Herringbone Milking Parlor for Dairy Farms

Overview

How a herringbone parlor works

Cows enter in groups and stand at an angle on raised platforms along both sides of a central operator pit. The operator works at a comfortable height and reaches the udders from the side or rear, so one person can serve a row of cows in sequence. When milking ends, the group leaves and the next group enters.

What we build

Our parlor includes the stall frame, cow positioning rails and operator-pit layout. The frame is made from steel tube, including 50 mm tube parts, and is designed so that cows are held steady, kept in line and can step in and out without crowding.

Milking equipment

The frame is only one part of a working parlor. The vacuum system, milk lines, metering, cleaning-in-place, automatic cluster removal and herd management are specified separately, because they depend on stall count and local installation conditions. We can quote them with the parlor or supply the frame only if you already have milking equipment.

Choosing the stall count

The number of stalls follows from herd size, milking sessions per day, the time you want milking to take and available labor. A bigger parlor reduces milking time but needs more building space and a larger water and power supply. We help you balance these factors before fixing the layout.

Building and civil works

Pit depth, platform height, floor drainage and the holding area outside the parlor must match the frame. Civil work is normally done locally from our drawings, and our team checks the interface points with your builder.

Controls and commissioning

We provide installation guidance and commissioning support as agreed in the contract.

Scope and documents

Our engineers provide a written scope, drawings or a specification, and a clear list of what is and is not included.

How the herringbone parlor compares with a bucket milking set

A herringbone parlor lets many cows be milked in one place with the operator working in a pit at udder height. It pays back when you milk more than a few dozen cows twice a day, because it reduces walking and keeps the routine consistent.

Our mobile bucket milking machine (MM-PMK01) is a different tool: it moves to the animal, uses a single 30 L bucket and is suited to herds of a few animals or to outdoor milking. It needs no building, but it also gives much lower throughput.

To size a herringbone, we look at herd size, available time per milking, building width and whether you want a swing-over layout. Stall count is usually set so that all cows are milked in 1–2 hours. Options such as quick exit, automatic cluster removers and metering add cost but save time, so choose them after you know labor costs. Herd size and shed layout set the parlor design.