Great question! Short answer? You can’t set it and forget it with automatic milking systems.
The longer cows wait to be milked, the less time they have to rest. Knowing that long periods of standing are detrimental to cow health and comfort, increasing their chance to develop lameness and hoof lesions, a research team studied cow behavior in free-flow and guided-flow barns with automatic milking systems.
The authors share four ways to mitigate competitive behavior through management and design in automated milking systems to improve cow comfort and health.
Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, April 4, 2023. Link.
INSIGHTS: Servicing or calling on dairies with automated milking systems? Help dairy producers understand the nuances of cow behavior and adjustments to help cow performance and health.