Our novelties for the year 2021:

CalfRail DUO – it tastes better when you are together!

The CalfRail DUO was developed to enable pairs to benefit from the advantages of reducing the risk of illness, increasing growth performance and at the same time reducing the amount of work involved. The development is based on the positive experience gained worldwide and over many years of using the CalfRail in individual housing. With the new CalfRail DUO, two calves in the same box/igloo can be fed in parallel. This rearing method makes it possible to establish early social contacts. That reduces stress sensations in the calves and has a positive effect on their vitality, growth and animal health. (Weary, 2015; von Keyserlingk, 2018)

The CalfRail DUO supplies calves fully automatically up to eight times a day with freshly prepared feed at optimal feeding temperature. Thanks to an integrated rotary mechanism, the CalfRail DUO can also feed calves in rows of pens arranged opposite each other. The integrated peristaltic pumps allow even the smallest calves to drink without problems. The consumed milk quantity is determined in pairs.

The CalfRail DUO is controlled by the automatic calf feeder VARIO smart. The automatic feeder prepares the feed and supplies the CalfRail DUO either with milk or milk replacer feed. Up to 64 calves can be fed with one CalfRail DUO. Two CalfRail DUO units are possible per feeder.

The CalfRail DUO and the drinking stations for groups can be combined on the same automatic feeder. The CalfRail DUO can be used in both new and old barns.

The CalfRail DUO is cleaned fully automatically before and after each feeding. This ensures the best possible hygiene. With the optional teat cleaning system, the teat can also be cleaned  fully automatically from the outside after each box. This not only eliminates working hours for feed preparation, but also the manual management of buckets and equipment.

The first CalfRail DUO has already been in successful operation for several months on a farm in southern Germany. Further installations are planned for the coming month. The market launch of the CalfRail DUO in Germany is scheduled for summer 2021.

The CalfRail DUO enables physiologically optimal feeding of calves in pairs, taking into account an increased animal welfare factor.

Automatic milk management – From milk production to feeding, everything is completely automatic!

The concept of Automatic Milk Management is based on the idea of providing milk from the udder to the calf in the best quality and in the fastest possible way. The Automatic Milk Management consists of different components: MilkCollector, SmartTank, VARIO smart automatic feeder. These components are modular and can be integrated into any existing  farm. The Automatic Milk Management is especially suitable for small and medium-sized dairy farms that have a milking robot or milking parlour and that attach importance to automation and flexibilization of work processes.

How does the process work?

The MilkCollector collects the milk coming from the milking robot or milking parlor and continuously supplies it to the SmartTank or another storage tank in the calf barn. The MilkCollector has a capacity of 25 liters and can be transported over 100 meters. After each emptying an automatic rinsing with water and pulsating compressed air takes place. The MilkCollector can be used on farms with no or a separate calf milk line. By using the MilkCollector, for example, the milking robot can be used to its full capacity, as there is no need to clean a calf milk line.

Another component of automatic milk management is the SmartTank. This offers the optimal solution for cooling the calf milk that has been supplied there by the MilkCollector, for example. The SmartTank efficiently cools even the smallest quantities of milk without freezing them. The high-quality milk for daily calf feeding is cooled by the SmartTank and made available to the automatic feeder around the clock. The SmartTank has an automatic cleaning function that is integrated into the cleaning process of the feeder. For optimum hygiene, all milk-carrying parts can be cleaned daily with two cleansing agents. The closed system and the cooling of the milk ensure a consistently high quality of the fresh milk, which is available around the clock. To prepare the feed, the automatic feeder sucks in the cooled milk from the SmartTank and heats it to the perfect drinking temperature.

The Automatic Milk Management from Förster-Technik GmbH is the ideal system for efficient, simple and time-saving fresh milk feeding!