FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

Automatic milking robots can essentially be arranged in one of two ways when it comes to entry and exit of cows. One way we call perpendicular and the other is tollgate.

For dairies considering robotic milking, one common question often asked is whether it is best to build a new barn or retrofit an existing one. The answer, typically, is: “It depends.”

Milking times are the most stressful points of a cow’s day. Removing as much stress as possible from the holding area and parlour can help improve milk let-down and ensure a complete milking.

If you’re thinking about making a few changes to your freestall bedding area, take an extra peek at some commonly overlooked areas to ensure you don’t miss something in the planning steps.

When building a new freestall barn, what seems like a small decision in the designing phase can make or break efficiency later on. On the other hand, a few simple tweaks can save time and stress after the barn is built.

Tunnel ventilation was originally introduced in the 1980s primarily as a solution to address bird mortality issues due to higher bird weights and densities in older, underventilated broiler chicken barns.