Modern Milking

[Totally Scrambled]

On our trip to the vets Uni we were shown round their dairy farm. It was very modern and the cows spend their whole lives indoors. They have a special lying down area that is made of a special squishy soft surface, food is on tap and there is a special automatic sh1t scooper that keeps the area clean. Each cow wears a special collar that has a chip in it identifying that cow. They aren't milked as such as they take themselves off when they want to be milked and a computerised robot identifies which cow it is and milks them, monitoring how much milk comes from each teat as well as the total produced. The milk is then tested for content and any pathogens etc.
If a cow is to be seen for any reason by a vet the machine does not let them back into the living area but funnels them to an examination area.
It is all very modern, clean and airy and they seem very contented. However, I'm not sure that them never being let out to wander the fields appeals. Not sure I be happy with this being the norm but as this is mainly a research facility dealing with diseases and problems cows can have, that it is important that they control the amount of outside factors that could affect them.
I can imagine that it could appeal to a big producer as there is no more getting up at the crack of dawn to do the milking, all that appears to need doing is to top up the feeders.
From the cows point of view it must be a blessing to get milked when you want rather than possibly being left until bursting point.
The other good bit of kit was what looked like giant bog brushes hanging down. If a cow has an itch it goes over to one and rubs against it and it starts to swivel back and forth giving them a really good scratch.
Dom

[MissEllie]

Sounds interesting but still seems a bit sad they don't get to see the sun and eat grass when they feel like it.
I guess I'm just an old fashioned girl

[wendy]

Sounds like my worse nightmare.
These animals are being treated like some kind of machine. These are living being
Horrible

[manda]

Sorry but it makes me feel sick