While there are some 'carousels,' the preferred arrangement is two parallel lines, with a work deck between them.
Controls are a bit interesting. At each station, one can direct the milk from that particular cow to a holding area. For example, milk from sick cows is dumped, and milk from nursing cows is set aside for the calves.
John,
The shed you describe would be known as a Herring-bone shed here, the dairy industry started to move away from them in the early 90's.
Also, with the big money put into these rotary sheds, you'd sort of hope that the automation was equally as good.
Fortunately it is (for my sake), it is just a job and a half explaining to (sometimes foreign) workers, how this system works and how to use it properly.
Obviously, it isn't rocket science to operate a dairy shed (as most of it is automated), but some things can get lost in the interpretation.
But have one valve in the wrong place and you can have wash water or even acid mixed with milk in the silo.
Believe me, it HAS happened before.
20,000 litres of milk down the drain.
