Make a cow's first robotic experience a positive one

A first lactation heifer's initial experience in a voluntary milking system or robot is so important to the cow and the farmer. Sometimes it gets a little difficult to actually get the cow to go into the robot for the first time, and we have to remember that it is okay. Don't get frustrated; let the experience take a little longer than you would like. They won't forget this one experience, so make it count. You are putting them through something that eventually you want them to want to do on their own. When I put a fresh heifer in the robot for the first time, I actually let her stand there for a minute or two while feed is dropping and she is trying to sniff every part of the robot.