Water Beds for Dairy Cows???

[Auburn_Ag]

Udderly Happy: Ohio Farmer Gives Cows Waterbeds to Boost Milk Production
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

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Happy cows produce more milk. That's why Bill Timmons has put 200 waterbeds in his barn.

The Geauga County farmer says he spent nearly $40,000 doing it, too.

Crazy? Timmons says far from it. He says daily milk production jumped more than 20 percent after just two weeks of the cows relaxing in their new beds.

"You take care of them, and they'll take care of you," Timmons told MyFOXCleveland.

Each waterbed — slightly smaller than a full mattress, though without a headboard — holds 14 gallons of water within a tough rubber hide. The liquid cushions a lounging cow; in essence, the 1,500-pound animal blissfully floats atop inches of water.

At this point, he's one of the first northeast Ohio farmers to invest in the bedding, a trend that began in the United States about ten years ago.

Dean Throndsen is owner of Advanced Comfort Technology, the lone North American producer of cow waterbeds. He says there are about 150,000 of the beds around the country.

Temple Grandin, an animal-welfare expert and professor at Colorado State University, studed the beds and admitted being surprised by the results.

"When we first started doing our study, we thought it was a joke," Grandin told MyFOXCleveland. "Then we saw the data. They work. If I built a dairy today, I'd put them in."

Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXCleveland.com.

The Associated Press contributed

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339008,00.html :roll:

 

[TexasBred]

What next?? The sleep number bed? Each cow gets her very own preference. :lol2: :lol2:

 

[Auburn_Ag]

What next?? The sleep number bed? Each cow gets her very own preference. :lol2: :lol2:

Massages??? :roll: :lol2:

 

[bigbull338]

cows have been sleeping on mattresses for years.might as well take them to the next level.water beds for cows.that makes them more content to lay down an use their stalls.as well as relax an chew their cuds an make milk.

 

[bandit80]

Sounds far-fetched, but sounds like it works.

I am a firm believer in Temple Grandin, and if she thinks they are a good idea, they probably are.

What next?? The sleep number bed? Each cow gets her very own preference. :lol2: :lol2:

:lol2:

 

[TexasBred]

Sounds far-fetched, but sounds like it works.

I am a firm believer in Temple Grandin, and if she thinks they are a good idea, they probably are.

What next?? The sleep number bed? Each cow gets her very own preference. :lol2: :lol2:

:lol2:

It's always been a known fact that comfortable cattle gave more milk. Allows them a nice place to lay down, rest and ruminate and cattle in those type barns always give more milk because feed is in front of them 24/7 and they tend to feed a much more energy dense ration. I'd like to see more facts on that set of cows and their previous environment before I put too much trust in that 20% milk production increase.

 

[dun]

It's always been a known fact that comfortable cattle gave more milk. Allows them a nice place to lay down, rest and ruminate and cattle in those type barns always give more milk because feed is in front of them 24/7 and they tend to feed a much more energy dense ration. I'd like to see more facts on that set of cows and their previous environment before I put too much trust in that 20% milk production increase.

The water mattress deal has been around for atleast 5 years. One of the local dairyman put them in his freestall barn. Don;t know what the production change was. What I found funny was that one cow would not use them, she layed on the concrete floor rather then use the mattress'.

 

[sidney411]

I don't see how only 14 gallons of water would make much of a difference, seems like the weight of the cow would displace that little amount of water enough that she would be laying practically on the concrete anyway.

 

[dun]

I don't see how only 14 gallons of water would make much of a difference, seems like the weight of the cow would displace that little amount of water enough that she would be laying practically on the concrete anyway.

Of course I don;t weight nearly as much as a cow, but when I stepped on the local guys mattresses my foot didn;t even make an impression.

 

[GMN]

Udderly Happy: Ohio Farmer Gives Cows Waterbeds to Boost Milk Production
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

E-Mail Print Share:
DiggFacebookStumbleUpon
Happy cows produce more milk. That's why Bill Timmons has put 200 waterbeds in his barn.

The Geauga County farmer says he spent nearly $40,000 doing it, too.

Crazy? Timmons says far from it. He says daily milk production jumped more than 20 percent after just two weeks of the cows relaxing in their new beds.

"You take care of them, and they'll take care of you," Timmons told MyFOXCleveland.

Each waterbed — slightly smaller than a full mattress, though without a headboard — holds 14 gallons of water within a tough rubber hide. The liquid cushions a lounging cow; in essence, the 1,500-pound animal blissfully floats atop inches of water.

At this point, he's one of the first northeast Ohio farmers to invest in the bedding, a trend that began in the United States about ten years ago.

Dean Throndsen is owner of Advanced Comfort Technology, the lone North American producer of cow waterbeds. He says there are about 150,000 of the beds around the country.

Temple Grandin, an animal-welfare expert and professor at Colorado State University, studed the beds and admitted being surprised by the results.

"When we first started doing our study, we thought it was a joke," Grandin told MyFOXCleveland. "Then we saw the data. They work. If I built a dairy today, I'd put them in."

Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXCleveland.com.

The Associated Press contributed

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339008,00.html :roll:

Kind of messy to clean up after, I would think.

GMN

 

[TexasBred]

I don't see how only 14 gallons of water would make much of a difference, seems like the weight of the cow would displace that little amount of water enough that she would be laying practically on the concrete anyway.

These "water beds" are only about he size of a twin mattress so doesn't take a lot of water when a 1400 lb. cow lays down on it to give her a cushion.

I just wish they would have told us what kind of environment these cattle had been in prior to this in order to understand that huge milk increase.

 

[bigbull338]

ok look here when the cow lays down her weight speads the water out evenly in the mattress.thus letting the water support her weight as she is laying down.thus not that much water is needed in the mattress.if you can get on your knees in a cows stall.an its comy to you tobe on your knees there.then you know its comfy for the cow to lay in her stall.sme with the waterbeds.if its comfy on your knees.you know shes comfy laying on it.