Dairy cattle judges talk about the ideal cow they picture in their minds as their standard for comparison. Why not have a standard for comparison for robotic dairies. I have shared a lot of ideas about robotic dairying, and I have visited a lot of farms that execute many of those ideas extremely well. On my last trip to Canada, I visited Shamrock Dairy, at Panoka, Alberta. and it is has become my standard for comparison. They combine top notch cow comfort and bunk management to make their barn flow better than most.
Shamrock Dairy is owned and operated by Gydo and Annelieke de Vries. This farm is unique among Alberta dairies for several reasons. First, the herd of about 250 cows is all Jerseys. Second, the free stalls are bedded with sand. Third, half the barn is free flow and half is guided flow. And finally, Gydo does not fetch cows – and neither does anyone else. Let’s take a closer look at each of those.
Jerseys are much less common than Holsteins on robotic dairies and especially on Alberta dairies. Their natural curiosity and will to milk means Jerseys are very well adapted to robots. Dairy farmers who work with Jerseys in robots agree that keeping them away from the robots is usually a bigger challenge than getting them to come to the robots, and Shamrock dairy is no exception. Body condition is also very uniform across all lactation groups and stages of lactation – evidence that Gydo is very focused on that. The free flow side of the barn averages 5 rejections per cow per day. The cows are moving and there are plenty of opportunities to milk them.
Sand bedding is not common on Alberta dairies. Sand is hard to beat for cow comfort. But limitations include availability of sand, especially during extremely cold weather, and wear and tear on equipment, as abrasive sand gets into every part of every device in the barn. As soon as I opened the door, it was obvious that cow comfort is a top priority for the de Vries family. I immediately noticed the fresh air and bright lighting. As I got further into the barn, I noticed that cows were comfortable in the stalls and there was almost no perching. The day of my visit was near the end of the bedding cycle, but the stalls were level full with sand. Cow comfort is certainly helping to maintain cow flow.
Building design, forage quality, labor expectations, pellet feeding expectations, and cow behavior are all important considerations in choosing between guided flow or free flow. Gydo weighed all of those and there was no clear winner for him – so he chose both. The picture above is the 2 unit guided flow pen. At right is the 3 unit free flow pen. He appreciates the flexibility. For the most part, cows that start in the free flow pen stay in the free flow pen and cows that start in the guided flow pen stay in guided flow. Occasionally a heifer that does not learn to come to the free flow robots will be moved to the guided flow side. Conversely, a cow that spends too much time in the guided flow commitment pen might be moved to the free flow side. The barn presents an interesting comparison of free and guided traffic.
I was not quite convinced the first time Gydo said he does not fetch any cows. I asked more questions about fetching. He patiently clarified for me – he really does not fetch cows. He also does not compromise on milking frequency. The barn moves well enough that it is not necessary to fetch cows. Fresh heifers are trained to use the robot during their first week in the barn. Cow comfort and bunk management keep the cows moving after they are trained. And yes, it does help that they are Jerseys.
Since I began Cow Corner it has become more and more clear to me that cow comfort, bunk management, and healthy cows are the keys to making cows move in robot barns. Shamrock dairy is an excellent example of how well a barn can flow when all of those are done right!
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