Author Archives: jeff

Feeding Procedure

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This is the procedure for daily feeding, also refer to Feeding Standards and Responsibilies

Two hours before normal feeding time

  • Push up feed for all groups and evaluate refusals
  • Push feed back from the edge of the 2009 barn bunk
  • Fill out the feeding chart
  • Get dry hay for pens that need it

If any groups are out of feed, they should be fed immediately in this order of priority:

  • Milking cows
  • Dry Cows / Prefresh
  • Heifers

Use extra time before regular feeding to do the following:

  • Mix the first batch of cow feed – don’t deliver until normal feeding time, unless they are out early.
  • Mix dry cow feed batch – don’t deliver until normal feeding time unless they are out early.
  • Care for fresh cows
  • Uncover piles for tomorrow (piles should have been uncovered yesterday for today)
  • Equipment maintenance
    • Feeding tractors
    • Feed mixers
    • Skid loaders
  • Clean up plastic, tires, junk feed
  • Clean up bags, etc. in calf and feeding areas
  • Other tasks
    • Bedding
    • Scraping sand out from behind freestalls
  • Help with calves, etc.

At normal feeding time

  • Feed remaining groups (groups that were not out of feed early)
  • If any groups have not cleaned up their feed by the normal feeding time, either remove the refusals before delivering, or wait until they have cleaned up before delivering

After normal feeding is complete, make sure the following is done:

  • Piles are uncovered and bags are cut back as needed for the next day’s feeding
  • All bags and piles are clean and neat
  • All loose plastic is on the burn pile – consider burning if the conditions are right
  • All loose tires are stacked neatly in a long-term storage spot
  • All junk feed is on the junk feed pile
  • Equipment maintenance completed

During the Day

  • Occasionally observe the feed bunks to learn as much as possible about how they are eating
  • Move feed between groups as needed when pen moves are done (ex: Dry Cows moved to Prefresh)

Feeding Standards and Responsibilities

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These are the expectations and responsibilities of the primary feeder. Also refer to Feeding Procedure

  • Bunk Management
    • Milking cows should never be out of feed. This means that a small amount (~500lb total) of cow feed will be removed and fed to heifers most days.
    • Prefresh pen(s) should never be out of feed – approx 100 lb (from each pen) each day should be removed and given to the dry cow group
    • Heifers should not be out of feed for more than 2 hours
    • Use the full length of all feed bunks throughout the day so that cows have as much access as possible to feed.
    • All old feed should be cleaned up or removed before delivering new feed
    • Minimize the amount of bunk refusals being thrown out as junk – get the feeding amounts right so that they are nearly cleaning up all of their feed every day.
    • Refusals, and Basis need to be written down every day on the feed charts in order to feed accurately
  • Pile and Bag Management
    • No moldy silage fed to any groups – a minimal amount to heifers is acceptable after best effort is made to separate good feed out
    • Silage that has been raked down or otherwise disturbed from the pile needs to be fed that day. Don’t rake down more than is needed. Try to keep the amount saved for the next day within 5%.
    • Any raked down silage that is left over from the previous day must be fed ASAP. Consider blending it in to cow batches, or feeding it to heifers. Never leave any silage sitting for more than 24 hours.
    • Uncover piles 1 tire width at a time and fork off all spoiled feed at that time.  Consider uncovering less under conditions such as forcasted rain or bird pressure.
    • Piles should be uncovered the day before it is needed – this ensures that if a group runs out of feed early, you will have the silage you need to mix a batch right away. Feeding job is not done until piles are uncovered for the next day.
  • Clean up (every day):
    • All bags and piles kept clean and neat. 
    • All loose plastic on the burn pile. 
    • All loose tires stacked neatly.
    • All junk feed on the junk feed pile
  • Pre-weekend preparation
    • Piles should be uncovered enough to get through Sunday morning feeding
    • All pens that get hay should have enough to get through the weekend
  • Equipment Maintenance
    • Daily
      • Check oil and coolant in tractors
    • Weekly
      • Grease feed mixers
      • Check fluid levels in mixers
      • Grease skid loaders
      • Check fluid levels in skid loaders
    • As needed
      • Change oil in tractors
      • Change oil in skid loaders

Handling Robot Alarms

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Robot Alarms are received on a smart phone using one of the following:

  • Delaval AMS Notifier  (iOS  Android)
    • Scan the Farm Code (VMS Menu -> System -> Farm Code) on the robot screen to activate
  • Pushover (iOS   Android)  ($5 one time cost)

Some alarms can be handled remotely using the following apps:

  • LogMeIn – remote access when off of the farm – email derick@hillssupply.com for access
    • Direct access to both main computer screens.  On the second screen, you can control the robots
  • VNC Viewer (Classic robots only) – remote access when on the farm wifi
    • Direct access to either of the robot screens
    • RealVNC (iOS Android)
  • Delaval InControl (v300 robots only) – vms.delaval.com
    • Only available on the farm network

Here are some common alarms and their resolution:

