Dairy - Milking parlor design

Parallel parlor

How they work: cow stands on an elevated platform, facing away from the operator area

Advantage: milking begins when all cows are in their stalls

Disadvantage: reduced visibility of front quarters, make unit attachment and udder sanitation difficult

Herringbone parlor

How they work: cows stand on an elevated platform in an angled fashion facing away from the operator area; 100 head or less

Advantage: most popular in the U.S., easy to supervise, access to milk her from the side

Disadvantage: slow, lots of space

Tandem parlor

How they work: also called side opening, cows handled one at a time

Advantage: side view improves visibility, slow-milking cows do not delay the completion of milking and release of other cows in parlor

Disadvantage: takes up lots of space

Rotary parlor

How they work: also called carousel or turnstile parlors, cow movement is largely automated

Advantage: frees operators for tasks more directly associated with milking, reduces physical strain on milkers

Disadvantage: difficult to provide special care, expensive, large scale