With high volumes of concentrates been fed in dairy parlours due to the drought, it may be worth calibrating the feeders.

With limited grass availability, diets need to be carefully adjusted to ensure milk production does not fall sharply.

The majority of farms in drought areas are currently feeding between 4-8kg of concentrates.

After investing effort into adjusting diets, you may still be overfeeding or underfeeding the herd if feeders are not properly calibrated.

Unknowingly feeding the incorrect diet can lead to metabolic issues, reduced production, and can burn a hole in your pocket - considering feed can make up to 40% of a farm's total costs.

Even if the feeders are only off by 0.5kg, that amounts to 100kg over the course of two milking sessions each day for the average 100 cow herd, or 1t of extra feed every 10 days.

Therefore, taking the time to calibrate the feeders in the parlour is well worth the effort to ensure that concentrates are accurately fed to the herd.

Feeders

Over time, dampness and consistent usage can impact the amount of feed actually being fed to each cow.

This commonly leads to each feeder having a 'mind of its own' and varying volumes of concentrates being fed to cows by adjacent feeders.

Luckily, calibrating feeders is a task that can easily be carried out by a farmer in about one hour.

You will need a bucket, a set of digital weighing scales (ensure they are accurate by testing them with an object of which you know the weight), and a calculator.

First weigh the bucket while empty, then place it under the dispenser and release three batches of feed into it - this should help with accuracy.

Weigh the full bucket, subtract the weight of the empty bucket, and then divide the number by three to determine how much feed is been dispensed.

Repeat this process on each individual feeder: if necessary, change the feeder settings to release more or less feed.

Ideally, this should be carried out after filling the meal bin with fresh feed, as the feed density can change over time.

Moisture

At the same time you can inspect the feeders for any wear and tear that may require repairs.

Also check for any build-up of debris in the feeder mechanism, hoppers, and auger system that may affect the calibration, or block the system.

Simple things can throw the system off, such as the lid of the container not being fully closed, which allow moisture to seep in, and can then clog the mechanism.

This is often simple to fix, but can be easily avoided by preventing moisture from infiltrating the container.

If the parlour has not yet been serviced and liners/rubbers have not yet changed, consider doing so.

Going forward, it may be worth adding the calibration task to the list each time you are servicing the parlour.