Like so many things in robotic milking, the answer to this question comes down to simple math. I recall a college professor who was known to say, “There are 24 hours in a day. Use them!” Using them is the key to top production per robot. 24 hours times 60 minutes per hour is 1440 minutes in a day. What will the robot do during each of those 1,440 minutes. Let’s walk through the things a robot does and consider what we can control and what we cannot.
CLEANING
The robotic milking system needs to be cleaned. Manufacturer’s recommendations vary and farms follow those recommendations to varying degrees. Different systems require different wash times. The system wash may or may not include a bulk tank wash. For the sake of discussion, assume the system washes 3 times a day and each wash lasts 30 minutes. In this example, washing takes up 90 of the 1440 minutes – there are 1350 minutes left after the wash.
IDLE TIME
The system needs to be idle for part of the day. The system is idle when it is not doing anything else. Wash time is not idle time for most systems. Idle time includes the time it takes for a cow to leave the robot after milking and the next cow to come in. It also includes the time cows spend licking the last of the feed from the bowl. Locking cows in headlocks or moving them away from the robot for scraping or bedding may increase idle time. Forgetting to open a gate or failing to resolve an alarm will add to idle time. Idle time will be higher during the first 6 months after startup as cows and people learn the system. Most systems are optimized at 10-15 percent idle time. 10+ percent of 1440 is 150 minutes. In this example there are 1200 minutes left for milking after washing and idle time.
MILKING
Finally, milking duration determines how many milkings will fit into those 1200 minutes. Milking duration will include prep time. Average milking duration for most farms will range between 6 and 7½ minutes per cow. That is a wide range and there are many variables. Higher production will result in longer milking duration. Dirty cows with hairy udders take longer to prep and attach. Cows that don’t stand still take longer too. A few slow milking cows can inflate milking duration for the whole herd. Maintaining equipment according to manufacturer’s recommendations will result in faster milking. 1200 minutes divided by 6 minutes per milking is 200 milkings per day. 1200 minutes divided my 7½ minutes per milking is 160 milkings per day. Some farms have reached 200 milkings but it usually doesn’t result in highest production per robot. Production per milking tends to be lower and the proportion of time spent prepping cows versus extracting milk tends to be higher. Farms with less than 160 milkings should look for opportunities to reduce idle time or reduce stall time, if they want to maximize pounds of milk per robot.
High performing robots milk 160 to 180 cows per day. Optimizing the number of milkings per robot involves milking the right cows, at the right frequency, in well maintained and adjusted equipment. I can help with reviewing all of those variables. Contact me to schedule a virtual or in-person farm visit. Look for more information at www.cow-corner.co.
Comments