There are several factors that need to be considered before detailed dairy design can be started. Firstly, the type of dairy - whether it is a rotary platform or a herringbone.
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Herringbones
Our recommendations are that if it is a herringbone that you want, it should be a high-line swing-over herringbone. These are the most efficient in terms of cow flow and labour for up to 40 clusters. We do not recommend herringbone dairies with more clusters than that, as both cow flow and labour management are compromised.
Factors that must be taken into account in the design of a herringbone dairy:-
Access to the pit for milkers should be from the exit end, as a priority
Bail entry design
Bail design - milk line height, cluster spacing, breast and breech rail heights, pit dimensions (which must take account of number of clusters and spacing as well as space required for receiver can and releaser milk pump), zigzag on the breech rail, backing gate control
For more information on design dimensions and our justification for them, contact us.
Herringbone Advantages:-
Substantially cheaper
More time for milker to observe cows
Best suited to herds of less than 400 cows
Herringbone Disadvantages:-
Good design and stockmanship required to get good cow flow and good milking
Two milkers required for more than 20 clusters, or else automatic cluster removers (ACR's) have to be fitted
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Rotaries
If it is a rotary that is desired, the best is a "turnstyle" rotary (cows with their heads facing inward) and no more that 60 clusters. Rotaries that require the cows to turn and face outwards need skilled stockmen to operate effectively and as these are not always available to releave full-time milkers, cow behaviour can be unpredictable after a few days with an unskilled relief milker. Rotaries with more than 60 clusters, when operated at target rotation speeds of 7 minutes/ revolution, demand no hesitation from cows and as this is not always achieved, empty bails can become a problem. This applies to both cows entering and leaving the platform. Widening the entrance often has a bad effect on cow flow onto the platform, while a wide exit reduces the capacity of the platform (fewer clusters actively milking at any moment). Factors that must be taken into account in design of a rotary dairy:-
Orientation of dairy and yard relative to main farm race
Length and shape of entry passages and rails
Width and shape of exit
Platform height and platform controller position and accessibility
Avoidance of dangerous crush points between rotary structure and fixed rails and supports
Access to milking machine components - pulsators, ACR's, etc.
Drafting gates and holding pens
Vet/AB platforms or facilities
Rotary Advantages:-
Labour efficient - handles large or small herds equally well.
Readily enhanced with ACR's, mastitis dectectors, teat spraying or electronic identification.
Rotary Disadvantages:-
Expensive
Behaviour of the "cups on" operator has a major influence on cow flow.
For more information on design dimensions and our justification for them, contact us.
Siting the dairy
If possible the dairy should be alongside the main farm race, as shown below. Any mirror images of these schematics are acceptable.
In either type of dairy, it is most important to have human access to the yard well away from the bail area entry. This avoids disruption of the queue of cows waiting to enter and aids substantially in good cow flow into the milking area. Access to the pit of a herringbone dairy should always be through the exit end. In a rotary dairy, access to the yard from the "cups on" station should be at least 5 m from the entry passage.
NZ Dairy Farmers 111 Ideas to Improve Milking Collected and edited by Jan Fox
An A4 size book of illustrations and text to guide farmers and designers in using and building the most effective facility for milking cows.
