Cows in a guided-flow barn can move about the barn anytime, but gates control the direction of the movement. Movement from stalls to robot to feed bunk is controlled by gates. The gates do not limit how often the cow can go to the feed bunk – only how she will get there. Cows leave the free stall area through a selection gate. If a cow has milking permission, the selection gate sends her to the robot. After milking, she is routed to the feed bunk. If a cow does not have milking permission, the selection gate sends her directly to the feed bunk. One-way gates prevent the cows from going from the stalls to the feed bunk without going through the selection gate. The cow’s desire to get to the feed bunk helps motivate her to go to the robot.
Guided flow systems are classified as milk first or feed first based on which direction cows move through the system. Milk first systems are much more common and more popular than feed first systems in North America. Guided flow systems are also classified as fully guided or modified guided. Fully guided barns have gates separating all of the free stalls from the feed bunk. Modified guided systems allow movement from the bunk to some of the free stalls without passing through a gate.
ADVANTAGES
Guided flow barns generally require less fetching and lower levels of pellet feeding as compared to free-flow. The selection gate keeps cows away from the robot if they do not have milking permission, so the robot does not lose time identifying and releasing cows that will not be milked. The commitment pen also serves as the fetch pen. Milking permission and gate settings work together to control how many cows are waiting to be milked.
DISADVANTAGES
Guided-flow barns require specific layouts for the gates to work. Some barn designs simply will not lend themselves to guided flow. A guided-flow barn will generally cost more to build because extra gates are needed. New cows must be trained to find their way through the whole system – selection gates, robots and one-way gates. Poorly trained cows, and timid cows, may spend too much time in the commitment pen or not enough time at the feed bunk.
WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU?
Choose guided flow if you want to minimize fetching and pellet feeding. Producers who want to maximize the use of home-grown grains and concentrates while minimizing robot feed should consider guided flow. High-quality forages are important in guided-flow barns because forages that pass through the cow quickly encourage frequent trips to the bunk, resulting in more opportunities to be milked.
Learn more about the role of forage quality and measuring cow flow in the next Cow Corner newsletter. Subscribe for free at www.cow-corner.co.
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