A 50-unit Dairymaster rotary, in Friederike Hillermann’s view, has been the best investment for her dynamic and modern 470-organic dairy farm in Germany.
Hiring farm staff on contract made a rotary parlour system an appealing option for this thriving enterprise.
But, as she explains further, it has also boosted herd health and performance and farm efficiency:
“It is a very gentle way of milking cows, but it is easy for staff to learn. In our milking system, we pre-dip and pre-milk cows.”
“The second person cleans up and attaches the cluster. This helps us to maintain good udder health levels that we have achieved.”
Dairymaster rotary
The farm strives to create a relaxed system for cows to optimise daily routines.
For example, as she outlines, “bringing cows to the parlour should be done in a calm manner and the time in a collecting yard should be reduced, where cows collect together”.
“We have installed an automatic backing gate. We do not need a person to collect cows. The cow enters the parlour voluntarily, and milking is quiet and steady.”
“We are satisifed with voice assist messages as they are a big help for all our newbies. Moreover, I am pleased with the performance of the milking cluster. Currently, there are no clusters falling off or sucking in air, so it works well.”
“Even if you have to treat or check certain cows again, we have installed a retention bar, and it also indicates low milk yield.”
“Cows with abnormal yield will come around twice and get checked by the milkers.”
She added that ClusterCleanse is “something that I would not be without” in this parlour as it takes work off operators’ shoulders and guarantees a low cell count.
Another one of her favourite features is an automatic drafting gate, which a milker can oversee from the rotary or Friederike can control from the comfort of her computer.
As she explains: “Without it, I would need an extra person to help me draft animals.”
“What we can do now in 10 minutes would have taken an extra hour before this installation,” she concludes.
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