Heifers messing about in parlour

Farfield · 19-05-2012 10:09pm #1

Hi, i have about 50 heifers going through a 50degree herringbone parlour at the minute and generally no problems. However, theres an odd one that doesnt get/deserve as much meal as the others and she will doze her way into the next cows trough and can end up with both cows parrrallel to the pit(no fun when the clusters are on). Total balls and dangerous, one nearly fell into pit last night. Parlour is new and prob sized for Holsteins. I am milking friesiens so they have a bit more space than they really should and they are only heifers. Does anyone know if there exists a headlocking system for a herringbone that locks the whole row? Help/Ideas???

19-05-2012 10:46pm

only thing I can think of is move the rump bar closer to the feeders but then you end up having a fair reach from the pit for putting on/off your clusters. But it would be cheaper than moving the feeders:rolleyes:

might be easier to cull the offender;)

Farfield · 20-05-2012 6:54am

I thought of that, but there are several good milkers that are offenders. It will be fun in the late autumn when they will start to be cut off the meal alltogether as they dry up.

John_F · 20-05-2012 8:24am

out of curiosity what make parlour is it?? Did you train heifers to it before calving?? Sounds like they just should be beefier and cows being creatures of habit she doesn't know any different. How about bringing her up the first in the row

maxxuumman · 20-05-2012 8:42am

Farfield wrote: »

Hi, i have about 50 heifers going through a 50degree herringbone parlour at the minute and generally no problems. However, theres an odd one that doesnt get/deserve as much meal as the others and she will doze her way into the next cows trough and can end up with both cows parrrallel to the pit(no fun when the clusters are on). Total balls and dangerous, one nearly fell into pit last night. Parlour is new and prob sized for Holsteins. I am milking friesiens so they have a bit more space than they really should and they are only heifers. Does anyone know if there exists a headlocking system for a herringbone that locks the whole row? Help/Ideas???

What about a crocodile clip on the tail. Works a treat.

Farfield · 20-05-2012 2:43pm

I did train all the heifers and no bother at all getting them in, they just want more meal all the time, and i am simply not giving them that bad habit. They dont kick or anything they just bully each other to get their heads stuck into their next door neighbours meal trough in the parlour!!
I tried croc clips before for kickers but i didnt find them any good. Do you think it wud stop them Dozing??

tismesoitis · 20-05-2012 9:29pm

a sequential bailing system is what you need installed pricey enough but cows stay where they're ment to be.

John_F · 20-05-2012 11:41pm

maybe there just plain hungry? How much meal are you feeding? That and having smaller cows probably .. Dont think much can be done only let them grow? Dont tink seq bailing is the answer as if the parlour is at 2'2" then therl already be some class of bailing, and it doesnt work at 2' 6", anyway at 1000 per unit plus maintence is it worth it considering the cows will be bigger next year? What kind of stall work is it though? Straight or zig zag rump rail wit o donovan or alfco troughs?? Try bringing her up the front of the row might do for now??

Farfield · 21-05-2012 8:08am

Its a new parlour and the rump rail etc are straight. Its set up for the typical holstein cow, but mine are friesiens and not as big. The two that mess about mostly are a norweigen red (shes very small) and a fleckvieh. She gets her neck twisted over into the previous trough and then gets stuck and when you let the row out you sometimes have to pull her back over the trough/divider by the nose - and shes a big queit cow thats just a bit of a twat!!

Viewtodiefor · 21-05-2012 8:38am

Farfield wrote: »

Its a new parlour and the rump rail etc are straight. Its set up for the typical holstein cow, but mine are friesiens and not as big. The two that mess about mostly are a norweigen red (shes very small) and a fleckvieh. She gets her neck twisted over into the previous trough and then gets stuck and when you let the row out you sometimes have to pull her back over the trough/divider by the nose - and shes a big queit cow thats just a bit of a twat!!

Hi we have a parlour at home that was designed over twentyyrsago incorrectly! It will be changed in near future, anyway we have your problem all the time with some cows etc, notmuch you can do except keep them last in the row and a pics of pipe in your have for when they try to back, they just want more meal have found when they don't get Meal well then they accept it's not there and don't look for it.

grazeaway · 21-05-2012 8:40am

it'll probably be harder for them to do as they get older and bigger. what might work would be to make the feeder trogh dividers bigger so that they cant reach into the neighbours. not sure how that will cost. i know soem parlours have barriers that can open and close. we had similar problems years ago so my dad raised up the height of the dividers to stop them reach back behind and put the ration in the top corner as faraway as he could from the second cow.

whelan1 · 21-05-2012 9:18am

i have 1 or 2 cows that do this.... hate it... its one of the main reasons i refuse to use jersey crosses, hate them moving up and back... dont have a solution

Min · 21-05-2012 12:52pm

I have a couple too that do it, not much can be done about it. just try and get a bigger cow in front and behind the offender, one that isn't afraid to show the offending animal who is boss....or a fast eater....

Farfield · 21-05-2012 2:12pm

So its a fairly common problem then!! Have any of you guys ever actually had a cow fall into pit??

whelan1 · 21-05-2012 2:15pm

yes, also get the odd heifer walking straight through the pit from bottom to top:eek:

aidanki · 21-05-2012 8:00pm

Farfield wrote: »

Hi, i have about 50 heifers going through a 50degree herringbone parlour at the minute and generally no problems. However, theres an odd one that doesnt get/deserve as much meal as the others and she will doze her way into the next cows trough and can end up with both cows parrrallel to the pit(no fun when the clusters are on). Total balls and dangerous, one nearly fell into pit last night. Parlour is new and prob sized for Holsteins. I am milking friesiens so they have a bit more space than they really should and they are only heifers. Does anyone know if there exists a headlocking system for a herringbone that locks the whole row? Help/Ideas???

50degree herringbone whats the spacing between the units is it 2foot 6 3foot 3 or 2foot 2

headlocks is what you want not overly expensive either

Farfield · 21-05-2012 9:33pm

They are 2'2'' i think. Headlocks would be a great job. I didnt know you could get them for a herringbone 50degree. I thought they would only work on a 90 degree parrallel one. Where could i see them/get them??

Heifers messing about in parlour

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