|
| We put them in almost a year ago. They have worked very well so far, and we are very happy with our decision.
Some of the Pro's
- less labor
- more flexability
- our conception rate has increased (we built a new barn also, so that probably helped)
- Don't have to worry about the hired help not showing up for the 11:00 pm milking (and not calling to say they arent showing up for the milking)
- The cows dont have to stand in the holding pen when it is 100 degrees outside
Some of the Con's
- It does call in the middle of the night once in awhile (which is better than the hired help not calling)
- It is more difficult to scrape the barn with a skid steer. (We put in a flush system, that works great!)
In the event of a power outage, each robot has a battery backup and will wait a minute to see if the power will come back on. If it does not, it will let the cow out. You will get a phone call and you need to get the generator going ASAP.
We are averaging 3 times/day
One thing that is important to get the visits is to have a pellet that tastes good for the cows.
We are a lot less tired at the end of the day. My back and knees dont hurt any more. Good decision for us. Probably not for everybody, but I think it would need to be considered if a farm is thinking about putting in a new parlor.
| |
|
robotic milkers
