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Dairy farmers should rethink a cow's curfew, says researchers

Date:
March 23, 2017
Source:
University of British Columbia
Summary:
Dairy cows housed indoors want to break curfew and roam free, suggests new research. The researchers said their findings support previous research that found public opinion of a good life for cattle involves outdoor grazing access.
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Dairy cows housed indoors want to break curfew and roam free, suggests new research from the University of British Columbia, published in Scientific Reports.

The study measured how much work dairy cows will do to access pasture, by pushing on a weighted gate. The cows worked hard to access pasture, especially at night. As a comparison, the researchers also measured how much weight the cows would push to access their regular feed when kept indoors; cows worked just as hard to go outside as they did to access fresh feed when they were hungry.

"Our findings show cows are highly motivated to be outside," said Marina von Keyserlingk, the study's lead author and an animal welfare professor in UBC's faculty of land and food systems.

von Keyserlingk said many dairy cows in Canada, the United States and other parts of the world are housed exclusively indoors. Indoor housing may meet the cow's basic needs for food, water, hygiene and shelter, but does not allow the cow to engage in natural behaviours.

"Improving the cow's quality of life is obviously important for the animal, but it's also important for the people involved, including the farmers that care for them and the consumers who buy dairy products," said co-author and UBC animal welfare professor Dan Weary.

The researchers said their findings support previous research that found public opinion of a good life for cattle involves outdoor grazing access.


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Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, Andressa Amorim Cestari, Becca Franks, Jose A. Fregonesi, Daniel M. Weary. Dairy cows value access to pasture as highly as fresh feed. Scientific Reports, 2017; 7: 44953 DOI: 10.1038/srep44953

Cite This Page:

University of British Columbia. "Dairy farmers should rethink a cow's curfew, says researchers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 March 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170323125434.htm>.
University of British Columbia. (2017, March 23). Dairy farmers should rethink a cow's curfew, says researchers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 8, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170323125434.htm
University of British Columbia. "Dairy farmers should rethink a cow's curfew, says researchers." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170323125434.htm (accessed October 8, 2024).

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