The milk access table allows cows to be milked or refused. Parameters such as expected milk yield, time from previous successful milking and lactation phase are considered for this decision. Milk access table can be set for multiple groups for example, heifers or high lactating cows.
You can find the milk access table under manage -> milk -> milk access table.
Tip: Use short block time to reduce milking frequency before dry-off
The short block time allows you to temporarily prevent cows from accessing the Astronaut during specific times of the day. This is useful in the period before dry-off, when you want cows to be milked less frequently than the settings in the collect cow list would normally allow.
Keep in mind that the collect cow list over-rule the milk access settings of all groups.
In which situations can the block time be used?
- To over-rule the collect cow list to have cows milked less than the minimal default setting, for example before dry-off like mentioned above.
- To avoid certain cows being milked at times when no farm labor is available (for example at night)
- When there is low free time. To prevent certain groups of cows visiting the robots, when there is usually a high visit rate, to give priority to the right profile of cows. This can be checked via the report milking/hour.
Keep in mind that you have to make a group for the animals you want to use short block time for, otherwise you will block the whole herd.
Do you use short block time on your farm? If yes, how do you use it?
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