Here is where I'm at - I have 120 cows in a slightly overcrowded freestall barn built in 1976 addition in 1995, parlor new in 2000.  Everything works, it is a pretty good environment for the cows. Tunnel ventilated, rubber on slats, matresses and waterbeds in the stalls.

Had a evening milker for the past couple of years, one of those guys chronically short of cash, good with cows, he needed to get ahead on some bills last June so he asked if he could do both milkings. He has been milking 2x/day since then. I milk weekends.

He took two weeks off for Christmas, I found myself back in the parlor more. I really miss working with the cows.  Milking six+ hours a day, not so much.  I have been toying with going 3x but just know that there will be days I'll end up in the parlor for all three shifts, not really interested in chasing down help to get the weekends covered, but know guys like to call in 'sick', ect. Have one other full time guy with a young family, he isn't keen on milking evenings or weekends either.

One of my neighbors is putting up a new barn with robots this summer, so the topic came up.  The more I look at it, the more it looks like a good fit for me. I built a new heifer barn in 2004, it can be converted to a proper robot setup with a bit of an addition, I would use the current milking barn for heifers and dry cows.

I understand the work is still there in a robot barn, just different.  Much more flexible timing.  More management of the cows instead of driving them through a parlor.  The robot barns I have been in are very calm and relaxed for the cows,  I really like the idea of being able to treat my cows better and allow them to get milked more often.

So far so good.  Would have to write some cheques, of course.  Really big ones.  But then I would not have a milker to pay.  My calculator says at the end of the year the financing cost for 2 robots will cost me more than my milker, but not much.  The cows should produce a little better also, which helps the $$ calculations. Interest rates staying low would be good.

One guy will be out of a job, which bothers me. Then again, he could quit on me tommorrow, leaving me in a bind. 

It boils down to trading labor for capital.  What am I missing?