A farm in the southern area of Japan has started a new dairy life in a robot barn designed by 4dBarn. Their challenges in the primary barn were long working hours with lack of manpower, and need for improving milk yield.
They selected the Invest-Designed-Ventilated Service, with hope for their ideal barn, which started in July 2025.
Were they able to start smoothly? Did they face any unpredictable issues? How do they think about our design service? Down below, you can read their message we received 2 month after operation in their new one-robot barn.
Key features of the new barn:
- Area: Shikoku region, Japan
- 1 DeLaval milking robot
- Free stall for 55 cows in main milking group
- bedded pack area for VIC cows
Here's the testimonial from the farmers:
"Our new barn started operating in July, and through daily work we have realized the importance of the barn design.
Although ours is a small free stall barn with one robot, we feel it has everything we need; recovery area for fresh cows, pre-calving section for robot training, treatment area, and the footbath passage etc. They all function together to create an environment that is both comfortable for the cows and very practical for us workers.
We are especially impressed with the many gates — the one-way flow, the large gates that are light to handle yet strong, the small passages for workers, and the push gate that helps guide cows to the robot. These designs make daily work much easier and safer.
The fetch pen is also proving to be extremely useful in many ways. After the training period, most cows now voluntarily go to the robot for milking. We are currently using the fetch pen to temporarily hold dry cows, and it also works perfectly as a route for first-calf heifers until they become accustomed to the robot. Having this space allows us to separate these cows from the others and carry out tasks smoothly, respecting the cows’ own pace to avoid unnecessary stress.
The ventilation, comfortable beds, and anti-slip grooves in the cow alley are also working very effectively. During our online meetings we realized we had only vaguely understood these ideas, but now as we work in the actual barn, everything makes sense, and we can see how amazing the design was meant to be. Without the design, it is obvious our work would have taken many more time and effort.
This barn was only possible thanks to 4dBarn's knowledge, experience, and advice. We are truly grateful. Together with our cows, we will continue to make the most of this barn and strive for better dairy farming."
cows laying comfortably in the bedded pack area
the cows are looked after well and fond of the farmers
there is enough space in front of the robot-- the cows in the picture awaits while the robot is washed
the handling chute is located in a well-accessed area from each group with gates to guide
Natural ventilation with split-sidewall curtains, along with additional tunnel ventilation measures were selected to cope with the hot summertime.