dairy cattle
Create the perfect environment for your dairy cattle: Part 9 – The benefits and disadvantages of fishbone and rotating parlour structures
by Eksteen Lindeque and Petrus Britz (Pr Eng) Fishbone milking parlour Cows enter these parlours in groups and stand at an angle to the milking pit, so that only the udder part of the cow is exposed to the labourer (Figure 1). Figure 1: Fishbone parlour. This layout reduces[...]
Create the perfect environment for your dairy cattle – Part 8: Milking parlours and related structures
by Eksteen Lindeque and Petrus Britz (Pr. Eng.) There is a wide variety of options to choose from when constructing a dairy parlour. These parlours are costly to build; therefore, you will mostly find them on commercial dairy farms. When milking only a few cows for household purposes, it[...]
Create the perfect environment for your dairy cattle – Part 7: Planning of a dairy
Eksteen Lindeque and Petrus Britz (Pr. Eng.) The planning and construction of a successful dairy require thoughtful actions and the involvement of various knowledgeable people. Many problems and complaints about dairies come about as a result of poor planning and design. It is therefore important to obtain expert advice[...]
Create the perfect environment for your dairy cattle: Part 6: Influence of unfavourable environmental conditions
Eksteen Lindeque and Petrus Britz (Pr. Eng.) The occurrence of wet, muddy conditions and accumulation of manure, do not only make the production of hygienic milk difficult, but also contribute to mastitis, hoof and leg problems, and reproduction and respiratory problems. Muddy conditions Although it stands to reason that[...]
Create the perfect environment for your dairy cattle – Part 4: Influence of the thermal environment
Eksteen Lindeque and Petrus Britz (Pr. Eng.) High temperatures Warm and humid weather conditions cause heat stress in dairy cows, which decreases milk production, milk quality and reproduction. The health status of the udder is also adversely influenced with a comparative increase of the somatic cell count (SCC) of[...]