Robotic Milkers Go Rotary

Robotic Milkers Go Rotary DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas DeLaval introduced the first robotic rotary milking unit at the recent Eurotier farm show in Hanover Germany The 90 cows per hour rotary parlor uses five robots Two provide teat preparation The next two do the actual milking and a fifth robotic unit disinfects teats after milking is finished DeLaval says the system can be set up for any type of dairy from free stall to pasture though capacity is determined by management needs With the five robotic units the rotary can milk a 540-cow herd up to three times per day or an 800-cow herd twice a day Company spokesmen point out that the rotary also can be designed for expansion A customer can start on a smaller scale with one robot for teat preparation and one robot for milking cup attachment and achieve 50 cows per hour says Andrew Turner vice president Capital Goods DeLaval As the cows enter the rotary they are identified electronically Teat positions are pre-stored so the robotic units with their closed circuit cameras can locate them Flow rates yield blood and conductivity are all measured for each quarter as the cow is milked DeLaval officials say the rotary will initially be introduced this year in Australia and Sweden Pricing is not yet available but they say it will be competitive to available automatic milking systems Contact your local DeLaval sales office or DeLaval corporate offices below for more information Contact: FARM SHOW Followup DeLaval International AB P O Box 39 SE-147 21 Tumba Sweden ph 011 46 8 530 660 00; info@delaval com; www delaval com

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