With over 20% of farms in Canada utilizing automated milking, there are examples of both good and poor designs put into practice. Additionally, there are many options on the market to automate feeding and manure removal, which also impact barn design.

Here are some key points to consider when designing a freestall barn with elements of automation.

Cow flow

Sufficient space around the entrance and exit of the milking robot is crucial for smooth cow flow. Ideally, cows should have at least 8 feet of straight entryway into a milking robot. Although there are barns where cows turn 90 degrees into a robot with as little as 42 inches clearance, the best cow flow layouts have long, straight entry spaces. Turning cows as they exit the robot (as little as 36 inches) appears to have no noticeable effect on flow. Complementary to this design are mounted gates for corralling and guiding fresh heifers into the robot for first milkings.

When considering the cow’s journey from robot to first obstacle, it is important to ensure there is sufficient space for timid animals to get close without feeling trapped. Many operations perform well with 4 to 24 feet from robot to first obstacles. More space can be beneficial; however, similar to most open areas, there is a diminishing return on adding extra square footage to the barn.

Sorting cows for special needs or footbathing is common but by no means mandatory. Sorting cows at the robot can reduce cows' exit speed slightly but often creates gains in labour efficiency and time as robot pens perform optimally when activities inside the main cow pens are minimized. The size of these sort pens varies with the management style of the farm. Farms that sort aggressively need upward of five places for cows for each robot in the sort pen. Most farms will only require two cow places per robot at most in the sort pen. The inclusion of an automated sort lane flowing into an automated footbath lane increases the likelihood that footbathing protocols will be followed, and when properly designed has little to no effect on cow flow.

Machinery flow

Be sure to consider other machinery in the barn when placing robots. Access to the robots, width of equipment used to bed stalls, emergency retrieval of downed animals, feed delivery to robots and colostrum collection all need to be considered during the design process.

A supplemental heat source in the robot room is also recommended as robots, like parlours, need water and cannot freeze.

When renovating or building, frequent placement of hose bibs around automated equipment (including manure and footbath areas) will make cleaning and maintaining equipment quicker and easier than dragging hoses throughout the barn.

Information flow

Getting valuable data into and out of your automation management system is key. Increasingly, handheld devices like phones and tablets provide an easy-to-use interface, making it simple to work with large quantities of data generated by automated systems.

It is recommended that anywhere you store items critical to milk quality and herd health (ex: mastitis treatment, semen, etc.) a handheld device or computer is nearby, allowing you to review and input critical data on the spot. Delaying timely data review can lead to missed opportunities for optimization or herd health issues being overlooked.

People flow

Milk is worth the same regardless of how many hours were required to produce it. Streamlining the movements of barn staff and establishing lean SOPs are other ways to improve efficiencies and optimize flow.

When designing your barn layout, ask yourself: Can tasks be simplified? Are chores easily taught to new employees? Are your movements efficient? Think about your team’s workflow as being as important as the cows'.

Grouping robots and cows

With robotic milking, one to four robots in a pen is common. Canada is filled with excellent dairies utilizing a wide range of robot layouts such as tandem, tollbooth, “L” shaped and more. Each style has pros and cons; pick one to suit your personal preferences and goals. Before deciding, tour as many robotic farms as you can and find layouts that fit your needs. Plan on minimizing moving cows between groups, as studies have shown that most animals perform the best when they remain in the same group. If you are moving cows, try to move several at once to reduce timid cows being bullied.

Automating your dairy barn is more than milking robots. Feed is the biggest cost in producing milk and therefore offers you the greatest payback opportunities. Autonomous manure collectors can eliminate manual scraping of crossovers and maintain cleaner floors. Calf feeding, footbaths, feed pushing and ventilation control all have benefits for your farm and your livestock.

Automation is inevitable. With automation comes efficiency, with efficiency comes profitability, and with profitability comes longevity.