Declo Dairy builds a new robotic milking barn that allows cows to decide when to milk (and sleep on waterbeds) | Mini Cassia News

DECLO – More than 1,000 dairy cows will be coming out of the Heglar Creek Dairy conventional barn in September and into a new robotic milking barn where they will sleep on waterbeds.

In the voluntary milking system, the Holstein will decide when to relax, eat, or be milked by any of the 18 robots.

"The biggest benefit for cows is to remove the human element from the dairy," said Todd Webb, co-owner of Dairy. "For producers," he says, "the benefits include increased production and cows that live longer with fewer injuries.

Todd is co-owner of the dairy, still under construction, with two brothers, Mark and Scott Webb and his neighbor, Mike Garner

In a conventional dairy, cows spend four to six hours in the barn, in pens and sometimes navigate smooth concrete in winter, which can cause injury to animals. 19659003] "When a cow is pushed into a system, it's a stress for the cow," Todd said.

In a conventional dairy, the cow can be pushed three times a day to the barn, Todd said. But in a barn with a robotic dairy, the animal selects the frequency of milking, which can range from a few times to five times a day.

The Webb brothers grew up in the family dairies and have diversified in recent years. their holdings include Heglar Creek Electric, Heglar Creek, Raft River Sod and Snake River Robotics, as a Lely Robotic Equipment dealer.

"I was at a point where I felt discouraged to know where the dairy was heading," Scott Webb said. "It makes me excited again."

With the new system, the cow decides when to go to the robotic milking station, where she will receive special grain pellets at the beginning of the process.

"It's like candy for them, "says Todd. But, if the cow just wants an extra snack and it's not been long enough since she was treated, she immediately returned to her living quarters surrounding the robot. Each of the 18 robots will milk 60 cows. Wearing a collar recognized by the robot, she will walk on a platform to be weighed and milked. A sensor will locate each teat on its udder, which will be sterilized, stimulated and the milking cups attached one by one to the milking robot.

The robot will also take its temperature. If there is an infection or blood in his milk, this milk will be sent to another tank. If the animal needs antibiotics, he will be treated without being removed from his living quarters. His food will be adjusted according to his milk production

"Every cow is treated like an individual," says Todd.

If the robot detects that it is in a heat cycle, the cow will be released in an enclosure to be collected by the breeder. Not having to disturb hundreds of cows to catch 20 allows the entire flock to be calmer, which helps with production, says Todd.

In residential areas, the cow will have a feeding area and a complete stall A waterbed.

"Water beds are more comfortable," Todd said. "The mattresses have pockets of water that prevent cows from developing sores on their paws." Some compost will be placed on the surface of the mattresses.

For comfort, a layer of rubber will be added to the ground where the cows eat and the roof over the barn will eliminate the constant struggle to keep the litter dry.

After milking, the liquid will be conveyed through a two-tank, 8,000-gallon tunnel. Dairy fills 1.5 tanks a day

All Heglar milk goes to Gossner Foods

Condensers used to cool milk will generate a lot of heat, which will be transferred to robot rooms to provide heat in the kitchen. Winter and fans will keep pets cool in the summer.

Cows milked by robots tend to live longer, Scott said, and they have higher pregnancy rates and eventually produce more milk. and healthier, just like people, "said Scott.

Costs for robots may vary depending on the number of purchases. For one or two machines, the smaller dairies will pay $ 200,000 per robot, for a larger dairy needing more, the cost could drop to $ 160,000. Costs can also vary depending on the equipment ordered, such as a scale, said Todd.

Dairy is one of the few in Idaho to switch to robotic milking machines and it's an even smaller group of larger dairies to convert.

Previously, robotic milking equipment was more suited to small dairy farms, Todd said the owners are tied to the milk barn 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"C & # Is a quality of life for them, "said Todd

. years ago, but only hit the east coast about 11 years ago. As technology has become better, it has become more feasible for larger dairies, he said.

Heglar Creek Dairy is moving about half of its dairy cows to the new barn this fall. The 10-year goal of the dairy is to convert all the dairy into a robotic milking.

"The main driver of the conversion is the work," Todd said. "We will see 60 to 70 percent of our labor savings."

In recent years, he said, it has become harder to get and keep milking employees. Other industries like construction tend to be competing for the same workers. And, Scott said, even careful training of employees does not eliminate the unpredictability of humans, which can affect the health of animals.

The 2,000-cow conventional farm employs 16 people to milk cows. The new dairy will only need four employees to monitor the robots, halving the labor requirements for the 1,080 cows.

New jobs will require a higher skill level than that of a traditional milking

"Right now, we spend our time managing people, not cows," Todd said. "The dairy will take on a new dynamic and we will have more time to manage the cows, and we will get better results."

Scott sees the move to robotics as a big part of the future of the industry. 19659003] "I do not think it will completely replace conventional dairies," he said. "But when profits begin to be noticed and it becomes cheaper, more milk producers are converted."