How much Automatic Feeding?

With Delpro by DeLaval you can choose on how far you’d want to operate the feeding of concentrate automatically: from 0% to 100%. From keeping part of the work in your own hands to not having to do any work! (Look at the tip from February 2015)

Operating fully automatic is easier, because you’ll never forget to do your job. However, you will miss the finer points regarding the differences in condition and / or fitness from your individual cow.

During the winter, dairy farmers spend relatively more time in their barns and with their cows. So, I think it is time to work less on automatic and having the farmer run a more thorough checkup.

DeLaval advises to let the computer calculate weekly and, depending on the amount of different types of feed, set the deviation, “Max ration threshold” back to 30% – 50%.

The more types of feed available, the higher the percentage can be.

This is due to the fact that the increasing or decreasing amount of levels of concentrate measured in grams are little, but still a lot in terms of percentages.

The lower the percentage, the more influence, the more cows on the attention list

You can adjust this in: Feed => Feed Table Assignments  => Feed Table Parameters

Then you have to check the List: “Ration Calculation Log” weekly!

I can imagine you put the percentages higher in the summer than in the winter.

Efficiency Sponge.

The VMS has an integrated sponge where the camera passes for cleaning purposes.

We notice sometimes that the sponge is not very clean, but more often we find that the sponge doesn’t brush the camera right.

Note  that  the  camera  should  hit  the  sponge perfectly.

Not  pressing to much because  all  it  will  do  is press  and not wipe the  camera  and  damage itself.  Likewise, make  sure  that  the  sponge is not touched too thin, that doesn’t help either.

Additionally,  the  sponge  is often set  to  wipe  too  high  which  causes  the cap  to  be flattened (over the Lasers?),  which  in  return  causes  the  lasers and camera  not  to  be brushed  sufficiently and the sponge  can’t  clean the lower part of the camera.  If  the camera touches the sponge too  low,  it  will mostly brush  the  screws, thus missing the lasers, and still wear out quickly..

In both of these cases the sponge is worn out without having done its job well.

On the touchscreen in the menu Teachen you can adjust these settings with the joystick. It is smart to do first an Endpoint Calibration before adjusting other setting.

It is also good to program in PC that the VMS cleans the camera after every milking, it takes no time and gives a clear view on the teats..

The more times a day you rinse the sponge, the cleaner it is, the better job he makes!

(Washing your boots?  =>  wash the sponge!)

PS Read the tip from December 2012. The same issue occurred in this year!

A lot of grass silage has been won, so much has been grown. Quite different from 2012,  now with more sun, but just like then, grass silage has less energy, so it’s hard to get good milk from it.

Longlivity: Maximum or Optimum?  

A cows longevity is a crucial aspect to operating income. A cow needs 1.5 lactations to cover the purchase and rearing costs. So, getting many lactations is important.

But actually it is not about whether a cow gets old and how many lactations she makes, but it is about how many kg of milk, rather how many kg of fat and protein she delivered in the tank during her productive life with the lowest (vet – feed). -) costs.(LDY: Lifetime Daily Yield)

A couple of things are important to know:

1. Heifers that calve at 23-24 months produce 15000 litres more in their lifetime than heifers that calve at 27-30 months;
2. Using consequently DelPro’s 2-Minute-Check, information concerning cows with abnormalities are detected earlier: timely intervention makes a difference in longevity;
3. Giving a cow after calving the right amount of a certain feed assists her trough the transition period and also helps thereafter going through the period with negative energy balance. Additionally, making sure these two periods the appropriate amount and speed is crucial in these periods;
4. Precisely estimating if a treatment has a big chance or a little chance of succes for the cow.
5. Or can/will she transmit infectious diseases? That could make a difference in the longevity of the cows stable mates;
6. Etc. Etc.

But:

If a cow has calved ca. 4 times already, then ask yourself: must I have her inseminated again?
Or is there a bigger chance that the next lactation is better for the vet, hooftrimmer and cattle dealer than it is for my wallet?

Risks on high Somatic Cell counts.

We’re in the time again of higher somatic cell counts. It is crucial that you know what the causes are.

Are they cow-related or environment-related bacteria?

For example, an Aureus (cow-related bacteria) cow, which is very contagious and difficult to control, needs to have a very good reason why she is still walking around on your dairy with this milk price.
Aureus is difficult to treat well and very contagious! In the cow monitor it is quite easy to recognize because of its high peaks and lows in the graph.

Uberis is the most common environment-related bacteria. You can spot Uberis by noticing the cow has a high cell count but relatively little increase in the graph.

Environment-related bacteria are easily spread throughout the barn, boxes, manure and dirty milking equipment.

With the monthly milk test, you get a list of somatic cell numbers, split into heifers, 2^nd calf and older cows but also columns for the first days after calving and later periods during lactation.

Again, a lot can be learned from this: are there many fresh cows with a high cell count the first month after calving? Was the place where they calved clean enough, did they eat and drink fast enough after calving? Haven’t they been calved in good conditions? (to fat or thin, or … it’s all possible)

Or if there are too many cows that peak with cells in lactation between 60-150 days, this could come from too long period of negative energy balance which in turn would cause them to be to weakened to resist a bacteria-attack.

Or do heifers already have a high cell number? This is often CNS: a collection of cow bound and environment-related bacteria. This may have to do with young cattle rearing, but also due to the fact that they live in in old stables which is no longer suitable as a clean and comfortable habitable environment due to neglect. Also old drinking watersystems which doesn’t flow as quickly as it should is a paradise for bacteria and can cause CNS. As a result, they often have an infection even before the calving is incurred.

All dairies have bacteria. Which bacteria gets a chance on your dairy?

Disinfect camera body.

Our preparation cup washes and stimulates perfectly, but sometimes it happens that afterwards a (front)teat is touched by the camera body.

“Every advantage has its disadvantage”, said Johan Cruijff, but we want to keep the disadvantage to a minimum.

Therefore, it is very wise to not only wash the glass a few times a day, but also the camera body.

It is wisest to clean with a chlorine solution.

Hydrogen peroxide (PeraDis) was also advised, but if it is not thoroughly rinsed, it may lead to corrosion.

With a bucket of chlorine solution, made according to the instructions, and a brush on long steel or carwash brush, clean the camera house frequently in order to prevent bacteria transfer during milking.

The rubber flap, preparation cup and other parts can also be cleaned in this fashion.