You Lazy Cow

Cows not making enough milk? Put them to bed!

Reuters reportsthat Norwegian farmers have found that getting their cows nice and comfy makes them produce more milk. Norway introduced rules in 2004 that took cows out of stalls where they stand all day and put them on soft rubber mattresses where they could lie down for half the time.

Turns out, reclining doesn’t make them lazier. It allows more blood to flow to the cows’ udders, creating 5 to 6 percent more milk. It also reduces the incidence of udder infection.

But giving them a place to lie down isn’t the only way to keep cows happy. A Newcastle University study, via CNN, earlier this year found that naming your cow, talking to it and generally giving it some quality face time not only made them more comfortable around humans, it made them more productive lactators.

New mattresses. One-on-one talks. What’s next? A bovine book club?

Photo courtesy Paul Stevenson, via Flickr.