{"id":63,"date":"2011-12-31T14:22:52","date_gmt":"2011-12-31T13:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harrytuinier.nl\/?p=63"},"modified":"2021-01-28T19:59:08","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T18:59:08","slug":"tip-archief-uit-2011-en-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harrytuinier.nl\/en\/2011\/12\/31\/tip-archief-uit-2011-en-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips from 2011 and 2010"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tips from 2011<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

December<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Easy help cleaning VMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The traditional parlor was cleaned (usually) two times daily. The VMS also has a daily cleaning necessary to be able to continue functioning.
\nBy everyone is now known that camera and the last part of the arm is most sensitive (dirt) part of the robot. The camera needs 3 times a day a check or cleaning for example with “Antikal” (anti-lime?), especially if you have a lot of lime in the water, that causes Limescale and that may not have any chance!
\nEvery time you rinse your boots you also rinse and squeeze the sponge: every time you pass.
\nAnd sometimes put a little of a cleaning product or de-lime product on the sponge will help even more. Thus, the camera all day \/ night gets a small supply cleaning after each milking.<\/p>\n

Furthermore the short \/ long milk tubes also need a daily cleaning routine. VMS wash them off but it does so “with her eyes closed.” The farmer sees the corners and checks.
\nA useful tool here is a car brush like the Gardena (see figure).
\nThe Teat cleaner cup also can be cleaned this way properly.
\nAnd, … everything is in the same time checked for correct functioning!
\nThe caps of the VMS and the robot arm also can be cleaned with this brush perfectly.
\nAdvantage is also that it splashes less than a “normal” hand shower.\"\"<\/p>\n

You better not clean the camera with a brush, to prevent scratches.
\nBetter is using soft paper towels.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

November:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shave udderhair in time<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the fall, and especially from end lactating cows hair on the udder grows quickly. This can make the robot to search longer to find the teats, or give more incomplete milked cows!
\nHas shaving the udder, or burning, a place in your work protocols?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

October<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Good strategy claw trimming<\/strong><\/p>\n

To eat much roughage a cow needs to come often to the feed area.
\nTo give much milk a cow must often come to the robot.<\/p>\n

In order to realize all that is needed very healthy claws.
\nThat cannot be achieved by only trimming a cow when she is lame but you need to have a preventive trimming program.<\/p>\n

This means you trim al the cows before the dry period and check after \u00b1 120 days in lactation. And in such a way that claws not only heal but also grow stronger.
\nAfter parturition cows have a heavy time: recover from calving and giving much milk. And therefore they should be able to eat and walk much. Those cows you really have to minimize trimming because trimming always gives thinner and fragile claws.
\nWith healthy claws makes a cow on one day easily 2 or 3 more visits to the feeding fence, which means 10 to 20% more roughage, and she does an extra visit to the robot!
\nAnd that is good for more milk and also for a shorter negative energy balance!
\nAnd that translates into more disease resistance and a longer life!<\/p>\n

Thus earns a monthly round hoofcare program for (nearly) dry cows and cows that are in mid lactation herself easily.
\nFarms I’ve visited I often left an example of how preventive hoof care needs to be done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

September<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nIn the spring grass is more than 1000 VEM and is delicious! In summer and autumn this drops to\u00a0 \u00b1 950 VEM.
\nImagine a cow eats about 18 kg dry grass in spring, far more than the autumn grass for example:
\n18 x 1000\u00a0 \u00a0= 18,000 VEM (accounts for \u00b1 28 liters)
\n15 x\u00a0 \u00a0950\u00a0 \u00a0= 14,250 VEM (accounts for \u00b1 20 liters)
\ndifference …….3,750 VEM<\/p>\n

1 kg of concentrate is \u00b1 950 VEM. From August you usually feed some dry matter from grass silage and\/or maize but that also has not VEM of spring grass. So when you want to compensate the high yielders there is required 3 to 4 kg of additional concentrate… …<\/p>\n

Lower yielding cows have with 14,000 VEM often enough.
\nSo it is with the various cuts this year, the spring silage is energetic and very tasty with lots of sugar. The later is less tasty and has less VEM. Again count that the cows just easy eat 2 kg more of the spring silage than from later harvested.<\/p>\n

Compare it with the sitation you also like to eat more when mother\/wife has done a very good cooking job.<\/p>\n

So then you will have easily a drop in the feeding of 2 x 950 = 1900 VEM per cow per day! That is also 2 kg extra feed to maintain the VEM level….
\nIn addition, there are also large fluctuations in protein, etc.<\/p>\n

It is very difficult to keep the cows on the milk all seasons round. So another possible motivation to make several pits to distribute de harvest and make it possible to spread the ration wider over the year.
\nAlso fluctuations, especially in protein is not only bad for the production but also bad for laminitis and resistance for diseases.
\nAnd so this has also a lot of influence on behavior, the count of visits to the VMS, production and lifetime production from the cow!<\/p>\n

Additional problem this year is that the second and third cut silage this year is almost impossible to keep cold. So when the silage is stored too high or the feed speed to slow the silage analysis can be easy different than the silage you are feeding.<\/p>\n

And then the feed rate is actually the boss about the ration instead of you …!?!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

August:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Ventilation plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year with its varying temperatures and humidity shows once again that good ventilation and fresh air is as much as an absolute requirement for our increasingly producing dairy herd. Cows need more and more fresh air and bacteria and viruses, so diseases, hate that!
\nYou should not smell too long and too much manure, silage, etc. in your barn and avoid blind spots!
\nMake a good ventilation plan, watch the most frequent wind direction and take account if there are inhibiting factors such as buildings, trees etc. around the stables.
\nOpen sides or sometimes even open “headsides” mostly do ensure adequate intake.
\nFans move air only, so let them pull fresh air and let them create a circulating air flow through your barn.
\nWe hope to see one blow towards the VMS, because cows like to walk and stand in the wind and then it is right in the waitingroom and the robot room cooler and more comfortable for her, and flies hate wind.
\nThe other direction depends on the width and layout of the barn.
\nDepending on the content of the stable, they should almost always be turned on soft or harder!
\nDraft is unhealthy, (little) fress wind is healthy!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

July<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Healing chance by mastitis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because each milking brings data in the computer you can see quickly whether abnormalities are present in milk or that something on a cow changes. So you can be quicker in taking action. (see tip of the month June 2010)
\nThis and following the developments in cow monitor and in the graph is pretty well possible to estimate if you have to treat the cow and how long?
\nDepending on speed of approach and following paragraphs, the cure rate for high SCC cows lays between 20 and 90%. (source UGCN)<\/p>\n

These cows have a lesser chance of recovery:<\/p>\n