Gaec du Roya in les Vosges

I am the conductor of my breeding

200 milkings per day, 200 rejections and an average production of 35 kg per day: this is the happiness equation of the Holstein Gaec du Roya. The implementation of precise but simple care protocols, the choice of animal welfare guarantee the breeders a sort of serenity.

I am the conductor of my breeding, “Vincent Collardé said simply during a visit of his breeding to explain his vision of the breeder’s job. I am not a nutritionist, nor a veterinarian and even less an accountant. I will look for skills wherever this may be found.  and then I put the experts’ advice to music.

The outer sight and the advice of Patrick Besnier, who was a veterinary practitioner of breeding, and who has since become veterinarian and director at Obione, allowed the breeder to write a clear score with as a sound background, the comfort of cows. The resulting symphony is not always perfect, it can resound some false notes, inherent to the living or the whims of the weather, but a certain melody of the happiness emerges from this breeding, as evidenced by the number of cows to ruminate at the beginning of the morning, the monastery calm reigning in the building and especially the sanitary condition of the cows.

200 milkings per day:

The breeder has  a priori a simple logic: to produce the maximum of milk on his robotic stall.

“At cruising speed, we manage to produce 35 kg of average daily with 200 milkings per day and even number of rejections. This year, the quality of the fodder is mediocre and we brake a bit. “

Nevertheless, the results are revealed. “I could not do this job if there were problems every day. I would have given up. I live at the rhythm of my breeding, if I have to get up in the middle of the night for a calving, I will do. Nevertheless, since the robot was put in place, the breeder has managed to free himself, but not as much as he likes, especially since he has just enjoyed himself by buying a Harley Davidson. With the support of his practicing veterinarian, everything was thrashed out to anticipate the complications. The protocols are then applied rigorously, the monitoring tools also make it possible to anticipate health concerns. “Thanks to the robot, I observe every day the ruminating time of the animals. It is a valuable indicator to act well upstream of any problem. The threshold of 500 minutes per day is my reference. “

The specialization of each partner in a field of competence is also one of the explanations of the good follow-up of the livestock. The health of the herd is illustrated by the absence of major metabolic problems: no metritis, only one  milk fever in two years, nine mastitis. In addition, the production of useful material is found to be above 800 kg / DC (diary cow) without damaging the reproduction performance. Primiparous calves at 24 months. The comfort of the building combined with the know-how of the breeder makes it possible to obtain this strong technical basis. “The comfort is always paying with the key returns on investments,” says Vincent Collardé. Thus, the building is equipped with fans that start at 16 ° C and operate fully when the temperature exceeds 25 ° C. From 20 ° C, a sprinkler also comes to cool the cows by wetting them completely. The fans are positioned so that the cows then come to dry by lying in their cubicles. The stalls are comfortable thanks to the carpet, the floor remains clean thanks to the scraping every two to three hours according to the needs. In the end, no lame cows.

I have two passions: my cows and my motorbike! For cows, I am not a nutritionist, nor a veterinarian and even less an accountant.I will look for skills wherever this may be found.  and then I put the experts’ advice to music. For the handlebars of my motorbike, I do not let anyone steer in my place!

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