Study of dairy cows

(PhysOrg.com) 28/1/09 -- A cow with a name produces more milk than one
without, scientists at Newcastle University have found.  Drs Catherine
Douglas and Peter Rowlinson have shown that by giving a cow a name and
treating her as an individual, farmers can increase their annual milk
yield by almost 500 pints.
  The study, published online today in the academic journal Anthrozoos,
found that on farms where each cow was called by her name the overall
milk yield was higher than on farms where the cattle were herded as a
group.
  "Just as people respond better to the personal touch, cows also feel
happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one
attention," explains Dr Douglas, who works in the School of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Development at Newcastle U. "What our study shows is what
many good, caring farmers have long since believed.  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."
  Dairy farmer Dennis Gibb, who co-owns Eachwick Red House Farm outside
Newcastle with his brother Richard, says he believes treating every cow
as an individual is "vitally important".  "They aren't just our
livelihood - they're part of the family," says Dennis.  "We love our
cows here at Eachwick and every one of them has a name.  Collectively we
refer to them as `our ladies' but we know every one of them and each one
has her own personality."
  The Newcastle U study looked at how farmers' attitudes to their cows
influenced milk production.  Douglas & Rowlinson questioned 516 UK dairy
farmers about how they believed humans could affect the productivity,
behaviour and welfare of dairy cattle.  Almost half (46%) said the cows
on their farm were called by name.  Those that called their cows by name
had a 258 litre higher milk yield than those who did not. 66% of farmers
said they "knew all the cows in the herd" and 48% agreed that positive
human contact was more likely to produce cows with a good milking
temperament.  Almost 10% said that a fear of humans resulted in a poor
milking temperament.
  Dr Douglas added: "Our data suggests that on the whole UK dairy farmers regard
their cows as intelligent beings capable of experiencing a range of emotions.
"Placing more importance on knowing the individual animals and calling them by
name can - at no extra cost to the farmer - also significantly increase milk
production."
  Ref: Exploring stock managers' perceptions of the human-animal
relationship on dairy farms and an association with milk production. Catherine
Douglas (nee Bertenshaw) and Peter Rowlinson,
Anthrozoos, Berg Publishing. DOI: 10.2752/089279307X224764
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  Rowlinson explained that naming cows was just one aspect of their
research that showed that when humans are nice to animals, the animals
return the affection.  For their study, they petted, groomed and named
one group of heifers and acted neutrally toward another group.
  "Then we followed their performance once they calved the first time and
entered the dairy herd, and essentially we found that their behavior in
terms of entry into the parlor was improved, they were less likely to
kick when they were first introduced to the milking machine and there
was an improvement in milk yield, of one to two liters.  Not much for
one cow, but it adds up in large herds" Rowlinson said.