Milk Meters

Timmaay

Ok doing my homework here on milking parlours. At the minute we have jars so for milk recording there is no issue. Several different versions of milk meters exist, most of which are not approved for milk recording (which we do every month). Do the most of yous who milk record have yourown approved milk meters, or do you rent out ones from your milk recording company? How much is it to hire them? I was told that most farmers around me are now buying theirown ones. I can get a basic non approved milk meter for about 100euros/unit, or an approved one (with a fullwood parlour) for 450euros/unit. If the cost and hassle of renting them every month is small enough then its unlikely to be worth paying the extra for approved ones.

Future Farmer

Ring Louise Knight - Granard - Milk Recording Supervisor Progressive Genetics - 087 2505723 she'll tell you about the costs of EDIY vs Manual Milk Recording, and approved meters etc.

OR closer to home:

Seamus Hughes - Tinnock - 087 2331235 - Progressive Genetics Dairy Specialist

frazzledhome

We do DIY, they supply meters and we pay a guy to do the bottles, work on our own at am milking

Greengrass1

We just get the meters in and record ourselves. Very handy and the meters are all calibrated right when there brought. Won't be putting meters in when we go at parlour

visatorro

frazzledhome wrote: »

We do DIY, they supply meters and we pay a guy to do the bottles, work on our own at am milking

do same here. except i recruit another family member to help with evening milking, doesnt cost as much! tried doin it on my own one night. was hard goin.

thats how i record. but if i took a notion that i wanted to see what a particular animal was giving, i would put the dump bucket on her. i know thats rooting too but its not every day.

Coonagh

Frazzled do you have much issues with meters not working properly, I was left with 20 here last week with 2 spare just incase. Between the 22, 3 of them weren't working properly-a complete pain the face! Failed to get samples off of 3 cows.

Greengrass1

Coonagh wrote: »

Frazzled do you have much issues with meters not working properly, I was left with 20 here last week with 2 spare just incase. Between the 22, 3 of them weren't working properly-a complete pain the face! Failed to get samples off of 3 cows.

Never had that prob here. Have mad a muck if recording samples a few times but that's about it. Lad that drops off recorders lives 5 mile away

atlantic mist

non approved are the same as the jars give you a close figures, were initially considering this as were very happy wit jars (old fella actual wanted jars again even thou slowed down milking but in the end went for approved as spending money on collars also so why identify cow and not identify exact milk

mahoney_j

atlantic mist wrote: »

non approved are the same as the jars give you a close figures, were initially considering this as were very happy wit jars (old fella actual wanted jars again even thou slowed down milking but in the end went for approved as spending money on collars also so why identify cow and not identify exact milk

I've the collars,feed to yield and meters which measure yield milk time,conductivity ,and how yield neasured up to last milking,you get a report at end of milking of any problems as well as red lights flashing on meter if conductivity is high or there is a big drop of in milk compared to last milking.you are recording yield every milking and feeding meal to match production which saves meal .i milk record 4 times a year,I just print off report and guy from pg calls to collect both.meters icar approved .i line them as you have a very accurate idea of a cows yield at year end.most times a cows yield is higher from my own parlour software than from predicted icbf figures due to every milking recording.i have the metatron p21 meters from Gea

atlantic mist

mahoney_j wrote: »

I've the collars,feed to yield and meters which measure yield milk time,conductivity ,and how yield neasured up to last milking,you get a report at end of milking of any problems as well as red lights flashing on meter if conductivity is high or there is a big drop of in milk compared to last milking.you are recording yield every milking and feeding meal to match production which saves meal .i milk record 4 times a year,I just print off report and guy from pg calls to collect both.meters icar approved .i line them as you have a very accurate idea of a cows yield at year end.most times a cows yield is higher from my own parlour software than from predicted icbf figures due to every milking recording.i have the metatron p21 meters from Gea

thats what i went for in the end, not up and running yet in the process cant wait, will icbf update their record from ur info for end of yr?

Cow Porter

mahoney_j wrote: »

I've the collars,feed to yield and meters which measure yield milk time,conductivity ,and how yield neasured up to last milking,you get a report at end of milking of any problems as well as red lights flashing on meter if conductivity is high or there is a big drop of in milk compared to last milking.you are recording yield every milking and feeding meal to match production which saves meal .i milk record 4 times a year,I just print off report and guy from pg calls to collect both.meters icar approved .i line them as you have a very accurate idea of a cows yield at year end.most times a cows yield is higher from my own parlour software than from predicted icbf figures due to every milking recording.i have the metatron p21 meters from Gea

Much the same setup here, do you take milk recording samples yourself and send them off with the print out? Doing it here, about half the price of having a person doing it only a bit time consuming alright. Have to have icar meters though. Think non icar can me +/- 7%

Also seeing the predicted yield of the cows is out compared to what the computer is recording. Will have a closer look at the end of lactation and compare then