We were really surprised to find out that they milk 1400-1500 cows three times a day, seven days a week, each milking takes about 4 1/2 hours. The cows go unto a carousel, into a stall, their feet get sprayed and then their teets get sprayed with disinfectant. As the carousel goes round, a worker wipes the teets, another worker puts on the milkers. We stood and watched the milkers work, the milk went down into the pipes and went into a tank and when it got so full, was pumped out and got cooled down to 32 degrees, until it got to one of the three 7,000 gallon tank. There are 55 cows on the carousel at one time, while going around they are only given water. We had gone upstairs to see all the cows waiting to get in line to get on the carousel. When they are done being milked they back off the carousel so the next one can get on. Each cow produces about 10 gallons per day, and eats 60-80 pounds of salage, drinks 30 gallons of water per day, this really makes a lot of manure in one day. The farm is really environmentally friendly.
We then got back into the car, drove to see the salage area, perfume house, vacation barn, hospital area and then into the cow palace, this is were they are feed and rest. While driving around the farm we also saw a place where a rabbi lives that before every milking blesses the process, so they can sell Kosher milk, nothing was said about the chickens.
We then drove around to the state of the art chicken houses. They house 450,000 chickens per house, which is seven stories high. In all there chicken houses around the county they have 4 1/2 million layers.
This is the third generation running the farm, wife of the first generation was a relative of Milton Hershey. Is tour was really worth the time and money.
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Location:Manheim
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