(Continued from Pago A3O) person. If an animal is less fearful to ward a certain person, then it is mo ie easily handled by that per son; it also is even less likely to kick. On the other hand, rough hand ling of cows causes fearfulness, stress and less productivity. This points up some important questions'. Do dairy animals remember and distinguish between individuals? Do they discriminate between those who treat them gently and those who are harsh, scare them by shouting or sudden move ments, or beat them? Do dairy cows leant fear of cer tain people, of certain color of their clothing (for example, veter inary lab coats), or of certain en vironments? This can have serious implica tions on the dairy farm when the principal milking person wants a vacation. How do the cows react p We Salute The Dairy Farmers ] L and Thank You For Your Patronage J Round corners for safety & strength. Constructed with 1.9 tubing with al3 gauge wall. All steel [ Cattle Slats] Heavy duty cattle slat is wet cast with a 1/2” diameter welded rebar cage. 6 1/2” thick throughout the entire slat with 1 3/4" slots, Slow cured for extra strength. Lebanon Valley Enterprises, Inc. Cows Perform Better When Not Threatened to that relief person? In this Danish study, 14 Hol stein cows in mid-lactation were handled by two people, one was gentle and the other shouted and prodded (no rough mistreatment was applied). The results showed clearly that cows distinguish between differ ent people who have handled them before. Cow behavior during milking varied greatly according to the handler who as present. However, color of clothing is one cue that cows used to discrim inate between people, indicating the importance of the visual sens es for discrimination by cows. When both handlers wore the same color clothing, the distinc tion between handlers disappear ed, although a mix of visual, olfac tory and auditory cues was used in people discrimination. A significant variation also was found among different cows in their ability to distinguish between op grade TGIC Polyester Coating and comes with a 20 Year Rust Through Guarantee. Manufacturing • Powder Coating • Precast P.O. Box 187, Myerstown, PA 17067 • (717) 866-2030 handlers, which indicates indivi dual differences in cows with re gard to learning ability. Cows that were best at discrim inating between the two handlers were most affected by fearfulness and restlessness during milking, had a faster heart rate and resulted in significantly less milk produc tion. The latter was due probably to inhibition of the oxytocin let down effect, leading to reduced or delayed milk ejection. The same results recently were found in studies with dairy goats and Brown Swiss cows. We have known for some time that a barking dog nearby cows being milked disturbs them; their fear of the dog releases the stress hormone adrenaline, which then blocks the oxytocin effect on milk letdown in the udder. Now we know that cows are much more sophisticated in their distinction between familiar and Versatile design offers generous lunge space between loop. Heavy construction with 2 3/8” high yield steel tubing with 12 gauge wall. EHead Locks Auto release for downed cows Adjustable neck opening for calf to cow Heavy 1 ” schedule 40 pipe for uprights unfamiliar people, their ways of handling, as well as other factors of the environment, which will re sult in significant differences in milk production. Holstein Offers Convention News BRATTLEBORO, VL Or der up to 500 pedigrees at a time online from Holstein Association USA. Recent updates to www.holst einusa.com have made ordering pedigrees online easier. In addi tion, the new release of EASY 3.2 is available for download, as arc the May genetic update products. If you are following the gover nance proposal that will be voted These findings reinforce our strong belief that high productivi ty and profitability on the dairy farm goes hand in hand with con cepts of animal welfare. on in Boise, check out the “NEWS” button on the Associa tion’s website. Not only does it have the most current issue of the Holstein News with the Call to Convention, it also has the past four issues that cover the govern ance proposal from the beginning. Look for more exciting up dates on www.holsteinusa.com with day-to-day coverage of the annual meeting in June. Aiitfat fatter Sta» At CT Farm & Country 1570 Manheim Pi June 19,19' Store Hours 8-1 Show Hours 10-
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