Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

I've a good few reels and always fence a week ahead if possible during a quiet hour. Saves the hassle around milking

I'm surprised to hear all this honest talk around milking times. I only ever hear about the lad that gets it done in under an hour.

My pit time for 96 cows is 80 minutes but I allow 3 hours for the job of bringing them in/out fences and wash up/scraping holding yard.

I'd prefer to spend 30 mins longer at the job than to use a batt latch. Cows in heat on concrete give me anxiety. Also walking in with them is a good way to spot a sick cow or a cow in heat.

It's not a job to be rushed imho.

Have you an electric milk pump? If you have make sure to fit a solenoid valve so water is only flowing when milk is flowing, terrible waste of water otherwise. And yeah into a tank big enough to do a full wash down.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/listen-kildare-farmer-tweaks-grazing-platform-to-achieve-500kg-ms-cowhttps://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/listen-kildare-farmer-tweaks-grazing-platform-to-achieve-500kg-ms-cow

AS we are chatting about saving time milking, this changed from 24hr to 36hr allocation of grass. I give a new piece after every milking.

Would they not be roaring, facing in to the same field after the third milking. I'm too old fashioned I think

I waste alot of time washing my parlour. It's absolutely spotless after every milking. Volume washer and pressure washer. I've always been like that and I don't think I can change now. I have an auto washer for the machine alright. No rush out of the yard in the evening. More pressure in the morning for the school run.

No mats?

Jesus grass. Get matts for yourself. You won't know yourself.

they eat it during milking. Slatted tank running right behind the parlour with the feed barrier on it. Half of them eat and the other half get milked. Works well enough

I bought the ones on the left from Martial Arts Mats Ireland

A fair bit cheaper than the other suppliers.

Slot together like a jigsaw and Can be cut with a Stanley knife so you’d have a pit done in an hour.

no army of ppl working here. 4 kids to spend some time with too. Time is money

Easi fix interlocking mats ….really easy install …I just have them dimensions of pit and they can’t them on …2 of is fitted them in about 45 minutes (14 unit parlour)…have a good Stanley knife just to trim edges if needed and to cut square out for sump at back of parlour

There are 2 times each day when a lad gets to really see his cows, bringing them in morning and evening. It is the time any good stockman should use to check everything is OK. No army here either.