Welfare pen with leased robot

Welfare pen with leased robot

Hans Julius Skøtt Lervad from Hvejsel near Jelling has leased a robot from Milcotec, enabling him to improve his parlour at no great expense.

Deep bedding. Soft rubber flooring. And plenty of room for the herd’s band of new calvers. Plus an A2 Lely robot the cows can go to and be milked as often as they like.

That is the concept for Hans Julius Skøtt Lervad’s welfare pen, which he has set up to give his animals more peace and more space.

‘The more comfortable the animals are, the better their yield. That’s obvious’, says Hans Julius.

Spare parts included

He has leased the robot from Milcotec – a monthly rental scheme plus service four times a year:

‘It’s a good scheme that’s made it possible for me to get the extra robot. That wouldn’t have been possible if I’d had to buy it  myself. What’s more, I only pay for service and installation. Spare parts are included in the price, too. That provides peace of mind in case anything breaks down’, says Hans Julius.

Hans Julius Skøtt Lervad already has two Lely A2 robots, which he bought 14 years ago. Milcotec also services these robots, and it was through that contract that he heard about the rental option.

There are 160 dairy cows in the herd all told. About 30 cows at a time go into the welfare pen for a period of 1-2 months after they have calved and before they return to the cowshed next door.

Staying competitive thanks to low costs

Hans Julius set up the welfare pen in March this year. He did this by repurposing a feed barn next to the cowshed.

‘The advantage of robots is that they are easy to put in. They don’t take up much space, so I could quickly convert the feed  barn and create a pen that didn’t cost all that much. We need to be competitive so that we can survive on a low milk price’, says Hans Julius.

Heifer hotel and the eighth generation

As well as Bjerlev Vestergaard farm, where he is the eighth generation, Hans Julius has also rented a nearby farm where he has established a heifer hotel with 350 heifers. Here, he looks after his own heifers from 6 months to about 24 months old, as well as looking after heifers for two other farmers.

In addition, Hans Julius farms 200 hectares of land.