The milking robot dairy farm management: Operational performance characteristics and consequences

A herd of 29 dairy cows which voluntarily attended a milking robot site was milked for eight weeks by a robot which was available for 24 h a day. Milking frequency varied between two and five times a day. The daily milking and concentrates routine was automatically controlled by a DCMS (dairy control and management system) developed at IMAG-DLO. On-line milking and concentrates allocation decisions were made as the cows voluntarily visited a selection unit before the milking robot site. The herd was automatically milked and fed almost as planned. The DCMS succeeded in adjusting cow visits to the milking unit at relatively equal intervals throughout the day. On a dairy farm with two selection units, one milking unit and unrestricted voluntary cow traffic, about 120 milkings a day can be achieved. Cow visits to the selection unit and milking unit were sufficient to allow the supplementation of high yielding cows with a large amount of concentrates. Based on the herd's visiting profile, the number of cows and the individually planned milking frequency, the farmer can minimize his physical involvement in bringing cows to the milking robot.