WAYS TO INCREASE MILKINGS/ROBOT
In previous articles, I suggested a general goal of 170 milkings per robot per day and an industry average of 140 milkings. What does it take to get from 140 milkings to 170 milkings?
First, it’s important to recognize that 170 may not be the right goal for every farm and every robot. Some farms have implemented special-needs robots for fresh cows and treated cows. Extra washes and extra training time will limit the number of milkings on those robots. First lactation cows may milk more frequently if there is more idle time and more idle time means less milkings per robot. Farms that have added robots so that the number of stalls is more limiting than the number of robots probably won’t reach 170 milkings per robot per day.
Extrapolating from there, barns with more than 12 to 15% idle time need different strategies to increase milkings per robot, as compared to barns with lower idle time.
High Idle Time
If idle time is over 12-15%, presenting more cows for milking will increase the number of milkings. That might be as simple as adding more cows to the pen. More often, it means getting more visits from the cows that are already in the pen. This is where gate passages and refusals come into play. In general, if the smart gate in a guided flow barn is sending cows to feed more often than it is sending them to milk, the barn is flowing. If free flow cows are rejected at the robot more than an average of once per day, the barn is flowing. If the barn is flowing, less restrictive milking permissions will result in more milkings. If the barn is not flowing, we have to make it flow in order to present more cows for milking. Adjusting barn working routines and bunk management may help the barn flow better. Improving cow comfort, cow health, barn design, and reproductive management may also help. Once the barn is flowing, then milking permission can be adjusted to present more cows at the robot.
Low Idle Time
It’s hard to get more milkings by presenting more cows for milking when idle time is less than 12 to 15%. The best strategy at that point is to reduce milking duration. Start with robot maintenance. Well maintained robots attach faster and milk faster than poorly maintained robots. Next, look at the cows. It’s tough to get rid of a top producing cow just because she takes a long time in the robot – especially if she is your daughter’s show cow. Make a report with the slowest cows and evaluate each one. Watch the slow cows milk. Are they positioned correctly in the stall? Will they attach more quickly with a longer milking interval and more milk in the udder? Is the robot looking for teats that don’t need to be milked? Do the udders need to be singed? Or does she kick a lot – extending her milking duration and damaging the equipment so the rest of the cows take longer.
I can help you set realistic goals for the number of milkings per robot, and I can help your review cow flow, robot performance, and milkability, to get the most from your cows and your robots.
