In parlour batch meal feeding system

WexTK

Hi all,

milking in a 10 unit parlour with no batch meal feeding system at present. It's something I really want to address in the next while as manually feeding them meal in troughs outside is a bit awkward as cow numbers increase.

So will be looking into getting a meal 4 tonne? silo and a batch feeding system in the parlour. Just ballpark, what's the going rate for installing such systems does anyone know?

Kind regards.

Freejin

WexTK wrote: »

Hi all,

milking in a 10 unit parlour with no batch meal feeding system at present. It's something I really want to address in the next while as manually feeding them meal in troughs outside is a bit awkward as cow numbers increase.

So will be looking into getting a meal 4 tonne? silo and a batch feeding system in the parlour. Just ballpark, what's the going rate for installing such systems does anyone know?

Kind regards.

Recently got a quote of €4800 Inc vat for 12 unit parlour batch feed. That was excluding meal bin and mangers.

With the 60% grant available we are going to get a price for the individual feeders as well, probably 3 times the price but no harm getting a price.

One concern we have with batch feeders is that we have an issue with low voltage and the batch feeders have to be filled after every row, meaning another draw on power. My understanding of the cashman type is that you fill the hopper once at the start of milking and that's it

farmerjj

One bit of advice I would give is don't skimp on the size of meal bin for the sake of a few euros,get at least a 8tonne bin

WexTK

farmerjj wrote: »

One bit of advice I would give is don't skimp on the size of meal bin for the sake of a few euros,get at least a 8tonne bin

Roughly what would an 8 tonne meal bin set you back may I ask?

Milked out

WexTK wrote: »

Roughly what would an 8 tonne meal bin set you back may I ask?

Down south crowleys or spirofeed will give u a quote. All tho most manufacturers will deliver everywhere at this stage. Got a 10 tonne off crowleys with 4 sight glasses and the thing on top to help prevent coarse rations from separating. think it was 2500 +vat. Not sure on that but it's roughly it

WexTK

That pig feeder type batch feeding system... can a coarse ration meal mix be fed through it without problems or is it only able to take nuts?

keep going

i can only dream,3/4 ton of ration a day in buckets at the moment when milking

Milked out

keep going wrote: »

i can only dream,3/4 ton of ration a day in buckets at the moment when milking

Did it for years in troughs in a yard and at a feed barrier. Feeders only extra in parlour here now wouldn't go without. Looking back wondering why.we didn't put em in to old plant

White Clover

If getting a bin, get a 6T or 10 T. The compartments in the lorries hold 4 T. So if you're running low on a Friday before a bank holiday you can blow in 4 or 8 ton on top of what's in it already.

Buford T. Justice XIX

WexTK wrote: »

That pig feeder type batch feeding system... can a coarse ration meal mix be fed through it without problems or is it only able to take nuts?

They can take coarse but you have to put a lower level of molasses in iirc. If you ask the company you are buying from they will tell you the maximum molasses that can be added.

WexTK

Tell me, if you have say 4 tonne meal in an 8 tonne bin is there any risk of the meal getting damp, i.e condensation, frost etc...?

raypallas

Shouldn't really be a problem, bin will keep it dry and it will hardly be there for much longer than 3 or 4 weeks.

Nekarsulm

Does it have to be batch? Would pull cord Cashman feeders be too much hassle?
You'd pick up ten double one's handy enough, and as well as handling most any ration, you can give a thin cow an extra "pull"

kowtow

keep going wrote:

i can only dream,3/4 ton of ration a day in buckets at the moment when milking

I'm ashamed now. Have just been complaining about 100kg.. mind you I have to lob the bags up into the feeders.

Must put my augurs in.

keep going

kowtow wrote: »

I'm ashamed now. Have just been complaining about 100kg.. mind you I have to lob the bags up into the feeders.

Must put my augurs in.

