Thought you guys might be interested

[francismilker]

Would this be considered a grade A dairy in modern times? I've seen the Amish in my area still use bucket milkers and the step saver to take the milk to the bulk tank, but I didn't think this type of setup was still in use. Also, is this what folks call a tie-stall barn?

YouTube

[sammyd]

Nothing Grade-A about it. Wasn't a tie stall barn but an old single 1 parlor without indexing and manual restraint.

[Up North]

This would not have been considered Grade A even in olden times.
Surprising to see a farm with two Oreo Cows and a Strawberry Oreo as well!
francis this site will give you a visual of the different stall designs:
http://www.thecountrytoday.com/pdfs/...+++_7WD.PS.PDF

[Up North]

Francismilker, here's a pic of a traditional tie stall barn for you. I took these just before we moved. We had a 54 stall barn.


These pics were taken when the weather was good enough we kept the cows in just long enough to milk and then we untied them and let them go out to pasture. When the weather was nice we would bring all the girls in and tie them up. Feed them their grain and then start milking. We would usually untie them as we milked to minimize the time they spent in the barn. Now winter is a whole different story. If the weather was above 20 degrees we would let the cows out during the day. We had to keep them in all night to keep the pipes in the barn from freezing. If the weather didn't get above 20 degrees then we had to keep them tied in the barn 24/7. When we had to keep them in we kept the stalls bedded down heavy with old hay or straw.


I should add that to keep this facility grade A we had to keep the floor limed, pipeline clean, walls and ceiling whitewashed and clean, no manure or old hay built up anywhere in the barn, feed mangers clean with no build up, no calves allowed to be tied up in front of the cows and no poultry or swine in barn. Also good concrete was required in the entire facility. No wood floors allowed. Heather

[francismilker]

Thanks for the help and info. I've always been interested in the differences/similairities in barn designs and the benefits of each. I just didn't know. The barn I used to milk in was a double 4 parallel (I think). The cows came in four on each side and were slanted towards the automatic feeder on the fron end with their bodies at about a 45 degree angle to the pit. This may be considered a herringbone, but the concrete wall for the pit was straight from one end to the other. There was no "stair step" effect to it where the cow's back end was hanging out in mid-air.

[sammyd]

That would be a herringbone.
With a prallel the cows are side by side with no angles.

sorry for the smart alecky comment about a single 1 parlor, I didn't know you were really looking for info....the milker part of your nick threw me I guess.
The older herringbones had supports in bad places sometimes and there are guys that won't milk in them for fear of getting an arm broke by a kicky cow.
When I worked for Universal we put in a lot of the parallels. they fit nicely in a regular barn and guys were doing that to save a bit on building costs.
We had one place that milke hundreds and had a double 14. They have since expanded and milk thousands with 2 double 25s!!!!! They went with Surge on that one since the place I had worked for had gone out of business.

[francismilker]

sammyd,
no offense taken for sure! While I have the "milker" in my username, I'm limited to some dairy cross cows that I use for nurse cows and my kids show some full blood jerseys. I just milk which ever one is standing there for milk in the house. I'd like to have a working dairy operation but I just can't seem to get the courage up to jump in. (as well as the family support which is VERY important.) I did work on a dairy for a long time as a teenager and young married person and loved it. I even had the opportunity to take over the business at one time and it was in the works. However, the IRS had issues with the fellow owing too many back taxes and it all ended with trucks showing up one day and picking up the whole herd!

Most of my friends and family think I'm crazy but I've just always been interested in the dairy industry. Once again, no offense taken. Thanks for the info. The reason I asked the difference questions about the parallel versus the herringbone is from one I seen one time that had the cows in the slanted position and they were "locked" into position with some type of head and rear gates for each individual cow. It was quite a contraption that took every cow cooperating to get the cows in and out of the barn without taking too much time. The fellow said it was a double three herringbone and I just took it that all of them were that way. So what you're saying is that a herringbone has cows slanted and a parallel has cows with their heads facing the wall and their back end facing you.

[sammyd]

That is correct.
There are other variations and each company seems to have their own, I have heard of a para-bone type but haven't seen one, been out of the biz for a while.

Family support is very important, had a job on a 60 cow dairy farm with a work into ownership deal and really feel that I could have done it but my wife and I weren't married at teh time and she backed out just before I moved to the farm. She has since regretted that but she was a city girl and just not ready for that kind of life. She's changed a lot since then but there are less and less opportunities like that anymore.

[Up North]

Francis I suspect the Clay Herringbone parlor we milk in is probably a dead ringer for the facility you milked in.
Come on up to Kansas on A Saturday and milk cows a time or two. Then you will get your *fix* and be good for another year ... without having the feed bills and diesel fuel to pay for. LOL!
PS the wages are low but we serve a mean Ranch Breakfast

[francismilker]

I'll be there pretty soon! It looks like I'll get my mom's house remodel finished within a couple of weekends and then I'll head your direction. I'll PM you......