Personal touch : Name cow to get more milk

By just giving a cow a name and treating it as an individual,
farmers can increase their milk yield substantially. The study by Catherine
Douglas and Peter Rowlinson of Newcastle University found that when each cow was
called by name on farms, the overall milk yield was higher than where they were
herded in 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,” explained Douglas, who works at the Newcastle School of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Development.

“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 its 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.”

Douglas and Rowlinson questioned 516 British dairy farmers
about how they believed humans could affect the productivity, behaviour and
welfare of dairy cattle. Almost half or 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, said a Newcastle release.

Sixty-six percent 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.

(Source : The Times of India, 29-1-2009)

(Compiler’s remark — This is practised in India since
ancient times.)