Today, it is rare to see a dairy farmer sitting on a stool, milking their cattle by hand. But with a variety of milking stall systems available to dairy farmers over the course of time, deciding on which to implement is a challenge.
Your milking stall is working hard for nearly twenty hours a day, so installing the right milking stall is paramount. PBI Parlor Systems are experts in both the two we sell and install: herringbone and elite parallel stalls.
Understanding the difference between these two specific milking stalls is where we excel, but educating our potential customers on questions they should ask themselves before making a decision is equally as important.
Herringbone Milking Stalls
The Herringbone Milking Stall is one of the most common milking stalls. Its layout emulates angled parking spaces in that the cows are in stalls on 45-degree angles, facing away from the operator area and their equipment.
An important question to consider with this type of stall: does your herd consistently milk fast, or does one milk slowly? These milking stalls boast a level of speed that works best if your herd are fast milkers. If a slow milker is thrown into the mix, the rhythm of getting cows in and out can be thrown off.
The reason herringbone stalls are sought out so frequently is that their construction and maintenance are inexpensive relative to tandem, rotary, and other milking stall layouts. In Addition to cost savings, the stress on your cows is mitigated by their ability to see their other herd members being milked right beside them, and their inability to see the equipment.
Elite Milking Stalls
Our Elite Stalls are by far the signature offering we have for those dairy farmers whose workflow calls for their herd to be milked in a parallel lineup. Unique to these milking stalls are patented PBI Parlor Systems divider gates that utilize a counterweight as opposed to spring-loaded options.
Again, consider your cows when deciding if an Elite Parallel Stall, as they are both the ones being milked and the variable that makes milking flawless or cumbersome. Because milking is generally a stressful event for a cow, is your herd generally well-behaved, or are they difficult every milking session?
Parallel stalls allow for a worker to move the animals into place quickly, which is helpful if they are exceptionally disobedient. But much like the herringbone stalls, once the cows are in place, their ability to see each other during the milking process keeps them calm when it counts.
PBI Parlor Systems Has Your Answer
Offering both herringbone and parallel milking parlors puts our crew here at PBI Parlor Systems in a unique position to help you decide on the perfect system for you. We know there are a plethora of other variables to consider when selecting a milking parlor system as well.
To explore which of these options mentioned above work best for your dairy farm, be sure to contact us today to find your solution!