Let’s talk a little bit about free time. I don’t mean the kind on the lake with a fishing pole or on the deck with a beer. This is Cow Corner, and I am talking about free time in milking robots.
Lely calls it free time. DeLaval calls it idle time. This is one KPI where the definition and goals are very similar. Idle time and free time are times when the robot is not doing anything else – not milking, not feeding, and not cleaning. The goal is 10 to 15 percent. When idle time is higher than 15% the robot might not be used to full capacity. When idle time is less than 10%, milking frequency is likely to go down, fetching is likely to increase, and there is no room to catch up if the system goes down.
Not enough free time
I work with farms that can sustain idle time below 10% for weeks at a time. We make it work when cow numbers peak, but we know it is not ideal and might not be sustainable. Milk per robot is maximized, but milk per cow might be compromised.
When idle time is low, the most common solution will be to reduce cow numbers. It may also be possible to reduce milking duration. Equipment has to be working reliably to get below 10% idle time, but fine tuning might make it work faster. I can help evaluate slow cows. Cows that attach slowly or milk slowly might need a new career. Maybe we can watch them milk and find adjustments to make them faster. I review reports to find unproductive quarters because it is a waste of time to prep and attach those. Finally, when idle time is low, I check milking permission to make sure every available milking is used for the cows that need it.
Too much free time
I also work with a farm where production and visits in the heifer pen slip when idle time drops below 18%. We are adjusting milking permission and fine-tuning heifer training because we could milk more cows if we could maintain idle time below 15%. But we are accepting higher idle time to maintain production and milkings per cow, until we get it figured out.
When idle time is high, first I ask whether there should be more cows in the pen. Low cow numbers might be a short-term problem following an expansion or difficulty getting cows pregnant. Market quota might dictate a level of production that is less than the capacity of the system. I am working with a herd that is adjusting their calving plan to avoid fluctuating cow numbers which lead to high idle time in the robots.
I also look at milking permission when idle time is high. Are there any cows that could be milked more frequently? I never want inefficient milkings - less than 20 lbs. per milking. When idle time is high, I might allow a few more inefficient milkings if it allows extra milkings for a group of cows that would benefit.
Most importantly, I want to make sure we are not doing things in the barn that contribute to high idle time. Obviously, long lock up times keep cows away from the robot and result in high idle time. Moving cows for bedding or foot bath also keeps them away from the robot. Most barns have a slow time – often between 2 and 4 am. Adjusting the feed delivery schedule can fill in or shorten that slow time. I work with 2 farms that have been able to reduce idle time by rescheduling system washes. This will be more difficult if the milk pickup time has to change.
Monitoring idle time can help maximize system capacity. It can also help fine tune system settings and workflows. Cow Corner can help. Click on the contact us page so we can talk about it.
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