Hormones may be another factor: dairy cows are forcibly impregnated to get them to produce milk and because of this, there are some traces of estrogen in milk. However, I think where most people get confused is that cows are not continuously pregnant. What’s more, if the farmers want to get quality milk, they have to offer them quality food, not just any type of grass. The cows’ babies are generally taken away within a day of being born—male calves are destined for veal crates, while females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers. If the farmers delay the separation, this may be an extra source of stress for both animals. This is just one of the reasons why vegans don’t consume dairy. Cows need to have calves to produce milk, which is why dairy cows are impregnated three months after calving. The vast majority of dairy cows live on factory farms (we’re talking in the high 90%s). And it's not like dairy production isn't done humanely today either. Milk Production A cow produces the most milk around 40 to 60 days after she's given birth. I currently head up the marketjng for one of the largest organic feed mills in the US. This ensures a constant supply of milk from the herd. 1 They are fed milk replacers (including cattle blood) so that their mothers’ milk can be sold to humans. A cow usually produces milk for as long as she is milked. Cows used to produce dairy milk spend their lives in constant cycles of pregnancy, withstanding repeated artificial inseminations, giving birth and having their calves removed, and enduring nearly continuous mechanized milking with only a few short months of rest between pregnancies. This probably came from cartoons and misleading ads while growing up. This means the cow will not be able to produce milk 1-2 months after the birth of calves. Initially, there weren’t many differences between the cows bred for dairy or those for meat. Typically they are artificially inseminated within three months of giving birth. If allowed to exist free of exploitation and slaughter, cows can live 25 years or more. It’s not so different to a woman who breastfeeds her children. Life of a dairy cow. If there is no calf, the cow will no longer produce any milk. The truth is, cows are mammals - which means they only produce milk after giving birth so that they can feed their child. In order for a female mammal to produce milk, they need to be pregnant. A cows pregnancy lasts 9 months. Milk production increases until about eight years of age. Calves are taken from their mother’s side shortly after birth, and the milk intended for them is instead shipped off for humans to drink. Milking will relieve this pain. The female calves that have dairy breeding can be kept and replace cows in the dairy herd. Is that true? The pregnancy causes the cow's body to produce the hormones required to prepare the cows body and udder to produce milk for the calf. As farmers, we time the pregnancies so that the cows are pregnant and give birth throughout the year. As a result of many pregnancies, cows on dairy farms become exhausted and their bodies are … Naturally, this practice has some effects on the environment as well. Once the cow calves, she is ready to supply milk to her calf. It ends up being one of the most common reasons people go vegan. COWS ARE FORCIBLY IMPREGNATED: Just like humans, cows only produce milk once they’ve given birth. The higher the number of cows, the bigger the amount of manure they produce. You might think that would be a simple birds-and-bees thing–put a cow and a bull in a paddock and give them some privacy. The first misconception that most have is that most milking is done by hand. During her pregnancy she will be on her first “lactation,” which simply means time producing milk between each calf. Shortly after her first birthday, a modern dairy cow will be confined and forcibly impregnated using restraining apparatus called a ‘rape rack’. This further influences the evolution of the herd and animals. After birth, the calves are removed from the mother in maximum 3 days. The cow “rests” for a few months before the process starts again. Consequently, dairy cows produce considerably more milk thanks to mechanical milking. It’s also highly unnatural. Depending on the market and the necessity, a cow can be bred with a ‘beef bull’ or a ‘dairy bull’. Your friendly neighborhood vegan from Toronto. This is just one of the reasons why vegans don’t consume dairy. Milk production is high initially, and the cow is milked on a regular basis until fat levels (in the butterfat) get too low. Cows typically have their first calf when they are two years old. Cows belong to a group of animals called ruminants. There is also another method of keeping a cow pregnant: through artificial insemination. Yes, it certainly is. Different dairy cow breeds have developed over time, all of them being selected and reproduced on a few main criteria, such as how resistant they are to illness, how much food they eat and the quantity of milk they produce. New Zealand has more than 375 cows, while Australia counts 220 on average in a herd. This includes taking away baby calves within 1-48 hours, poor living conditions, breeding side effects (as discussed), and slaughter after milk production slows down. Chemical engineer turned semi-professional soccer player and freelance nutrition writer. After being impregnated, female cows will endure a nine month pregnancy, and when the calf is born, it will be stolen within a few hours or days of birth. I don't buy into the conspiracy theorist mindset that the dairy industry is "lying to the public" about how cows produce milk. So even if milking is done perfectly, dairy cows are already likely not to be happy due to these complications of breeding. Surprisingly or not, the huge number of cows existent on the planet is one of the culprits for this substance dangerous to the environment. In order for cows to produce