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Calcimator

Milking Parlor Throughput

Calculate milking parlor throughput in cows per hour based on number of units, average milking time, and unit change time.

Inputs

min
min

Results

Cows per Hour

128

Hours to Milk Herd

3.91 hrs

Total Milking Hours/Day7.81 hrs
Turns per Unit per Hour8
Parlor Utilization80%
Max Herd Capacity (10-hr window)2,560 cows
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter herd size and target milking frequency per day.
  2. Set the average milking time per cow in minutes.
  3. Input parlor stall count and milking preparation time.
  4. Review the number of parlor passes required, total milking hours, and parlor throughput.
  5. Use parlor capacity to evaluate whether the current setup can handle herd expansion.

How the result changes with Parlor Units (stalls)

Parlor Units (stalls)Cows per HourHours to Milk Herd
12965.21 hrs
362881.74 hrs
665280.95 hrs
907200.69 hrs

What each input means

Parlor Units (stalls)
Number of milking units (stalls) in the parlor. Common sizes: 8, 12, 16, 24, or 32.
Avg Milking Time
Average time from unit attachment to removal per cow. Typically 5-8 minutes.
Unit Change Time
Time to prep and attach units between cows including udder prep, stripping, and dipping.
Milkings per Day
Number of milking sessions per day. Most herds milk 2x; some high-producing herds milk 3x.
Herd Size
Total number of lactating cows to milk each session.

What each result means

Cows per Hour
Total parlor throughput in cows per hour.
Parlor Utilization
Ratio of actual milking time to total cycle time.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Parlor Units (stalls) = 16, Avg Milking Time = 6, Unit Change Time = 1.5, Milkings per Day = 2 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Cows per Hour
    Cows per Hour
    128 = 128
  3. Calculate Hours to Milk Herd
    Hours to Milk Herd
    3.91 = 3.91
  4. Calculate Total Milking Hours/Day
    Total Milking Hours/Day
    7.81 = 7.81
  5. Calculate Turns per Unit per Hour
    Turns per Unit per Hour
    8 = 8

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