Handy VMS Guidance gate.

The VMS guidance gate has proven its usefulness on many farms when milk

ing new cows and heifers.

However, the production of these fences stops.

So if you still want such a fence, please let us know at harry@harrytuinier.nl

Also see on this Website:
=> VMS Start-up assistance
=> Handy VMS Guidance Gate

Sieves on separation jugs.

It’s getting warmer again and that often means more flies…
It also sometimes splashes happily around the jugs for separation milk, which is a treat for the flies. To prevent splashing and fly nuisance, you can easily place sieves with a diameter of 18 – 20 cm on the

separation jugs. These must be made of metal because then the meshes or wires are thinner and that means less splashing. So no plastic strainers.

No times to graze cows.

In summer it is not good to graze cows outside between approximately 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
Then it is simply too hot, especially for productive cows.
And that does not fit in with the natural rhythm of the cow.
She wants to eat her rumen full in the morning and chew her cud in the shade when it is warm.

And in the evening, fill up her rumen again and then chew the cud in a safe, sheltered place.

The stable is ideal for a shady and sheltered spot…
So take this fact into account with the milking times and selection gate settings.
Let her go outside early in the morning, having been milked, and in the evening, when the heat has passed, after her milking, give her permission to go outside again.

Make sure the feeding aisle is empty (at 4 a.m. – 6 a.m.) if you want them outside and only bring fresh food to the feeding fence around 11 a.m. when you want them back inside.
Afternoon/evening ditto).

Then the feed intake and the number of milkings per day are often not too bad.

And: Bearing capacity of the soil in the spring is more important than the amount of grass on it. Then they learn the daily rounds fastest.

Tame cows or minerals?

When cows are very tame and keep licking your overalls, you have to be careful that this tame behavior is not confused with a sign of mineral deficiency.
Then the cows will not only lick your overalls but also everything else.
Even drinking urine or “eating” ground is then possible.

How is the mineral supply?
Sometimes the cows get enough, but utilization turns out to be disappointing.
This may be related to the use of groundwater: too much iron or manganese are examples of why other minerals such as copper and selenium are not used enough.
Land, meadow, location: close to (highway) road: sulphur; etc.

Or the cows can still select feed at the feeding fence so that the first cows always get more than enough and the last do not.

Even structure is important here again because of the rumen activity.
This also gives more cow activity and therefore more intake.

When and how to collect cows?

You don’t want to teach the cows to wait for someone to pick them up. So when do they stay away too long? After how many hours do you pick them up?
It is very important to look at lactation days and expected milk yield.
And based on her experience with the milking robots, does she know the game and will eventually get there on her own, not too late.
Cows with many lactation days may come less often than fresh cows.
At least if the cell count / conductivity is low it is not a big problem.
If the new-milk cows don’t come often enough, something is simply wrong.

It is not good if fresh cows stay away for more than 10 hours!

And pay attention again to the new heifers, the animals with the least robot experience, which must be taught intensive robot visits as soon as possible after calving.
They must also visit the VMS within 10 hours

By picking up cows at irregular times, you teach them not to wait for the farmer to pick them up.

And the collection round always start from the robot’s exit or where the cows return to the stable after a robot visit.
Then they are much calmer and otherwise you will first scare cows away and have them come back later.
Take the manure scraper in your hand to use along the boxes and as an extended arm and you have done 2 rounds in one go.