milk they need to give birth to a calf. You can find dairy cows in dairy farms or herds, where the farmers care for them. The pregnancy causes the cow’s body to produce the hormones required to prepare the cows body and udder to produce milk for the calf. One common tool for large scale milking is the rotolactor: It’s a tricky question to answer because cows can’t exactly talk, but I’ll try my best. Like all mammals, cows produce milk to nourish their young. When a cow is ready to give birth she will try to find a clean and dry area away from other cows. Since the inter-calving cycle is 12-14 months, this results in a milking period of 305 days (10 months). In order to maintain uninterrupted milk production, cows are forced year after year to go through an endless cycle of pregnancy and birth, only to have their calves immediately taken from them. One of the most common vegan myths is that cows "just make milk" and "cows need to be milked". In order to produce milk on an ongoing basis, dairy cows are continually impregnated. Now imagine the amount of food required for all of them. It’s sad that we treat animals as intelligent as cows as products like this. The cow has three to four months off before she calves again and the whole process continues. Yes, cows need to be pregnant and give birth to produce milk. The method for breeding the cow can be via live cover where she is in with a bull or A.I. Calves are taken from their mother’s side shortly after birth, and the milk intended for them is instead shipped off for humans to drink. Calves are generally torn away from their mothers within a day of birth, which causes them both extreme distress. The short answer is yes. Unbeknownst to many people, cows do not always have an abundant and constant supply of milk. Just imagine a huge farm with hundreds of cows. Although it is not as damaging to the environment as the other two reasons we mentioned above, manure is very unpleasant for agricultural workers, for instance. Cows Suffer on Dairy Farms Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do—to nourish their young—but calves on dairy farms are taken away from their mothers when they are just 1 day old. In the dairy industry, cows are routinely impregnated, so they can continue to produce milk. In time, however, scientists bred them on purpose, so now we have specialized species. A cow can only produce milk if she gives birth to a calf. The majority of dairy cows in the US are kept … Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. After that, the production declines, maintaining a steady rhythm. It’s still an ethical issue, and a valid reason to go vegan, but it’s good to have a clear picture of what actually happens on a dairy farm, instead of spreading misinformation (purposefully or not). I've been vegan for years and try to make life easier for others by sharing what I've learned. The peak production levels for the milk appear around 40-60 days after the animal gives birth. Dairy cows may be found either in herds or dairy farms where dairy farmers own, manage, care for, and collect milk from them, or on commercial farms. In order to force them to continue producing milk, factory farm operators typically impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. If they were feeding the calves, I’d imagine they’d enjoy it more. Grazing and housing. Essentially, we’re breeding dairy cows to be in discomfort just so we can relieve it. Dairy cows, which are also called dairy cattle, are the ones that are bred for their capacity of producing lots of milk. There are incontestable advantages to this method: an easier process, low costs, improving the genetic material, the general welfare of the farm animals and eliminating the diseases in the dairy industry. Here’s how the cycle looks like from a high level: The way it’s talked about sometimes in vegan circles can give you the impression that as soon as a calve is birthed, the cow is inseminated again. They wouldn’t do this if it wasn’t necessary, so common sense tells us that being pregnant has something to do with lactating. To keep giving milk, cows must be forcibly impregnated through artificial insemination every year. Milking here is mostly automated on modern farms. When Milk Production Slows – Cows Are Killed A cow can only be pregnant and produce optimal milk levels for so long. It varies from farm-to-farm, but on our farm, a heifer—young female that has not yet given birth—will calve around 24 months of age. Cows, like all mammals, must be impregnated to produce milk. Cows and calves cry out for each other as they are separated. Cows are known for eating a lot. However, there’s not too much actual research on this at the moment as far as I can see, and it’s certainly not going to be standard practice any time soon. Just like in humans, milk is a natural product that appears for the babies, in this case, calves. Once the cow calves, she is ready to supply milk to her calf. A cows pregnancy lasts 9 months. Just like us, cows only produce milk after giving birth. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated site. Herd sizes vary around the world depending on landholding culture and social structure. In this case, high producing dairy cows are at higher risk for a variety of health problems like lameness and mastitis. For this reason, farmers who want and need a constant milk resource must keep inseminating them. It will be used for beef production, but it will go to the low-quality products if it belongs to a dairy breed. Since milk is too valuable to waste on calves they are weaned as soon as possible then fed an artificial formula made largely from livestock blood since it has little commercial value. A cow has to give birth to produce milk. In this case, if the farmer has a cow that doesn’t give out as much milk as it should, they can use a replacement. FAMILIES ARE TORN APART: Also much like with humans, once a cow gives birth, a