Not too long in separation area.

It’s great if you have an extra section where cows are kept and controlled, such as a straw or sand pen for example. Especially if the cows can be easily guided to and from the robot from here. Or to the hoof trimming box.
Yet we often see too many cows that stay too long in this area. It’s really for care cows!
Usually the cows that stay in this (straw) pen are only milked twice a day. It also often happens that the water supply and roughage supply are less generous than in the rest of the barn. Then, for example, they can drink what is necessary but they have to drink a lot, they can eat what is necessary to live but not what they can eat extra.

This is exactly what a cow needs to get healthy, for example to make a good start to the new lactation or to recover.
After all, a cow is a herd animal.

Radio on in the stable?

Radio on in the stable and with the robots gives peace of mind. Quiet music, but always noise, makes the animals less startled by strange noises, strange people, etc.

And cheerful music often makes for a happier farmer.
And cows notice that  !!

Drying off cows earlier?

There are more and more cows that give a lot of milk at the end of lactation.
But there are also cows that give too little per milking at the end of their lactation, or are milked incompletely more often then. Then it might be wise to dry them earlier because it presents a possible risk of an increase in conductivity and cell count.
If the cow does not get an increase in conductivity and somatic cell count at the end, those few liters that are not milked at the end of this lactation will be more than made up in the next lactation!

If they are dry for longer, they must have a ration with low energy, sufficient protein and a high structure content for at least the first month. They want to grow easy and the rumen takes its rest. And it is precisely that rumen that should keep things very active.

Everything to make sure the next lactation is TOP!!

Meadows: Sum: How big should the pasture plots be?
Or how long can cows last with a parcel or part?

If it grows nicely in the spring, it will grow at least 100 kg dm. Per hectare per day.
This decreases further in the growing season, about 80 kg per day and in autumn or during drought it can drop to less than 40 kg per day.
If you do “Standweiden” (on one parcel for a longer time), it is sufficient for grazing when there is 800 – 1000 kg dm. on a hectare. (Is about 10 cm.) Otherwise the last grass will quickly become too long and the cows too selective.

Suppose you have 100 cows and you want them to eat 6 kg per day of grass. That is 600 kg of dm. grass.

You want to let them graze for ten days on that plot. That means 10 x 600 = 6000 kg dm. in total.

You placed them in 1000 kg of dm. grass what was on it.
In those ten days, 80 kg dm. per day also grows = 800 kg
1000 kg present + 800 kg growth = 1800 kg present grass.

When the cows are removed, there may still be 1000 kg dm. per ha. So the growth, 80 kg per day for example, is to eat.
The requirement is 100 cows x 6 kg dm. grass intake x 10 days = 6,000 kg dm.

6,000 kg of grass required divided by 800 yield means that you need 7.5 ha of grassland for this. It is safe to take a little more.

Sum:
100 cows x 6 kg dm. X 10 days = 6000 kg dm.
10 days growth x 80 kg = 800 kg dm. 6000: 800 = 7.5 ha

Your situation:
…… cows x… kg dm. X…. days = ……… kg dm
…. days of growth x.…. kg = …… .. kg. dm. ………: ……… = …… ha

If you do “Roterend Standweiden”, so called “New Dutch Grazing”, or in other words a fresh part of pasture every day, you can start when the grass is slightly higher at, for example, 1500 kg ds. When it is “finished” there is still  600 kg ds. 900 kg has been eaten. An additional 80 kg of growing  is added = 980 grass to eat.
100 cows x 6 kg DM intake = 600 kg DM per day required. 980 kg dry matter per ha crop yield divided by 600 is a bit more than 0.6 ha per day.

So then you need blocks of a bit more than 0.6 ha per day. For a round of “Rotating Stand Grazing” , for example, 15 days: 15 x 0.61 = 9.2 ha. Here too, if possible, take a little more when possible.

Sum:
100 cows x 6 kg DM x 1 day = 600 kg intake: 980 kg grass yield = 0.6 ha per day x number of days = a block of 9.2 ha.

Your situation:
…. cows x… kg DM x 1 day = ……. kg intake:… … kg grass yield =… .. ha per day x …… days = a block of …. ha.

Perhaps it is useful to make an excel for this (with a grazer coach?) And to enter the fixed formulas and numbers and how much additional feed you will have in the barn.

With your growth estimates, this will mean fewer surprises and a more constant supply of grass for the cows.
So grazing more successfully.

Remember that a cow eats about 1 kg per hour. Especially in the evening before sunset and in the morning after sunrise, the cows eat the most.

Robot milkers have no problems with that 😉

See previous Tips about pastures from May 2017 and August 2018.

Cow statistics report.

In addition to the lists, “AMS milkings” also contain the list “Cow statistics report”.
This shows, for example, which cows are often milked and also have many or few refusals.
But also whether the cows are just as active this week as they were last week.
It is interesting to see per cow, but also the average of all cows.
This is of course especially interesting if something changes, for example a ration change, pasture, or ……
(Maybe put it on “Last 30 days”)