Nick Eccles, a dairy farmer at Sudells Farm, Lancashire, UK, who farms alongside his father Anthony and brother Chris, milks 150 cows a day.
After carrying out lots of research, the Eccles family came across EASYFIX products and decided to install the EASYFIX Calm cubicles, Neptune mattresses and the Evolve feed fence.
Why choose EASYFIX
“We chose EASYFIX products because we were switching to a robotic milking system and we wanted the cows to have the confidence to get up out of the cubicles themselves and visit the robots,” said Nick.
“I believed that with the steel cubicles cows may not have the same confidence, as they may bang themselves and cause themselves injuries.
“We decided to install the EASYFIX Evolve feed fence because we believe it provided the highest level of cow comfort when the cows were standing there feeding,” commented Nick.
“There is nothing for them to rub their neck on and they can stand there all day in comfort eating as much forage as possible.”
Optimising cow welfare
In combination with moving the cows into a new shed and installing the robotic milking system, the Eccles family have seen up to a 2kg of dry matter intake increase in the cows as well as an increase in milk yields of upwards of 8kg per cow.
The EASYFIX dairy housing system has also led to increased lying times, reduced lameness and a reduction in culling rates from 25% to nearly 10%.
The cows have been in the building eight months now and the Eccles family are very pleased with the level of cow comfort achieved to date.
Speaking on how the EASYFIX Evolve feed fence has benefitted the farm, Nick said:
I would highly recommend these products; we are very pleased with the level of cow comfort they provide and anyone is welcome to come and visit them.
Award-winning dairy housing solutions
Royal Highland Technical Innovation award
EASYFIX’S pioneering Evolve feed fence was awarded a Silver Technical Innovation award at the recent Royal Highland Show.
The awards, which have become increasingly prestigious in recent years, highlight exhibitor innovations which display the most progressive advancements in the agricultural marketplace.
Speaking about the success of the EASYFIX Evolve feed fence, Ronan Boyle, EASYFIX sales manager, explained: “At EASYFIX we are always looking at innovative ways to enhance animal comfort and performance.
“From observing the marks on animals’ necks associated with traditional steel systems we knew there had to be a better way that would allow more natural behaviour while feeding, increase intakes and eliminating marks on the animal.
“We are very happy with the results we have seen so far. The feedback from customers has been excellent and this is a product that we feel will be very successful worldwide.”
This year, the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) awarded one gold, six silver and four certificates of commendations for technical innovation.
LAMMA – Silver Livestock Innovation Award
Earlier this year, EASYFIX also picked up a Silver Livestock Innovation award at LAMMA Show, for the EASYFIX Jupiter F cow mattress.
In recent years, the awards have garnered a reputation for highlighting and recognising some of the best advances in agricultural manufacturing.
The cow mattress has a 45mm layer of PU latex foam, which creates a cushioned top surface providing maximum cow comfort with a deflection of up to 33mm.
The back of the mat has a sloped, non-abrasive profile which allows animal waste to be easily pushed into the passageway. The mattress has been specially designed with a hidden interlock to create a seamless finish.
EASYFIX cubicles
A vital component of the EASYFIX dairy housing system is its rubber cubicles. EASYFIX cubicles are available in three designs – Calm, Dream and Siesta.
The revolutionary design delivers the freedom of the outdoors, indoors and is proven to maximise cow comfort, improve safety and increase performance.
The flexible cubicle system accommodates the size of each cow, encourages cows to lie correctly and for longer periods. Increased lying times combined with improved cow comfort leads to higher milk production.
The flexible cubicle arms, rubber loop and rubber neckrail brackets provide freedom of movement into and out of the cubicle leading to a significant reduction in injuries.
Reducing injuries is a major factor that contributes to a reduction in healthcare and veterinary costs, as well as lowering replacement rates.
EASYFIX cubicles can also be installed with their very own accessory: the EASYFIX Scratcher.
The scratcher is a new innovative cubicle accessory designed to provide environmental enrichment and increased cow comfort. It has been developed to enrich the cows’ environment and encourages increased cubicle use.
Further information
For more information on EASYFIX products click here