strong bond instantly forms between mother and baby. The milk is intended for their infants. In the wild, mating takes place based on how cows interact with one another socially and based on the females’ heat cycles. I've also heard that farmers inject them with hormones to keep producing milk and that those hormone injections are banned from Europe and Canada. When does a cow give birth to her first calf? Moreover, in large farms, they should schedule the cows so as to have a permanent supply of milk to sell. One other factor to consider is that mother cows have strong maternal bonds with their calves. Within a day … Each year, she is forced once again to go through the physical demands of pregnancy and calving only to once again face the stress of having her newborn calf taken away — all to enable her continued milk production. This happens because the mother creates a strong bond with the calf in time. I’ve seen a few discussions about injecting dairy cows with certain hormones to simulate a pregnancy and stimulate lactation. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Cow’s produce milk when they are not pregnant in order to feed their calves. Greenandgrowing.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. In commercial units, pregnant cows will be separated from the milking herd about 2 months before they are due to give birth (classed as ‘dry cows’). However, the milking process might be less automated and gentler. The animal rights group, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), says dairy cows are raped to produce milk. There are many ethical issues when it comes to the treatment of dairy cows that I believe are more impactful than the enjoyment of milking. So it’s pretty neutral overall (not particularly painful or pleasurable). For example, in the U.S. the average herd size is 120 cows. Dairy farms regularly impregnate their dairy cows, usually through artificial means. As farmers, we time the pregnancies so that the cows are pregnant and give birth throughout the year. So to keep the milk flowing, farmers artificially inseminate female cows about once a year. The extensive planting and harvesting of crops, including grass or other types of herbs that help the cows can lead to soil damage. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus. Then the cow gets impregnated again, thus repeating the same process. Cows take space, food, and labor to raise, so there’s a constant evaluation of whether or not it’s profitable to keep a dairy cow. To start with, consider that dairy cows are bred to maximize milk production. Unfortunately this means that on dairy farms, the calf has to be taken from the mother right after birth so that humans can take the mother's milk instead. Generally, they only eat grass, but most of the time the regular production of grass is not enough for them. But why do dairy cows have to be pregnant to produce milk? Approximately 400 to 500 gallons of blood pass through the udder for each gallon of milk production. The pregnancy causes the cow’s body to produce the hormones required to prepare the cows body and udder to produce milk for the calf. That a cow becomes pregnant and is producing milk is purely coincidental due to the overlap of the length of lactation period (6 to 8 months for beef cattle, 10 months for dairy) and the gestation period (approximately 9.5 months in all female bovines). Luckily, this can be used as a fertilizer, but not all the farms manage to deal with the huge amounts. All forms of dairy farming involve forcibly impregnating cows. Cows do have to be impregnated to produce milk. In what follows, we are going to analyze what are the main consequences of making dairy cows pregnant for producing milk. (1) In order to maximize milk production, cows must be routinely impregnated (2), usually once a year, causing greater stress, and greater likelihood of illness and premature death. All cows within the dairy industry – no matter how they are raised – will be forcibly impregnated, separated from their calves and, eventually, slaughtered at a young age. Cows only become pregnant to produce a calf, and only produce milk with the intent to feed that calf. Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their young. In order to force them to produce as much milk as possible, farmers typically impregnate cows every year using a device that the industry calls a “rape rack.” Farmers need to wait around two months before inseminating the cow again. Farmers milk this cow as long as she is able to produce the milk. In reality, a dairy cow produces milk for months after birth. To maintain lactation, a cow needs to be bred and to produce calves. The organization attempts to equate artificial insemination of farm animals to women being raped and human trafficking sex crimes. Generally, the farms that use this technique don’t have any bulls around. This is the beginning of her short and wretched life cycle – pregnancy, loss and lactation. You’ve taken a great first step trying to understand if dairy is ethical or not, but I urge you to keep researching. Cows need to have calves to produce milk, which is why dairy cows are impregnated three months after calving. Like all mammals, cows only produce milk to feed their babies. However, if there is too much milk stored, it can cause the cow pain. 7 Possible Side Effects of Going Vegan Cold Turkey, A cow that is not producing milk is inseminated, Much like humans, it gives birth to a calf about 9 months later, and. I'm just curious to know, even though I don't drink cow milk or goat milk because I don't really like the taste of it. This helps the animal’s udder tissue regenerate. Genetically modifying yeast can make dairy protein fermentation an easier and simpler method. It's actually kind of sad. Lastly, there is another serious consequence of constantly making cows pregnant. Like all mammals, cows must give birth in order to produce milk.