Equipment

Neck spacing is the most important specification when ordering self-locking headlocks. Here's a quick guide:

• Adult Holstein dairy cows: 18–19 cm
• Jersey cows: 16–17 cm
• Adult beef breeds (Angus, Hereford): 19–20 cm
• Yearlings & heifers: 14–16 cm
• Calves (under 8 months): 11.5–13.5 cm

If you run mixed breeds or aren't sure, tell us your breed profile and we'll recommend the correct spacing. All headlocks are custom-fabricated to your exact barn length, with straight or curved yoke options for beef operations.

The choice depends on your barn dimensions and herd size:

• Parallel parlor: Cows stand side‑by‑side, perpendicular to the pit. Fits more stalls into a shorter building — ideal for medium‑large commercial dairies.
• Herringbone parlor: Cows are angled, giving the operator easier udder access, but it needs a longer building for the same number of stalls.

Rough sizing: plan for one stall per 10–12 lactating cows (2‑hour milking window). We configure stall count, platform dimensions, and power supply to your barn. For goats, sheep, or camels, we adjust the stall design accordingly.

It depends entirely on your winter climate:

• Heated troughs (below freezing): High‑density polyurethane insulation keeps water liquid at –30°C, preventing cold stress that can reduce milk yield by 5–8%.
• Standard troughs (warmer climates): Stainless steel or galvanized with a float valve for automatic refill is usually enough.

All troughs are custom‑fabricated — you aren't limited to 2m or 3m. Give us your pen length, herd size and species, and we'll recommend the best setup.

Your primary species matters most:

• Cattle: A 3.5 MHz probe detects pregnancy from 28 days post‑breeding.
• Sheep/goats: We recommend a unit calibrated for small ruminants with optimised near‑field imaging.

Key features to look for: IPX7 waterproof probe, 5–6 h battery life, video playback, and built‑in backfat measurement. We can customise probe settings to your main livestock type.

A standard gateway covers about 200 m radius and can handle up to 1 000 ear tags. However, buildings, hills and tree lines reduce range, so larger or more varied properties may need extra gateways.

We provide a free network design consultation — send us your property map or dimensions, and we'll tell you exactly how many gateways you need and where to place them.

Yes, this is a core part of our service. We're a specialist partner, not a catalog‑only store. You can request any of the following through our vetted factory network:

• TMR mixers and automatic calf feeders
• Rotary milking parlors and portable milking machines
• Cattle crushes, hoof‑trimming chutes, and handling systems
• Any livestock equipment across feeding, milking, water, and health monitoring categories

Give us your equipment list and you'll get a single, consolidated quote with one point of contact for the whole project.

Absolutely. This farm‑planning service is included at no extra cost with equipment orders. Here's what you receive:

• Headlock length and neck‑spacing advice for your breed
• Water trough placement and sizing for every pen
• Milking parlor stall count and layout (parallel or herringbone)
• Optional monitoring equipment — ultrasound scanners, GPS ear tags, or FCR systems
• A CAD layout drawing and a detailed equipment specification sheet before any commitment

Just share your barn dimensions, herd size and production type (dairy, beef or mixed).