TBD

Hoof Trim in Delpro

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Delpro can be used to automatically sort milking cows into the trim chute

  1. Move the flush schedule for the feed alley back to mid afternoon
  2. Add cows to be trimmed to the “Hoof Trim” selection – once cows are in this selection they will automatically be sorted to the trim chute
    • use CowsToTrimHoofs report to find cows due for routine trimming
    • add lame cows
  3. Begin fetching cows from the Hoof Trim selection.  Don’t fetch all at once, or the chute will get too full.
  4. As cows are trimmed, remove them from the Hoof Trim selection so that they don’t get sorted into the chute again.  The “Cow Traffic” report can be used to see which cows have been sorted into the chute.  The filter and date filter are setup like this

  5. Trim events must be added into the AMIS database so that the report can be used in the future (ask Jeff)

Contacts

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  • Veterinarian
    • Dave White – 330-466-8301
    • New Pittsburgh Vet Clinic – 330-264-7787
    • Emergency (nights and weekends) – 330-264-7787
  • Feeding
    • Nutritionist – Lyle Ruprect – 330-466-1382
    • Gerber Feed – 330-857-5123
    • Walnut Hill Feeds (robot pellets) – 419-342-2942
    • Kevin Steele (ADM, calf feed) – 330-465-0962
  • Milk Handling
    • Smith Dairy –
    • Mary Barnum (Smith Dairy Field Rep) – 440-309-7821
    • Sidle Transit – 330-683-2807
    • Bill Winkler (regular milk hauler) – 330-941-9660
  • Equipment Dealers
    • Hill’s Supply (All milking equipment) – 330-854-5720
      • Hill’s VMS Emergency Line – 330-317-1474
      • Derrick Cain (Lead VMS Tech) 330-312-5848
    • Harold’s Equipment (Houle, Trioliet – feeding and flush equipment)
    • Mast Lepley (Jamesway, Penta)
    • Lowe and Young (Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Agco, New Holland)

Purchased Cow Entry

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Procedure

  • On Delpro, open the Animal List
  • Click on the New button

Fill out the following fields:

  • Entry Way: Purchase
  • Source: Name of farm or auction
  • Event Date: Purchase Date
  • Number: Primary ID number – usually ear tag
  • Name: Not needed, but enter it if you want
  • Ear Tag Left: Ear Tag number
  • Birth Date: enter best estimate if not known
  • Sex: Female
  • Lactation Number: enter best guess if not known
  • Group: Milking, Dry, Prefresh, or Heifer
  • Breed: Jersey (or Crossbreed, or Holstein)
  • Official Reg. Number: if registered, enter the breed registration number, otherwise leave it the same as Number
  • Transponder Type: ISO Transponder
  • ISO Transponder ID: Assign a tag, and enter it here
  • Sire ORN:

For Heifers (Lactation = 0)

  • Last Insem Date:  only if they have been bred
  • Is Pregnant: check if tested positive

For Cows (Lactation > 0)

  • Last Calving Date:
  • Last Insem Date: only if they have been bred since last calving
  • Is Pregnant: check if tested positive

If Last Insem Date is entered then:

  • Insem Method: most will be AI, some will be Natural
  • Semen: Select the semen used for the last insemination. If bull is not on list either by number or by name, then add new.
  • Batch Edit AMS Settings
  • Batch Edit Feed Settings

Common Supportive Treatments

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Off feed / upset gut

  • Put in sort pen group to have access to dry hay
  • Give the following treatment for 3 days
    • 2 yeast boluses
    • 30 gm Probios gel

Ketosis – give the following for 3 days

  • 8 ounces of propylene glycol – refill the tube that fits on the gun
  • 10 cc of B12 IM

Weekly Coverage Responsibilities

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Coverage runs from Monday afternoon (5pm) through Monday morning (6am)

Main Responsibilities

  • Nightly Monday thru Sunday – push feed and fetch cows (any time between 9pm and 12am)
  • Handle all after hours (5pm – 6am) robot alarms
  • Handle after hours emergencies – cows, equipment, and facilities
  • Cover all weekend chores – Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening

Weekend chores includes:

  • Saturday afternoon:
    1. push feed
    2. fetch cows
    3. fresh cows and new calves
    4. feed calves
    5. CHANGE FILTER
  • Sunday morning:
    1. fetch cows
    2. mix feed for all groups
    3. fresh cows and new calves
    4. CHANGE FILTER
  • Sunday afternoon:
    1. push feed,
    2. fetch cows,
    3. feed calves,
    4. CHANGE FILTER

On either Saturday or Sunday (but not both in the same weekend), it is okay to delay the afternoon work until around 7pm, and then do it all together with the night work.  In that case, do it in this order:

  1. Push feed (heifers, dry cows, and cows)
  2. Milk any of the Always Milk cows that have been in the holding pen for a long time (more than 2 or 3 hours)
  3. Fetch some of the top overdue cows,
  4. Feed calves
  5. Change filter
  6. Finish fetching cows
  7. Push feed again