Winter can be challenging for any livestock operation and without proper attention, it can lead to problems. Dairies with robotic milking systems are no exception.
With temperatures dropping outside, inside the barn there are a multitude of possible issues happening if there is not proper preventative maintenance. Problems dairy producers may encounter include frozen water hoses, cords, water troughs and, in some cases, frostbite for cow’s teats. All of these issues will affect your cow’s visit to the robotic milking machine, yield and, last but not least, your own (unplanned) workload and efficiency.
Roger and Joanmarie Weiss, along with their daughter Margie, operate Weiss Centennial Farm in Frankenmuth, Michigan. They consulted with other robotic dairy owners before adding a Lely robot to their operation in 2011.
“When we decided to put in the robotic milking system, we spoke with other farmers about how they make it through the winter,” says Margie Weiss. “Most farmers recommended in-floor heating inside the robot barn which we did. Last year we added a new Heiss furnace which heats water and heats the radiant heat floors of the robot room.”
“Be proactive when you’re in the planning stages of adding robots to a barn,” advises Lance Brown, Lely Technical Service Support Manager based in Wisconsin. “Consider a centralized heat source that can be delivered to the robot room via an air duct. It is always best to supply heated air movement to the room for over pressure to allow cold air to be pushed away from the robot. In the summer it could even be an additional benefit to keep flies away.”
“Although we strongly advise to keep the robot in a frost-free environment, they have shown to be capable of milking in colder environments if they have continuous visits and alarms are attended too promptly,” says Brad Cupery a Technical Service Support for Dairy XL Milking and Cooling who is also based in Wisconsin. “If alarms occur, act upon them promptly so the system does not shut down.”
Cupery also says that sometimes the first things to freeze up are the ropes underneath the robot arm during milking as they can be exposed to cold winds.
When possible, prevent the ropes’ exposure to freezing cold by pumping warm air pressure from the milking cooling or compressor room to the robot room. If this air can be blown underneath the cow and the robot arm when the rest of the room is sealed, frozen ropes can be prevented.
“In addition, keep the ropes greasy and keep water out of them by soaking them in silicone spray or Vaseline,” Cupery says.
He says there have been milking robot barns installed with freezer curtains around the robot that create a warm air pocket around the robot. “This resolves all issues, but the cows need to get used to it and it requires construction,” Cupery says.
Overall, think in advance about any mechanical issues that could occur on your farm in wintertime and act proactively. If you have any further questions about keeping your milking robot barn running smoothly, you can look at the product manual or you can call your local Farm Management Support team.