ROBOT COWS NEED A FAST START

It’s been a few years since I listened to the podcast where I heard Todd Ward say, “The key is to get cows producing more milk than the PMR supports, as quickly as possible.” Todd’s comment has stuck with me, and influenced much of my thinking about robotic milking. In practice, this applies directly to free traffic barns, but the concept is equally relevant in guided flow. Getting robot cows off to a fast start, early in lactation, keeps them moving to feed which supports more frequent milking and higher peak production. A 26,000-pound Holstein herd should expect the average heifer to peak at 90 pounds and the average mature cow to peak at 115 pounds.

In free flow barns, a low producing fresh cow can meet all of her energy needs at the bunk. She has no reason to go to the robot. As milk production increases, she needs to go to the robot to get the extra energy she needs for higher production. The sooner she produces more than the bunk can support, the sooner she is motivated to go to the robot. More milkings, and more feed intake at the robot, drive an upward spiral to higher peak production.

Many guided flow barns feed for higher production at the bunk, so cows are less dependent

on the feed in the robot. A healthy appetite, after a smooth transition, still stimulates more trips through the sort gate and to the feed bunk. Extra trips to the feed bunk not only result in higher dry matter intake, they also provide more opportunities for milking. Research shows that more milkings in early lactation lead to higher peak production.

What promotes a fast start? Begin with a healthy dry period. Cows that are dry for less than 40 days will produce less in the subsequent lactation. You can plan for 45 days dry, but that’s the minimum, especially for cows that calve early. I prefer 50 days. Make sure your dry cows always have feed available. Refusals don’t tell the whole story. A trail camera can tell you when feed is out of reach. Dry cow rations tend to have longer particles, and small batches might dictate mixing every other day. Monitor the bunk, because either of these can promote sorting. Make sure the dry and prefresh groups have plenty of space.

After calving, continue to make sure feed is available. There should be enough PMR, at least 23 hours per day, for fresh cows to bury their muzzles in a pile of feed and come away with a mouthful. Don’t overfeed at the robot, but do make sure feed tables challenge cows reach their potential. In guided barns, train cows to use the gates so they know how to get to the bunk. Consider using separation pens to keep fresh cows close to robots and feed, but don’t overcrowd the separation pen, and move cows out as soon as they consistently find their way into the robot.

Use all available tools to monitor transition health. Every robotic system provides milk weights, so as a minimum, we can track deviations on every cow. Many systems include rumination. Establish a rumination benchmark for your system. Use supportive treatments for cows that don’t meet the benchmark. Move them our of the separation pen as soon as rumination is stable. Herds with high levels of ketosis should consider blood testing to identify cows to treat, and objectively measure the prevalence.

Do you need help getting your cows to peak higher or reach peak production sooner? The Cow Corner Robotic Dairy Performance Audit scores more than 53 different items to objectively find the bottlenecks that might be keeping your cows from getting a faster start.