I dread the days inside when I have to feed three buckets a row

blackdog1

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Does it have to be batch? Would pull cord Cashman feeders be too much hassle?
You'd pick up ten double one's handy enough, and as well as handling most any ration, you can give a thin cow an extra "pull"

I have cashman pull feeders and their grand so long as theyre setup right .Pull are fine . In a few years I'll be changing though.

degetme

Trying to decide on a feeding system for a new parlour. Currently have cashmans pull rope type. What are the cons to the batch feeding system. I feed flat rate across the herd. Only tine i give a bit extra to an individual cow is if shes a bit cross. Whats yer opinions on the batch feeding system

Say my name

degetme wrote: »

Trying to decide on a feeding system for a new parlour. Currently have cashmans pull rope type. What are the cons to the batch feeding system. I feed flat rate across the herd. Only tine i give a bit extra to an individual cow is if shes a bit cross. Whats yer opinions on the batch feeding system

You'll have the best of both worlds with the more modern Cashman feeders.

I assume the cons are half rows with batch feeders. And not being able to give that extra pull to individuals.

Have Orby pneumatic feeders here.

degetme

Say my name wrote: »

You'll have the best of both worlds with the more modern Cashman feeders.

I assume the cons are half rows with batch feeders. And not being able to give that extra pull to individuals.

Have Orby pneumatic feeders here.

Are the orby feeders individual and batch feeders? Say if you had a 14 unit what is the best way to set up batch feeders. Could you go with 7 x 2 so basically feeding 2 cows at a time

Timmaay

Say my name wrote: »

You'll have the best of both worlds with the more modern Cashman feeders.

I assume the cons are half rows with batch feeders. And not being able to give that extra pull to individuals.

Have Orby pneumatic feeders here.

You can still feed half rows, or whatever number of cows you want with batch feeders. Each feeder fills up one at a time, so let's call the last row 6cows, on the 2nd last row you simply keep an eye on the feeder, and turn off the auger when the 6th feeder is full. For anyone batch feeding with no interest in any sort of feed to yeild cashmans offer very very little advantage over pig feeders. The one single advantage I would say is if you need to use meal to coax up cows into their mangers. However you can have the pig feeders on individual ropes if you want, in my parlour I got the front one on its own rope, this is very useful if a shy heifer ends up the front of a row and refuses to go into the 1st manger.

Say my name

degetme wrote: »

Are the orby feeders individual and batch feeders? Say if you had a 14 unit what is the best way to set up batch feeders. Could you go with 7 x 2 so basically feeding 2 cows at a time

If you had a 14 unit with the Orby. You just press a button and feed the 14 in one go.
The Cashmans are the same there's a batch button as well as the buttons for the individual feeders.
I suppose according to the account from Timmaay the only benefit then would be no augers needed to be running when milking as you'd have the hoppers.

I'm kind of the same as Timmaay I press the button for the first trough to draw them up and then I press the batch button after. The first one gets an extra bit but then no backing gate needed.

So you can feed one at a time or two at a time with your two thumbs on the box all the way down or the full row. Whatever's your preference.

Mortelaro

I've the cashmans but filled from the loft overhead
No bin or auger
Powered with an air compressor (which also pumps up tyres)
Red button on the 1st box feeds them all or as above 2 black buttons on all so you can individually feed them
A simple direct drive compressor for €100 would run 12 of the feeders handy enough but a belt one would last a lot longer but much more expensive

Timmaay

Say you got quite a milky cow, I assume you feed to yeild and don't just flat rate the whole year around? I still got a big variation in cow type, so the cashmans might be a worthwhile upgrade at some stage.

Mooooo

Timmaay wrote: »

Say you got quite a milky cow, I assume you feed to yeild and don't just flat rate the whole year around? I still got a big variation in cow type, so the cashmans might be a worthwhile upgrade at some stage.

Yeah, the cashmans with the button at each cow is handier than even the more fancy ones that way. Have dairymaster here and and can feed individually but must go back to control box and give it to the correct spot from there, whereas if you have a button at each cow you just hit it and go. If going automated mine can be upgraded easy but don't have space for that

Sacrolyte

What are ye feeding the milky cow on good fresh grass. Let’s say the ones over 30 liters. For those of you that have the individual feeders.

Mooooo

Herd is averaging just over 30 here, with 43% heifers. Feeding 6 flat rate at the minute., Prob drop back to 5 now. Breeding is going well so don't want to upset the apple cart too much. There are just shy of 20% doing 35 to 40 litres