WHY COWS COME TO THE ROBOT – REVISITED

Recently I asked a group of college students what one question distinguishes robot dairies from parlor dairies. It took some prompting because they were thinking too hard. I was looking for, “Why do cows come to the robot?” I have heard all sorts of answers – to get a treat, because they want to be milked, it’s a habit, they’ve been trained to do it, herd instinct, and many more. I like to answer “Why do cows come to the robot?” with a few more questions. What do cows want to do? What do we want cows to do? What motivates cows? What can we control?

What do cows want to do?

Cows want to rest, eat, and be milked, in that order of importance. Research says they will prioritize resting time over anything else that they do. That is important for a couple of reasons. First, if resting is the cow’s top priority, we should ask, “Why do cows get up and out of their free stalls?” before we ask why they come to the robot. It’s obvious, but it still needs to be said – they have to get out of their stalls before they come to the robot. Second, if resting time is compromised, she will give up eating time and milking time to make up for it.

What do we want cows to do?

We also want cows to rest, eat, and sleep, but we might prioritize them differently. Resting time is important because resting promotes rumination, and more blood flows through the udder. Eating time is important, because more intake can mean higher milk production. If we don’t interfere, she will take care of eating and resting herself, but we need to motivate her to milk according to our plans. We want her to do the same things she wants to, but we are more concerned with milking than she is. Our order will probably be milk, eat and rest.

What motivates cows?

By this point, we have established that cows are motivated by their desires to rest, eat, and be milked. There are some other motivators. Cows are creatures of habit – they are motivated to do the same thing every day. Similarly, they can be trained to adapt new habits. They tend to be curious. They prefer to act as a herd. They can be motivated by fear, but fear is usually counterproductive – whether it is fear of a person or fear of another cow. Healthy cows are more motivated than sick cows. The list goes on, but some of these are actually demotivators. They discourage the behaviors we want rather than encourage them. And many of them are difficult to control. Keeping healthy cows in a comfortable, stress-free environment is the table stakes. Getting these right gives us an opportunity to take motivation to the next level.

What can we control?

Once cows are put in an environment where they can be motivated, feed is the motivator we

can control more than any other input – whether the feed is pellets in the robot or PMR in the bunk. My dog is an excellent example of food motivation. She loves to sit at the window and bark at dogs that pass on the street. She waits at the door when my wife opens the garage. She enjoys having her ears scratched. But she will walk away from all of those to get food. She will spend hours trying to reach a crumb that she believes is under the refrigerator. Feed is that important. Feed motivation is just as important for cows. We can control providing the right feed in the robot. In free-flow barns it’s the balance between the robot and the bunk. In all barns, it’s forages that move through the cow quickly so she gets hungry and wants to go back to the bunk. Lot’s of things motivate cows, but we focus on feed because it is effective, and we can control it.

Do you need help motivating your cows to come to the robot? Let’s talk about it. Our 200 point scoresheet starts the process by identifying things that are limiting cow flow. The next step is reviewing the bunk management, forage quality, and robot feed settings, to find opportunities for more motivation. Contact us for help today.