Cows Milked From Behind In Feedless Milking Parlor

Cows milked from behind in feedless milking parlor LIVESTOCK Dairy (17) 12-2-23 Cows are milked from behind, exit the parlor in only seven seconds, and don't get any feed as they're being milked in the new E-Z milking parlor designed and manufactured by Ken Kipe, owner of Kipe Steel, Chambersburg, Penn. Here's a closer look at key advantages claimed for this latest new wrinkle in parallel-type parlors: • More cows in less space: "We can take out a "double six' herringbone and install a "double 10" E-Z parlor in the same space," says Kipe. Each stall requires a minimum of 29 in. for width, 8 ft. for length and about 6 ft., 3 in. for height. • Fast seven second exit: Cows stand side by side in the parlor, which can be as long as you want to make it. The largest E-Z system built so far is a "double 24" in which all 48 cows exit the parlor in only seven seconds. The operator simply hits a switch to simultaneously raise the headgates, allowing the entire string of cows on each side to exit straight forward. Also, available is a one-minute "medium fast" exit system in which cows leave the way they came in, or to the right or left. It's used primarily in existing barns where there isn't room for a straight ahead "fast exit" system. • No feeding in the parlor: "Once you try it, you'll like it," promises Kipe of his system's "feedless" concept. "Even with heifers, there's no problem coaxing them into the parlor for milking and you eliminate the high cost of equipment to dispense feed." • Milking from behind: "One person working alone and milking from behind can milk about 120 cows per hour in a double 10 system," says Kipe. A kicker rail protects workers from getting kicked. A gutter positioned about 3 ft. off the floor catches about 80% of the manure. It's flushed periodically with water. Manure that spills to the floor is flushed forward on the front-sloping stalls. "There's less manure with this system because cows are calmer and their length of stay in the parlor is shorter than with conventional parlors where grain is fed," notes Kipe. Cost of the system, made mostly of 2 in. dia. pipe, is right at $550 per stall for "fast exit'" and $350 for "medium fast" exit. For more information, contact FARM SHOW Followup, Kipe Steel, 3791 Church Road, Chambersburg, Penn. 17201 (ph 717 264-1185).

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