Farming Monthly National August 2017 | Page 35

| Buildings
Small changes in the parlour can improve milk
quality and profitability
Understanding the interaction between cows, people and milking facilities can improve milking efficiency. David Ball,
AHDB Dairy’s Technical Manager and Cow Signals© trainer describe how some small changes in the parlour can
improve milk quality and profitability.
fficiency is not
necessarily about
milking faster or
working harder, it's
all about
optimising the use
of equipment and labour
resources that are available, to get
the best out of your parlour.
It is important that there is
nothing in the milking routine
which could scare or stress cows.
Agitated, or stressed cows
produce the hormone adrenaline
which reduces the activity of
oxytocin inhibiting milk let down. It
can take up to 20-30 minutes for
the effects of adrenaline to subside
so ensuring calm and contented
cows are entering the milking
parlour is vital.
Moving the herd to and from the
parlour is an important part of the
milking process. Well designed,
constructed and maintained
walkways and tracks will limit hoof
damage and maximise cow flow
saving you time and money. For
E
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the herd to move without being
pressured, tracks need to be 4m
wide for up to 200 cows and as
short as possible. It should allow
cows to walk in single file without
any distractions, with their heads
down looking at where they place
their feet to avoid stones or other
hazards.
The intersection between the
walkways or tracks with the
collecting yard is a common
problem for cows. As cows
approach the collecting yard, the
walkway should be wide enough
to avoid any bottle necks. This will
allow them room to move into their
milking order, which is not always
the same as their walking order.
There should be plenty of space,
at least 1.8 square metres per cow,
(depending on cow size) which
allows them to stand comfortably
with their heads down. Cows enter
an open well lit parlour more easily
than a closed-in dim parlour.
The use of backing gates in the
parlour can assist cow flow if used
correctly. This can speed up the
time spent milking and minimise
the time cows have to stand
involuntarily. Milking time should
not require cows to be away from
their lying area and feed for more
than three hours per day. The
backing gate should be used to
take up space in the collecting
yard and not to crowd cows into a
small space. Consider using a bell
or sound on the backing gate to
encourage cows to move forward
by themselves.
Group sizes may be influenced
by the size of the milking parlour.
To improve efficiency, a parlour
should always operate with the
standings full. If the parlour has 20
cows per side, group sizes in
multiple of 20 will be most
effective.
David Ball recommends AHDB
Dairy’s online tool, Parlour Wizard.
The tool allows farmers to input
information about their system and
then compare their current milking
efficiency against standard
systems. They can then examine
the impact of changes in herd size,
parlour size, milking routine,
number of operators and level of
automation on parlour throughput.
It is important that there is
nothing in the milking routine
which could scare or stress
cows. Agitated, or stressed
cows produce the hormone
adrenaline which reduces the
activity of oxytocin inhibiting
milk let down.
A series of events with
internationally renowned vet Neil
Chesterton, from 21 August to 4
September, will focus on
improving cow flow. Book your
place by visiting the events section
of the AHDB Dairy website.
August 2017 | Farming Monthly | 35