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Know How / Dairy / Housing and handling

Dairy housing, handling and milking parlours are areas of major investment for a farm business. Read about the key developments in dairy buildings, robot milkers, cubicle design, bedding, hygiene, ventilation systems, calf housing and handling equipment including crushes, crates and weigh scales.

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DAIRY

'Little wins' improve milk and protein yield on Cornish farm

Milk quality has not been compromised as yields have increased on a 550-cow dairy farm near Bodmin, Cornwall. In fact, while yields at Treveglos Farm are up by 1,200 litres…

DAIRY

Grant brings 'excellent' improvements to youngstock handling

For his youngstock, spring block-calver Rupert Major installed an “excellent” curved handling facility instead of an “average” one to meet the requirements for Defra funding two years ago. Farmers Weekly…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s In Your Livestock Shed? Comfort for 50-point rotary

Prioritising cow comfort and wellbeing in the design of new housing has boosted average annual milk yield by 1,000 litres a head at a Carmarthenshire dairy farm. Features include waterbeds,…

DAIRY

Why a dairy’s succession plan includes £1.5m of debt

Giving the next generation an opportunity, not “a free ride”, by borrowing £1.5m to invest in revamping an autumn block-calving herd, has underpinned succession planning for a Wiltshire family farm.…

DAIRY

How a 12,000-litre herd balances efficiency and cow welfare

A focus on optimising milking efficiency through 12 robots has created a setup that also maximises cow comfort and welfare for a large Wiltshire herd. The result is a herd…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

What’s in Your Livestock Shed? visits a converted calf shed

Historically, a high incidence of pneumonia had impacted calf health at The Brook, Tybroughton, near Whitchurch, Shropshire, and there were consequences for performance when animals joined the milking herd. In…

Practical advice

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HOUSING AND HANDLING

Advice on parlour maintenance for expanding herds

Bigger herds and increased milking frequency can see some parlours operating 20 hours a day and, inevitably, that puts pressure on machinery and people. Herd expansion necessitates a complete rethink…

DAIRY

6 tips on delivering water for dairy cows

Many dairy farms have outgrown their water supply as they have increased cow numbers. Yet investment in water infrastructure often is not considered until a problem arises. Phil Evans is…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

Why enough space to feed is vital for heifer health and growth

Paying attention to feed and water access for replacement heifers is the key to ensuring coccidiosis prevention works – and that youngstock can achieve their growth targets. Adding medicine such…

DAIRY

Advice on installing a new dairy parlour

A parlour is a significant investment and should not be given the green light before carefully considering the business’s future, options and design. David Ball, lead environment specialist at the…

DAIRY

7 tips for expanding your dairy herd safely

Over the past two decades, the average UK herd size has more than doubled, and consultants say more dairy farmers are looking to expand to "stay in the game" amid…

BEEF

How to use a Bud Box system to make cattle handling easier

More British farmers are adopting the “Bud Box” principle to get cattle to turn 90deg up a single-file race or into a truck. Named after the late US rancher and…

Insights

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

How data analysis helped dairy herds cut mastitis cases

A project involving multiple dairy farms across Wales has demonstrated why collecting data to establish the mastitis “red flags” specific to an individual herd can be key to reducing disease…

LIVESTOCK

Benefits of giving dairy calves toys on farm

Giving dairy calves plastic “toys” to play with helps them express their natural behaviour which, in turn, benefits their mental wellbeing. As a result, they are less likely to display…

LIVESTOCK

Best dairy bedding for minimising mastitis-causing bacterium

A study carried out at the University of Nottingham has shown sawdust to be the best bedding for minimising the survival of the mastitis-causing pathogen streptococcus uberis (S. uberis.) S.…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Video: Inside a state-of-the-art transition cow shed

One USA dairy has converted a shed, originally built for calves, into a state-of-the-art facility for transition cows. The shed at George DeRuyter & Sons dairy in Sunnyside, Washington State,…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Better way of measuring reveals ideal dairy cow living space

A new on-farm measurement for dairy cow buildings, known as living space, has been developed to provide a better understanding of space allowances for adult dairy cows. Researchers believe living…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

6 things I learned from visiting US 'mega-dairies'

Dairy farming in the US has become synonymous with the words “mega-dairy”. While the scale of US dairy farms bears little resemblance to UK operations, there are some striking similarities…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Research shows benefits of pair housing calves pre-weaning

Pair housing calves before weaning can help them adapt better to different situations as they mature, leading to improved concentrate intakes and higher growth compared with those housed alone. Professor…

LIVESTOCK

How to choose the right winter bedding for dairy cows

Is one bedding system better than an other in terms of cow health and production? Research carried out by the University of Wisconsin suggests not. Trial work looking at 16…

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