Look at cow signals to increase milk production

If you want to do that, there is only one true advisor that can tell you what your animal needs. That’s the cow herself! If you listen to the cow, you can increase the productive lifetime from three to five lactations and lifetime production from 66,225 to 110,375 lbs.

Look

Cows are giving you signals every moment of the day.

If you learn to read these signals right, the cow will tell you what she needs. Have you ever paid attention to how many cows are standing in their cubicles? These cows are telling you something. A cow is far too busy eating, resting, milking and socializing to just be standing around. Something is going on here. Other signals are for example wounds, curved backs and empty rumens.

Think

If you’ve seen the signals, it is time to figure out what the cause is. Most of them can be related to the six freedoms of the pasture. Is your cow getting optimum feed, water, air, light, rest and space?

If you provide her with these basic needs, the cow will stay healthy. She pays you back in longevity and milk production.

A cow standing in her cubicle might be telling you that the cubicle is too short to lie down easily, so she isn’t getting enough rest. Did you know that one more hour of rest will give you one more liter of milk? Just do the math if you can get all your cows to lie down one or two hours more every day. Wounds might tell you a feed fence is bothering a cow or that a cubicle is too small. Not only does that impact resting time and feed intake, wounds are also an access point for bacteria. The rumen tells you if the cow was provided with enough feed in the last six hours.

Act

If you know what the problem is, it’s time to do something about it!

There are a lot of practical solutions to the problems you might find. The three major points that will give you the biggest wins are: a stress-free calving line, a soft, deep bed for every cow and one feeding space (27.5 inches) per cow.

Learning from top farmers

Visiting farms around the world, I was curious about why some farmers seem to do so much better than others. In these farms we see an average productive lifetime of five lactations instead of three.

We also see a lifetime production of 110,375 lbs instead of 66,225. I believe that there is a lot that farmers can learn from each other. If these farmers can reach five lactations, so can others! In a sector where continuous education isn’t the standard, I believe there is still a lot to gain with practical training for farmers.

CowSignals Training Company

Inspired by these top farmers, my partner, Jan Hulsen, and I started the CowSignals​ concept. We’ve combined scientific research with information we got from farmers all over the world into a practical checklist that can help you detect and interpret cow signals.

The training also contains a lot of practical solutions, that we’ve seen implemented by farmers in different countries. By focusing on cow signals, we can prevent disease and increase health and longevity.

Of course, this is a big win for animal welfare and the environment, but it also pays off for the farmer. Healthy cows produce more milk and cost less labor.