'It helps keep things calm in the cowshed'

The Schouten family runs a dairy farm in Berlicum (NL), with a herd of 200 cows. Last year, they built a barn to expand the herd. It meant that it was also time for an automatic feed pusher robot. Remco Schouten: ‘The Moov 2.0 reduces the workload and gives us more flexibility’.

From demo to permanent fixture

After starting as a demo on the dairy farm in March, the Moov 2.0 has since become a permanent fixture. ‘I carefully considered which system suited our barn best,’ Remco explains. ‘I found two feed pusher robot options, but only one of these could cope with the different heights of our feed fences. That was the Moov 2.0 from JOZ.’

Smart skirt lift

‘The Moov also has a smart skirt lift which helps it overcome obstacles,’ Remco continues. ‘This is particularly important for us, because the floor at the crossing in our barn goes down and then up again. A feed pusher robot without a skirt cannot cope with it, but the Moov 2.0 has no problem. It meant I could leave the floor as it was. Another advantage is that the robot doesn’t come into contact with manure because of the skirt lift, which is nice and hygienic.

Greater flexibility

Remco: ‘The Moov does its job well. Now I don’t have to start with feeding first thing before milking. It takes the pressure off my work in the morning. In the evening, I no longer have to start up a machine to push feed either. The Moov gives me much more flexibility, which is valuable to me.’

Thanks to the new Moov, the farm’s 200 cows now always have access to fresh feed at night. Remco: ‘I’ve been told that cows start eating at 4:30 in the morning. Without a feed pusher robot, they might not get enough feed. It’s good to know that they now have enough fresh feed at every hour of the day.’

Calmer in the barn

The Moov also keeps things much calmer in the barn, especially in the evening, says Remco. ‘I used to have to drive a wheel dozer through the barn to push feed, now I walk around. As a result, I can recognise cows in heat much more quickly, which is another bonus.’