New Milking Parlour and Accesories from Fullwood
2009-09-18

Fullwood has today announced the launch of a new rotary parlour at this year’s Dairy Event and Livestock Show.

Fullwood’s new Powerpurge system flushes the milking claw, tubing and liners after each cow has been milked to reduce the risk of diseases spreading throughout the herd.

The new Mercury rotary herringbone is the latest high capacity parlour from the global milking equipment manufacturer. The parlour is available in a range of sizes, up to a maximum of 50 points, and uses a number of innovative features which make it ideal for today’s larger herds.

Mercury uses a clear-span design which offers excellent visibility of the cows throughout the milking process, while an indexing gate on each milking point aids speedy loading and unloading of animals and optimum cow positioning for milking.

Each milking point is equipped with a compact bail post that protects all the essential milking and pulsation equipment from accidental damage, whilst also reducing noise and allowing easy access to each animal. Each bail post also contains a spotlight to illuminate the udder and a stainless steel support arm which ensures optimum cluster positioning. Below the milking platform, fully enclosed stainless steel cabinets provide a cleaner, more hygienic working environment.

Mercury is available with Fullwood’s full range of labour saving options, such as automatic cluster removal, cluster flushing and automatic teat spraying, and can be managed by a single operator to significantly reduce labour requirements. The Mercury parlour is also compatible with Fullwood’s milk recording equipment, automatic segregation system and Crystal herd management software, making it the ideal choice for today’s expanding herds.

Milk cluster back-flush technology

In addition, Fullwood has also unveiled its new milking cluster back-flush technology. The new Powerpurge system significantly reduces the number of bacteria present on the internal surface of the milking liner by flushing the milking claw, tubing and liners with a solution of peracetic acid solution after each cow has been milked. This reduces cross contamination from one cow to the next and prevents diseases from spreading throughout the herd.

The new system is valve rather that injector operated, eliminating the risk of milk contamination as a result of chemical leakages. This novel design also ensures that the life and strength of the liners is unaffected as well as helping to reduce chemical consumption.

Stand-alone heat detection system

Fullwood has also released details of its new stand-alone heat detection system, Crysta Heat Flex. The new ‘plug and play’ system uses Fullwood’s proven pedometer technology in conjunction with a simplified version of the company’s Crystal herd management software to monitor cow activity levels. Increased activity indicates which cows are in heat, whilst reduced activity levels highlight potential health disorders that may require veterinary attention.

“This new low-cost system is extremely simple to use and can be installed in as little as four hours,” states David O’Hare, commercial director for Fullwood. “As well as helping to reduce calving intervals, the system also offers significant time and labour savings as cows can be served blind, eliminating the need to spend hours looking for bulling activity.”

The Crysta Heat Flex system is compatible with all makes and types of parlours and can be run from a farm’s existing computer system. It is unique in terms of stand-alone systems in that it stores lactation data for the lifetime of each cow.

“Fullwood’s ongoing R&D programme remains focused on finding new and affordable solutions to a number of the main issues facing modern milk production. These latest offerings are specifically designed to help farmers produce high quality milk safely and efficiently,” Mr O’Hare concludes.

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