Thursday, February 25, 2010

Cows with names produce more milk

According to British scientists, cows with names produce 3.4 percent more milk during their 10-month lactation period than cows that don't have names.

British researchers compared production from the country's National Milk Records with the survey responses of 516 dairy farmers to see if there was an association between yield and cow naming. Dairy farmers who reported calling their cows by name got 2,105 gallons of milk from their cows compared with 2,029 gallons from cows without names.

The reason for the link is unclear; however, it is known that if cows are slightly fearful of humans, they could produce the hormone cortisol which suppresses milk production.

Read article at Telegraph.co.UK

No comments: