Name your cow and get more milk

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Naming cows and treating them with a personal touch puts more milk in the tank according to research conducted and published in Britain.

Scientists at Newcastle University in England have found that cows which are given names and treated as individuals produce significantly larger annual milk yields. Dr. Catherine Douglas and Dr. Peter Rowlinson questioned 516 U.K. dairy farmers on their beliefs about how farmers are able to influence the productivity, behaviour and welfare of dairy cattle. Almost half of the surveyed farmers said they called their cows by name and cows owned by these farmers were found to give 236 more litres of milk per year than those not given names. 

"What our study shows is what many good, caring farmers have long since believed," explains Dr. Douglas in a university press release. "By placing more importance on the individual, such as calling a cow by her name or interacting with the animal more as it grows up, we can not only improve the animal's welfare and her perception of humans, but also increase milk production."

One of the farmers in the study is Dennis Gibb, co-owner of Eachwick Red House Farm. He says "We love our cows here at Eachwick ... each one has her own personality."

Almost half of surveyed farmers believe positive human contact is more likely to produce cows with a good milking temperament. "Our data suggests that on the whole, U.K. dairy farmers regard their cows as intelligent beings," Dr. Douglas says. BF