Naming a cow enhances milk yield – Study finds | Image Source: Screenroad on Unsplash
What is there in a name? This famous phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: ‘What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. On the other side, Dale Carnegie finds that a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” Remembering the names of customers, prospects, networking contacts, and colleagues is critical to your ongoing professional success. Another contemporary study carried out by a researcher from Newcastle University, UK finds that cows with names make 3.4 percent more milk in a year than cows that just feel, well, like cows.
Name, even for this case is not that important what Shakespeare observes, but much more than the mere giving name. It could be, probably, farmer’s preference to give a name that depicts human touch. The situation is similar to a human’s preference for a human’s touch. Cows feel happier and more relaxed if they are given one-to-one attention.
Study findings
The Newcastle University study looked at how farmers’ attitudes to their cows influence milk production.
The team of researchers questioned 516 UK dairy farmers about how they believed humans could affect the productivity, behaviour and welfare of dairy cattle.
Almost half – 46 percent – said the cows on their farm were called by name. Those that called their cows by name had a 258 liter higher milk yield than those who did not.
Sixty-six percent of farmers said they “knew all the cows in the herd” and 48 percent agreed that positive human contact was more likely to produce cows with a good milking temperament. Almost 10 percent 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.”