Alisdar Smith installed the Discovery Collector, replacing scraping out twice a day with a Bobcat and scraper. He regards it as equating to an extra member of staff; it works 24/7, 365, it never asks for a holiday, never asks for a wage increase, never complains and never misses a beat.
Massive Savings
"The system, which replaces scraping out twice a day with a Bobcat and scraper, has been programmed to follow a preset route literally vacuuming slurry every three hours from the cubicle passage floor and collecting yard and dumping it in to an existing slatted tank. It sprays water from the front resulting in better manure intake, as well as from the back to leave behind a wet floor for additional grip. For starters, the Discovery Collector is bringing us massive savings - up to two hours a day in labour, it’s saving diesel, it uses very little electricity for recharging and overall it’s better for the environment. In fact, the Bobcat is now virtually redundant." adds Alasdair.
Focus is Cow Health
"Solid muck no longer builds up in the passage ways, and since abandoning the scraping routine, it has eliminated up to two hours a day standing time in the collecting yard for a portion of the herd. The cows’ feet are no longer caked in muck which has had a significant impact on digital dermatitis, and SCC is being consistently maintained at less than 150. The Collector is doing such a tremendous job, after just six months in working action, I really couldn’t do without it." concludes Alasdair.
"Our big focus here is on cow health, and the Discovery Collector is killing two birds with one stone. The cubicle beds are cleaner bringing paper bedding savings of approximately 20%, whilst the floors are being continually kept clean, making for a much better working environment."
Farm Background
Alasdair Smith is farming with 170 Holstein cows in Norththumerland in the North East of England.