Robotic vs parlors Even for dairy farmers, new technology and robots are quickly becoming more available for the farmers use. Robdots came into the U.S. in the year of 2000. Robots can very drastically cut the amount of time spent in the barn. Owning a robotic milker could also be a nightmare if things do not go how it is supposed to. Parlor systems may be the better way to go if the farmer doesn 't like technology. The standard parlor system is the better way to go because it involves less stress and more profit compare to the robotic systems.
Because the robotic milking systems are not as stressful or as profitable, it is better for farmers to use a standard. Because the robotic milking systems are not as stressful or as profitable, …show more content…
A milking parlor consists of cows that stand on an elevated platform and the operator stands in a "pit", the cows heads are turned away from the operator and they attach the milkers from either back or from the side. There are many different types of milking parlors, I will explain the most popular in the United States. The herringbone parlors are he most common parlor systems in the U.S. for "small" farms (less than a double 12). Cows stand on a elevated platform facing away from the operator, exposing the back half of the cow allowing easy access to the udder. Parallel parlors are when a cow stands on a elevated similar to herringbone but parallel is when the cow stands 90* facing away from operator.Access is between rear legs. The visibility to the front quarters is difficult and more difficult to balance milking units on the udder in this type of parlor. Parlors have their own set of pros and cons, some of the cons would be that the farmer has to be out there, comparing to the robot the farmer does not. Another would be that there is no custom blended feed given during the milking process. Some of the pros would be the robot can milk a large amount of cows in a relatively short time frame.While letting cows go when done milking there is a feature called "rapid exit" that allows the brisket rail to lift up over the cows backs allowing all the cows to walk straight through and out of the barn allowing the next group to come in
Because the robotic milking systems are not as stressful or as profitable, it is better for farmers to use a standard. Because the robotic milking systems are not as stressful or as profitable, …show more content…
A milking parlor consists of cows that stand on an elevated platform and the operator stands in a "pit", the cows heads are turned away from the operator and they attach the milkers from either back or from the side. There are many different types of milking parlors, I will explain the most popular in the United States. The herringbone parlors are he most common parlor systems in the U.S. for "small" farms (less than a double 12). Cows stand on a elevated platform facing away from the operator, exposing the back half of the cow allowing easy access to the udder. Parallel parlors are when a cow stands on a elevated similar to herringbone but parallel is when the cow stands 90* facing away from operator.Access is between rear legs. The visibility to the front quarters is difficult and more difficult to balance milking units on the udder in this type of parlor. Parlors have their own set of pros and cons, some of the cons would be that the farmer has to be out there, comparing to the robot the farmer does not. Another would be that there is no custom blended feed given during the milking process. Some of the pros would be the robot can milk a large amount of cows in a relatively short time frame.While letting cows go when done milking there is a feature called "rapid exit" that allows the brisket rail to lift up over the cows backs allowing all the cows to walk straight through and out of the barn allowing the next group to come in