a bit of a niche whereas most dairy farmers will understand a parlour/rotary
Its tenants that gain most from robots, just pick up and go, not so easy with a parlour
TBH, it has been a lot of electronic work so not photo "sexy" although McKnights have ridden back in to town now ........
Rump rails starting to go on
Seg gate on return race
and auto footbath on return
surprisefarmer
Member
- Location
- North West NI
That is all impressive looking. McKnights are close to me and I hear that they are doing well.
I take it they do not got through the footbath every time, you can draft them around it?
I take it they do not got through the footbath every time, you can draft them around it?
ollie989898
Member
One of the best threads on TFF. I would sooner see a thread showing a range of parlours cleaned and setup than a slew of spangly combine harvesters.
Will have to go through it as it is set up at present. I suppose we would have the choice of leaving it empty or with clean water only? We may modify it in due course so the cows do walk around but I think we are hoping to have a sick cow area down near here & not sure how it will all hang together in truth. Suck it & see to an extent
surprisefarmer
Member
- Location
- North West NI
I get you, as with all builds you never know exactly what you want until you see it working in the flesh.
I am putting in an automatic footbath on the exit from my robots, but I am leaving a drafting gate at the end of the robots with the options of 1. back to shed, 2. Footbath then shed & 3. sick/AI pen.
ollie989898
Member
As you say, train them to walk through the bath they are completely unfazed by it, you don't have to actually fill it with chemical 24/7.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
That's the best in my experience with footbaths too.
If you change things then they like to crap in it on the way through
but they soon stop their crap, if it is a part of the furniture.
Looks great!!
If you change things then they like to crap in it on the way through
but they soon stop their crap, if it is a part of the furniture.Looks great!!
Grassman247
Member
Looks great!! I’m sure you’ll be glad when you can switch the parlour off and be glad it’s not going to ring you in the night!
When we concreted the platform we had a guy from NZ that waikato sent over, he had a massive argument with our builder because he wanted the concrete at 130 slump and they couldn’t work out why, he then got them to lay half a layer deep round the whole platform and then we went back and laid a section at a time over the already poured layer, it was a fantastic job and still looks new 10 years later.
As for the footbath race decision, ours is a single exit and a divert gate at the bottom through a single file footbath, worked great to start with, then when cows got comfortable one cow would stop and hold up the entire operation, we’ve since smashed the footbaths out and made them 3 cows wide, i only wish we could make the exit race 3 cows wide too and have the drafting gate near the parlour so the single file race is as small as possible
When we concreted the platform we had a guy from NZ that waikato sent over, he had a massive argument with our builder because he wanted the concrete at 130 slump and they couldn’t work out why, he then got them to lay half a layer deep round the whole platform and then we went back and laid a section at a time over the already poured layer, it was a fantastic job and still looks new 10 years later.
As for the footbath race decision, ours is a single exit and a divert gate at the bottom through a single file footbath, worked great to start with, then when cows got comfortable one cow would stop and hold up the entire operation, we’ve since smashed the footbaths out and made them 3 cows wide, i only wish we could make the exit race 3 cows wide too and have the drafting gate near the parlour so the single file race is as small as possible
holywell farmer
Member
- Location
- holywell, north wales
You happy with your building contractor so far,Mother of All Bulk Tanks (take two)
View attachment 704758
Angry Dutchman meant we had to transfer to bale trailer
View attachment 704760
View attachment 704762
and now fully erect and set
View attachment 704764
With the potential turn on proposed for end of next week (I should coco), the GREAT BIN MOVE took place yesterday
and with a few days of at least 50 cows to collect on 2 robots, and days spent doing nothing but fetching cows who were refusing to go in to the bots without cake, the usual great dairy bodge job ....
and with a few days of at least 50 cows to collect on 2 robots, and days spent doing nothing but fetching cows who were refusing to go in to the bots without cake, the usual great dairy bodge job ....
Will Blackburn
Member
- Location
- Cheshire
Nice bulk tank, the GEA silos are a neat set up with a back up circuit board, not that it'll be needed.
It looks like you had some protestors trying to fasten themselves to your bin to try and stop you moving it.