With cows now in for winter housing and farm roadways quieting down, it is time to address any issues with cow flow to reduce labour and improve animal health and welfare.
A good cow flow will allow the whole herd to easily move from every paddock into the parlour without any obstructions.
This is an essential part of reducing lameness while promoting high levels of grass utilisation, cow performance, and farm efficiency.
Most farmers will know where problem areas are, as cows will typically bunch there.
These are the areas that need to be addressed this winter in a bid to reduce costs and promote milk production.
Roadways
It is no secret that a lot of dairy farms have insufficient roadways in place, using the same roads that were there in the era of milk quotas and before the herd expanded.
These roadways can seriously hinder cow flow and affect the herd’s movement between paddocks and the milking parlour.
Remember, a herd with 150 cows or fewer should have a roadway width of at least 4.5m, adding an additional 0.5m for every 100 extra cows.
However, any other pinch points – such as the entrance to the collecting yard or sharp corners – may need further adjusting.
Poor roadway designs that consist of sharp or blind corners, or rough and uneven surfaces, will also result in cows bunching.
The majority of farms have issues with the entrance to the collecting yard in terms of insufficient width.
A lot of farmers address this through the use of tools such as back latches; however, during breeding, when cows are mounting and jumping, space may still be tight, leading to lameness or injuries.
In addition to the entrance, it is also important that the collecting yard itself is spacious enough for the herd.
If you are squeezing cows in, you will not only face issues with lameness, but also high stress leading to spiked somatic cell counts (SCC).
Cow flow
The entrance to the the parlour needs to be open and airy, with loads of light to ensure a consistent flow.
Ideally, there should be no steps or sharp inclines at the parlour’s exit or entrance with plenty of space at the front of the parlour, so that cows are not forced to take a sharp turn.
There should be 1.5m² for each cow in the yard so they can move around and maintain their social order.
A lot of farmers have opted to install backing gates in the last few year, which do work well, but farmers need to be reminded not to use them to force cows forward.
The most notable thing farmers should be considerate of in terms of cow flow is that the cows should be allowed to wander to the parlour at their own pace with their heads down to spot obstacles such as stones or uneven surfaces.
This needs to be a standard operating procedure on the farm, as often issues with cow flow and lameness is down to the person herding the cows.
