Opportunities for cows that are difficult to attach the teatcups.

Incomplete milking is always annoying! Finding the teats with difficulty not only results in loss of time but also annoyance, both for the farmer and for the cow.
On top of that, the risk of udder infections also increases.

Several Tips have already been written about incomplete milkings. With the VMS Classic we aim for a percentage of incomplete milkings of less than 5%. With the VMS V300 we believe that this percentage should be below 2%.

What is well known is that you should keep the camera clean, even in the top corners, having no space on the arm and should neatly connect the teat in the middle of the cup.

In the lists, under “Milking Info”, the list “Milking performance” is included. By sorting on incomplete milkings, the penultimate column, you can see exactly which cows have incomplete milkings most often.

Over the years I have compiled a list of 14 points for the VMS Classic, and 9 points for the VMS V300 that can help assess and possibly use the settings of the individual cow to try for better attach in the future.

This is often issued during company visits, if you do not have it (anymore), or if you want an update, just send an email and I will send it to you.

Please state for which type of VMS you’d like to receive these points.

The Frequency Regulator

The frequency regulator has a filter at the bottom, which is usually cleaned during service, but with this warm weather, sometimes it is necessary to clean it more often.

Just like an extra check of the compressor’s air filter and the grid of the cooler of the milk tank.
If they get enough fresh air, you will save on disruptions and electricity costs, especially in warm weather!

Also see the Tip of the Month – January 2015

The Feeder Position

With the VMS V300, the teat positions no longer need to be adjusted. With the VMS Classic, that is precisely the moment to, in addition to the teat positions, position of the feed trough is set for a new cow or after calving. This setting is (afterwards) only adjustable by the farmer. So it is still important to keep an eye on it afterwards. With the VMS V300 it is no longer important for to find the teats, but similarly, too much or especially too little space in the VMS is not good either.

With the VMS Classic, leaving too much space in the VMS box means it will be more difficult to find teats, but too tight is not good either.

So keep paying attention: is the cow comfortable in the VMS? It is also possible to check whether the feed trough is in the correct position via VMS Animal Settings.

Take a look at: https://www.harrytuinier.nl/en/2012/12/31/tips-uit-2012/ – Tip of the Month, May 2012

Keep the entry and exit gates clean.

Although the VMS has a floor cleaner, it is wise to spray off the corners a few times a day, on the places where the floor cleaner does not keep clean enough.

While you’re doing that, you might as well clean the lower bars of the entrance and exit gates too. Manure crusts builds easily here. That does not look neat, but above all: if you decide, on a rainy day, to give the VMS and space a good cleaning, everything will shine for you again, but also for the cow!

If the difference is too great with compared to before cleaning, many cows will hesitate to quickly enter the VMS again.

By keeping more parts of the VMS clean on a daily basis, after a thorough cleaning the difference will not be so great and will thereby decrease changes in visiting behavior!

Stress from heat and breath control

Checking the rumination is known to most livestock farmers, but do you also check “Breath control”?

Under normal conditions, at rest and lack of high temperatures, the cow breathes about 40 times per minute. This can be counted on the left side of the cow.

When a cow is too hot, making it difficult to lose its heat, or is bothered for other reasons, breaths count per minute can increase.

At over 60 breaths a minute it is no longer fun for the cow, then she stays up longer since standing up causes more heat loss than lying down. She could also hang above the water trough. Above 80 breaths per minute she is experiencing serious heat stress.

Remember that a cow’s “pleasant outside temperature” is about 8 degrees lower than ours. In addition to that, a cow that gives a lot of milk is hard at work. So, she can get warm quickly!

And warm weather, especially in combination with higher humidity, can also result in 5 – 12% less (rough) feed intake. And she can suffer from that for longer than the heat lasts.

That is why having a cool place for the cow in the summer, is vital. For both longer production and showing heats; and therefore, for fertility!

By counting the breaths every now and then, preferably from high-yielders, you will see earlier whether the ventilation or cooling are sufficient and whether there is sufficient fresh air in the house!