Facility Design Considerations for New and Retrofitted Automated Milking Systems

One of the many considerations in robotic milking center design involves the type of cow flow that will occur within a confinement facility utilized to house, feed and milk the herd. Typically in the US, these systems will be included in a single facility. In the case of grazing systems, there may be multiple facilities for cow housing, feeding and milking. Cow flow can be divided into free-flow and guided flow systems. In free-flow designs, cows have access to feed, milking and resting areas without passing through selection gates. In guided flow systems, cows must pass through a selection gate to gain access to the milking machine and feed. In these systems, a selection gate determines if the cow has milking access (adequate time since the last milking or a large enough expected milk yield) to the milking robot. If the cow has milking access, then it will pass through the milking station before being allowed access to feed. If the cow does not have milking access, then it will be allowed access to feed. Selection gates control the flow of cow traffic to feed and the milking station. This can potentially improve the efficiency of robot use and provide additional information concerning cow flow based on sort gate activity. How and where equipment is installed can impact the ease of use for the cow. Steps, corners, footbaths, and other items can be potential issues for unobstructed cow flow. When cows encounter obstructions, they tend to stop and block the flow of other animals. Since robotic milking facilities are often constructed to reduce the requirement for milking labor, the goal is to create system by which a cow can easily move from the various areas of the facility without the interference of humans. By creating a system that allows cattle to be individuals and have their own schedules, we can reduce the pressure on the feeding area as cattle tend to feed at different times and not as a group. This creates new considerations for management activities like breeding, fresh cow checks, and routine vaccinations. Additional design considerations are necessary for providing adequate training and fetching of the cattle to the robotic milking system. Mistakes in initial facility design will have a negative impact on cow flow creating a more difficult operating situation for the producer and reduce the potential for milk flow through the system.