MANURE SOLUTION
Manure robot Discovery Collector
Introduction
Revolutionary manure robot for (semi)closed barn floors
The Discovery Collector takes a revolutionary approach by collecting manure instead of scraping it, making manure build-up a thing of the past. This helps ensure less manure in the cubicles, resulting in cleaner hooves, tails, and udders, which can help reduce infections and optimise cow health.
USP's Discovery Collector
Low hindrance
The low-hindrance machine is compactly designed and does not require cables or gutters, providing easy navigation and a safer living environment for the cows.
Clean and safe
The Collector sprays water from the front, resulting in improved manure collection, and from the back, to wet the floor for additional grip, contributing to a clean and safe environment.
Easy navigation
With its compact and ergonomic design and built-in sensors the Collector navigates easily in tight spaces and small corners, under sorting gates, through cross alleys and in front of the automatic milking system.
Flexible cleaning
The routes and cleaning frequency can be set to match either your or the cows’ daily rhythm to make things as hassle-free as possible. The programme settings can be easily adjusted using your mobile phone.
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Features Discovery Collector
The Discovery Collector does not push manure, but vacuums it.
Robotic manure cleaning
Make manure build-up a thing of the past
Robotic manure cleaning respects the free cow traffic and supports the natural behavior of the cow. By vacuuming the manure instead of pushing or scraping it, the Discovery Collector eliminates the pile of manure for cows to step in. A healthy and happy cow could optimize milk production, which can lead to more milk in the tank.
Manure logistics are an important part of the design of your (new) barn. The Discovery Collector offers a lot of flexibility in this, as it only needs a station for charging and dumping.
To not disturb the cows at the feed fence, the Discovery Collector can drive separate routes behind the animals at times that suit best. It can reach almost every part of the barn including cross alleys, separation areas and the waiting area in front of the automatic milking system.
With its compact design the Collector navigates easily in tight spaces and small corners and the built-in sensors enable it to drive its pre-programmed routes autonomously without cables or gutters, creating a clean and safe environment with a good grip for your cows.
Wireless charging on the Discovery Collector C2 enables combined dumping, charging and water filling at one central station. Enabling an even more compact installation and leaving the robot more time to collect manure.
With the user-friendly application at your fingertips, the robot can be operated easily. Adjusting route times and water spraying can all be done with your mobile phone (Android).
NEW
Sand flush for Discovery Collector
Sand is a widely chosen type of bedding for cubicles worldwide. For Discovery Collector, until now, manure containing sand was difficult to handle. This is because the sand is vacuumed together with the manure and, when the manure is dumped, the sand remains in the tank and accumulates over time. As a result, there is less space left in the tank for collected manure and thus the robot no longer works optimally.
To solve this problem, we at Lely have been working hard on the latest innovation in the Discovery family: the sand flush. An easy-to-install accessory for both Discovery Collector C1 and C2 allowing the benefits of this revolutionary robot to be utilised in barns containing sand bedded cubicles.
The process
The installation process of the Discovery Collector
Hardware installation
First, the dairy farmer and Lely sales advisor discuss the installation requirements. Afterwards, the technician places the charging station in the agreed location and maps out the barn in the Discovery Collectors’ memory.
01
Programming routes
Next, the dairy farmer and technician together determine which routes to programme and what the schedule will be for operation.
02
Follow up assessment
Finally, about a week later, the technician returns to assess the performance of the Discovery Collector and make any necessary adjustments to its routes.
03
Our customer
Testimonial manure robot
Johan Harbers
Barger-Compascuum, the Netherlands
Because the floor stays clean, not only do the hooves stay cleaner, but the udders do as well.
Resources
Download the Discovery Collector brochure
Automatic manure cleaning
Download the Discovery Collector brochure
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about Discovery Collector
An automatic manure robot for closed barn floors works by autonomously collecting manure from the floor at frequent intervals, preventing build‑up and helping keep the walking surface cleaner and drier throughout the day. The robot navigates independently through the barn and transports the collected manure to a fixed dump station, without the need for fixed scrapers or installations on the floor where the cows are walking.
Automatic manure cleaning solutions are designed to work in a wide range of barn types and layouts. Depending on the floor type, manure consistency, and barn design, different solutions are available, such as scraping robots for slatted floors or collecting robots for closed barn floors. A local Lely Center can help assess which automatic manure cleaning solution suits your barn and operational needs best.
This might be possible, please reach out to your local Lely Center for possible local availability.
Scraping and collecting manure differ mainly in how manure is removed from the barn floor and which floor type they suit.
Scraping manure means scraping manure through the slatted floor, which is how the Lely Discovery Scraper works, with frequent, autonomous rounds.
Collecting manure involves picking up manure from the floor and transporting it to a dump station, which is the approach of the Lely Discovery Collector, designed specifically for closed barn floors.
Both methods support cow comfort and hygiene but are tailored to different barn floors.
The Lely Discovery Collector is available with a special sand flush option that allows it to collect manure while preventing sand from building up in the tank. When the robot empties its manure tank, water flushes the sand out, so it keeps working reliably and with full capacity. By cleaning the floors frequently and automatically, the Discovery Collector helps keep walking areas cleaner and more comfortable for your cows.
Automatic manure cleaning can reduce the time spent on daily barn cleaning by taking over one of the most repetitive and labour‑intensive tasks on the farm. Instead of manual scraping at fixed moments, the cleaning process runs automatically throughout the day. This means less physical work, fewer interruptions to daily routines, more time for activities such as herd management and monitoring cow health. While the exact labour savings depend on farm size, barn layout and current working methods, farmers experience a reduction in labour related to manure handling.
Media Discovery Collector
Manure
Creating the most animal-friendly and productive environment can contribute to optimal cow health. It can also extend the lactation cycle, increase milk yield and reduce costs.