MILKING ROBOTS: A TIME SAVER?

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1 Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession MILKING ROBOTS: A TIME SAVER? Author : Sara Pedersen Categories : Vets Date : July 15, 2013 THE chirp of a BlackBerry ringing in the middle of the night is not unfamiliar in our house. However, it is not always down to me being on call. In fact, more often than not, it is due to two ever-present members of our family the robots. Two Fullwood Merlin robots were installed on the family farm six years ago in a drive to improve milk yields without incurring additional labour costs. The increased milk yield and lower wage bill made them a financially viable long-term investment, particularly on a tenanted farm where an equally large investment would be required to install a new parlour. Robots, also referred to as automatic or voluntary milking systems, were first considered as an alternative to conventional milking machines more than 30 years ago in the 1980s, mainly in response to rising labour costs on farms in many dairy producing countries. They were designed to replace the manual labour demands incurred through fixed milking times so the farmer s time was free to spend elsewhere. They were also seen as providing an improved quality of life due to reduced labour demands and greater time flexibility. Since the installation of the first robotic system on a commercial farm in The Netherlands in 1992, their popularity has steadily increased, with different systems being introduced. Rapid advancements in automated technology have led to huge improvements since the early robots were developed and there has been a rise in the installation of new systems on farms. Last year, robots accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total spend on new milking machine equipment (Yorkshire Post, April 8, 2013). I often get asked, how are the robots going, do they ring you all night? when on farm. It often surprises people to know that, actually, just like a good cow, you often don t notice they are there as they quietly go about their business without much demand on your time. However, just like a good cow, you also need to look after them so they can do their job properly. That is not to say they can t and won t go wrong. 1/9

2 The robot alarm system automatically dials a telephone number to alert the operator something needs to be dealt with. The reasons for an alarm vary, although the most frequent reason in our case is due to a pipe becoming detached. This is more common during the fly season as cows can kick out at the robotic arm and dislodge one of the short milk tubes. Other reasons include failure for the cluster to attach or no milk flow in a quarter. Most alarms can be dealt with quickly with little impact on milking, but there are the occasional surprises. The most amusing (although maybe not at the time) was an auger sensor failure, which is the part that determines how much concentrate a cow is fed. The alarm code indicated a cow had failed to leave the robot after a certain time period. Normally this is because it is eating the last remnants of its concentrate or doesn t want to walk out past a higher ranking cow blocking their path. However, on this occasion the cow was physically unable to leave the robot due to the threetonne pile of concentrate in front of it although it was doing its best to eat its way out. Suitability Although robotic systems are increasing in popularity, they aren t for everyone and this is reflected in the high number of units that were taken out within two years of installation when robots were first introduced. Things to consider are not only whether the farm is suitable for robots, but also whether the farm staff are. While robots take the manual labour out of milking, they do not run the farm. Good stockmanship is essential as you don t see all the cows at least twice a day and identifying sick or mastitic cows can be more of a challenge. Information provided by the robot on individual quarter conductivity and robot attendance can be valuable tools in identifying cows that require attention, but for this to be useful the farmer must be computer literate and regularly look at and act on the information. Although the robot can help identify a cow that may require treatment, it can t treat it and so robots aren t an option if it is less stock contact the farmer is after. Variations Over the past few years, more robotic systems have been developed and there are now four main models available in the UK. Each model has its advantages and disadvantages and the main advice to give farmers deciding on which robotic system to install is to visit as many farms as possible (without the robot rep) to get a true picture of how they work and an honest appraisal from the farmer. There are four main robots in the UK: Fullwood Merlin, Lely Astronaut, DeLaval VMS and the GEA MIone. The main variations between the different systems are the ways in which the teats are identified and then prepared for milking. The Merlin and DeLaval VMS models use lasers to locate the teats, whereas the Astronaut and MIone use a camera system. Fast attachment is aided by clean udders, as sawdust, straw and excessive udder hair can interfere with attachment as well as increase bacterial load. 2/9

3 Teat preparation is a key part to mastitis control and an important aspect to consider when looking at the different robots. The DeLaval VMS has a separate teat cup that prepares each teat individually with a special teat preparation cup that cleans, pre-milks and dries each teat before the milking cup is attached. The Merlin and Astronaut use rolling teat brushes that clean but do not dry the teats before teat cup attachment. The MIone has a similar system to the DeLaval VMS except that cleaning is carried out by the milking teat cup rather than an individual preparation cup. However, whichever system is in place, it will never be as thorough as a good milker, therefore more emphasis must be placed on making sure the cows are clean on entry to the robot. Postmilking teat disinfection is a potential problem as all systems spray the teats and sufficient coverage can be an issue, creating problems with possible spread of contagious bacteria. However, a large benefit of robotic systems is that individual teat cups allow for individual quarter milking, which provides a huge benefit in terms of mastitis prevention. Making the change As the interest in robots has increased we ve had more farmers visit to see how the robots work and also to find out about the trials and tribulations of converting to an automated system. It is certainly not something that can be done overnight. Careful planning is needed to ensure the switch is made when you have sufficient time, manpower (and patience) to train cows to their new system. It is surprising how quickly some take to the robots, with fresh calved animals being the easiest to train. Heifers are usually trained within a few days of calving, although some can take a little longer and need to be repeatedly found and encouraged into the robot. Older cows should, in theory, pose more problems during the training process, but from experience they often surprise you, proving an old cow can learn new tricks. One of the concerns when installing robots is the number of cows you need to cull to fit the system. The reasons for culling are mainly due to problems with teat placement or udder confirmation, for example, a very low udder or teats that cross over. However, the advancement in technology over the years has meant teat recognition and cluster attachment has learned to deal with most teat positions and thus the necessity for culling has decreased. Teat placement for ease of attachment and a faster overall milking time is now recognised as such an important factor that some bulls are being marketed on the fact they are good for teat placement and thus robotic systems. The increased interest in robotic systems is predicted to continue as more farmers see the benefits of the system and the lifestyle changes it allows them. Although the initial change can have its challenges, the rewards soon cancel these out, even when they ring in the middle of the night. 3/9

4 Left: the Lely Astronaut, which uses cameras to locate the teats. 4/9

5 Left: the Lely Astronaut, which uses cameras to locate the teats. 5/9

6 Below: the Fullwood Merlin, which uses a laser system to locate for teat cup attachment (below inset). 6/9

7 Below: the Fullwood Merlin, which uses a laser system to locate for teat cup attachment (below inset). 7/9

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9 Individual quarter milking has a big advantage over conventional milking. // 9/9 Powered by TCPDF (