By Sanjay Goel
Atlanta, GA: I am tickled reading an article on the Internet that says how much American dairy farmers pamper their Holstein cows and treat them like queens.
Cow comfort has become a key concern for the nation’s farmers, who have known for generations that contented cows give more milk.
The traditional techniques for keeping cows happy aren’t complicated — feed them well, keep the temperature at a comfortable level and give them room to move around. But some dairy farmers are turning to a new array of creative options intended to keep cows more productive by installing waterbeds for their cows to rest in, and by playing classical music in their sheds. Some even hire animal chiropractors to give older cows a tune-up.
Some also upgraded ventilation in their barns and installed misting technology to keep the herd cool. Many have also installed large rotating brushes that gently scratch the cows’ backs and massage their faces and shoulders.
The result has been milk with fewer impurities and in greater volume — cows that used to give about 80 pounds of milk a day now average about 90 pounds.
In India, cows are worshiped along with idols of Krishna and Radha, but they aren’t treated well in real life. May be this news may encourage Indians to treat cows better. But, in a land of unkind people aplenty, this may be an impossible dream.
