A typical cow on our farm allocates her time to these activities;
12 ½ hours/day lying down and resting
10 hours/day eating, drinking, chewing cud, exercising and socializing
1 ½ hours/day in the milking parlor
The daily schedule of one of our cows looks like this;
6:30am Cows from barn #3 walk down the lane to the milking parlor to be milked
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| Cows walking from their barn to the milking parlor |
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| The cows wait in the holding pen until it's their turn to be milked |
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| Being milked in the parlor |
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| Another view from inside the milking parlor |
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| When the group is done milking, the bar raises and they walk out |
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| They can hang out, get a drink of water and then walk back to the barn on their own |
7:00am They return to the barn to eat, drink, rest and socialize. After being milked, the cows usually head back to the barn to eat. They have access to feed and water all day.
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| Having something to eat back in the barn |
2:30pm Going back to the milking parlor to be milked for the 2nd time
3:00pm Return to the barn to eat, drink, relax and socialize. The cows are free to choose which activity they do while in the barn.
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| Cow #5784 rests while a group of cows eat in the background |
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| Cows are free to roam around in the barn |
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| A cow relaxing on a sand bed |
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| Socializing around the water trough |
10:30pm One last trip to the parlor for their final milking of the day
11:00pm Return to the barn to relax until morning
It's extremely important for a cow to have 12 or more hours of rest each day. To encourage plenty of rest, we make sure the cows have a clean and dry place to comfortably lie down.
Cows spend almost eight hours each day chewing their cud. It’s common to observe the cows chewing their cud while in the milking parlor or when they’re lying down. Research shows that cud chewing is a sign of cow comfort and health. So we love to see our cows chewing!
Cows are frequently observed in groups. They seem to feel safe and content when they are around other cows. They socialize throughout the day by eating in groups, standing around the water trough together and licking each other.
Life’s good when you’re a cow!
