BATCH MILKING WITH ROBOTS

Batch milking is a relatively new way to make use of box robots, but interest is growing. Most box type robotic milking equipment is installed in the free stall barn, with the intent that cows voluntarily come to the robots to be milked. With batch milking systems, robots are installed in a separate area, outside the free stall barn, and cows are brought to the robots, in batches, for milking. The result is a blend of parlor and robotic milking that incorporates some of the advantages of each system.

How it works

With batch milking, cows are removed from the pen, and put in a holding area, much like parlor milking. Cows are milked by robots, instead of in parlors. Installations can be any size,

but most are between 10 and 20 robots. Housing and holding pens will be sized for the number of cows that the robots can milk in an hour. If robots are expected to milk 8 cows per hour, a 10 robot barn would have about 80 cows per pen, and a 20 robot barn would have about 160 cows per pen. If cows are to be milked 3 times per day, there could 6 to 7 groups, allowing downtime for washing and maintenance. 1 person moves the cows to the holding area. That person can scrape pens and groom stalls while the cows filter through the robots. Most cows will move through the robots on their own, without being pushed. Sort gates after the robots return cows to the correct pen, or divert them for management tasks.

Photo courtesy of Robotic Milking Systems - Gareth Jones

Batch milking operations have been successful with and without feed in the robots. For the most part, cows learn to move through the robots so that they can get back to the feed bunk and free stalls. Feeding in the robots could be an opportunity to provide extra nutrients to cows that need them.

Many farms designate a high attention group. This group might include new cows, treated cows, and others that might require special attention as they go through the robots. High attention groups can be milked at shift change so there are 2 people available to push new cows through the robots or take care of other management tasks.

Advantages

Batch milking allows the same labor saving and consistent milking as voluntary milking. In contrast to voluntary milking, management tasks like scraping alleys, and grooming and bedding stalls can be done without cows in the pen. It is not necessary to feed in the robots, so all of the feed can be provided in a total mixed ration. In contrast to parlors, milking can continue on the rest of the robots when one robot is not working. Batch milking might be easier to retrofit to an existing barn, compared to voluntary milking.

Disadvantages

Voluntary milking offers opportunities to manage cows as individuals. Each cow can be milked according to the schedule that is best for her. Voluntary milking minimizes the time cows spend waiting to be milked, while batch milking requires that cows spend time in a holding area. Batch milking is likely to involve a larger initial investment and operating cost, as compared to a parlor, but that cost can be offset by lower labor costs. Voluntary milking will probably be preferred over batch milking for farms with less than 10 robots.

Batch milking has been adopted more quickly in Europe than in North America. There are systems operating in the US and Canada, and interest is growing.