How to wean a cow to suck milk from itself: reasons and what to do, how to prevent
Self-extraction of milk, both from oneself and from other cows, is a common problem faced by many herdsmen. This negatively affects the milk production of the animal. Often a bad habit occurs among young individuals. Farmers are interested in the question: how can you wean a cow to suck out her milk? Different methods are used to solve the problem.
Why is the cow doing this?
When breeding cows, it is important to consider that when animals find nutritious and plentiful food, it will not be easy to wean them from it. Once having tasted their milk, the cows continue to engage in self-excretion.There are many reasons why cows suck their own milk.
Eating disorders are promoted by the genetic predisposition of the animal. The practice of recent years has shown the greatest tendency to defect in cows of dairy breeds. The most common cause is malnutrition in childhood. In adulthood, the habit remains with them.
Often a cow suckles herself as a result of a lack of calcium or protein in the body. The most common such violation during the period of pregnancy of an individual. Sometimes self-milking occurs as a result of thirst or if the milk bursts the udder.
How to wean an animal from sucking its udder?
When an animal discovers a source of delicious food, it is difficult to wean it from a bad habit. Often the owners do not know what to do if the cow sucks herself.
Sometimes it is impossible to determine the reason for this behavior. The owners have to take drastic measures to eliminate it:
- Spanish collar - a row of wooden sticks tied together with twine. The device prevents the animal from bending its neck. A few days later, the cow forgets about her vice.
- Ichthyol ointment. A product with an unpleasant and persistent odor is used to treat the udder. The only drawback is that the milk acquires a smell. Some cows, despite the ointment, continue to suck their milk.
- Cover for the udder. Model, form, everyone chooses independently. Can be made from an old sweater or canvas.
- Rings. Spiked nose rings are worn on the cow's nasal septum. They are made from durable plastic. It does not deform, does not break and does not allow the animal to freely consume food and water. Pain from touching the udder will not allow the cow to suck out milk, and gradually she will get rid of the bad habit.
- Muzzle made of leather with hard wire or nails. If a cattle tries to reach its own or another animal's udder, the nails will hurt.
How to prevent the problem?
When a problem is discovered, immediate action must be taken. Cattle farmers need to reconsider the mode of milking a cow. Do not overfill the udder with milk. It is recommended to start milking an hour or an hour and a half earlier, increasing the number of procedures up to 4-5 times a day.
Self-milking occurs in animals as a result of their late weaning from their mother. Some owners prefer to feed them with milked milk themselves. Do not keep calves older than 3 months. suckling with cows. From this age, natural and granular feed without the addition of milk is introduced into the diet of young animals. To obtain good milk yields, not only the correct diet and care of the cow is important, but also the timely prevention of self-exhaustion of milk by animals.
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