Self-sucking of milk, both in oneself and in other cows, is a common problem faced by many cattle breeders. 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 from sucking its milk? Various methods are used to solve the problem.
Why does the cow do this?
When breeding cows, it is important to take into account that if the animal finds nutritious and plentiful food, it will not be easy to wean it off.Once cows have tasted their milk, they continue to self-milk. There are many reasons why cows suck their own milk.
An animal's genetic predisposition contributes to eating disorders. Practice in recent years has shown that dairy cows are most prone to defects. The most common reason is underfeeding in childhood. The habit remains with them into adulthood.
How to wean an animal from sucking its udder?
Once an animal has discovered a source of tasty food, it is difficult to wean it from its bad habit. Often, owners do not know what to do if the cow sucks itself.
Sometimes it is impossible to determine the reason for this behavior. Owners have to take radical measures to eliminate it:
- A Spanish collar is a series of wooden sticks tied together with twine. The device prevents the animal from bending its neck. After a few days, the cow forgets about its vice.
- Ichthyol ointment. A product with an unpleasant and persistent odor is used to treat the udder. The only drawback is that the milk takes on a smell. Some cows, despite the ointment, continue to suck their milk.
- Udder cover. Everyone chooses the model and form independently. You can sew it from an old sweater or tarpaulin.
- Rings. Spiked nose rings are placed on the cow's nasal septum. They are made of durable plastic. It does not deform, does not break and does not allow the animal to freely consume food and water.Painful sensations from touching the udder will prevent the cow from sucking milk, and gradually she will get rid of the bad habit.
- Muzzle made of leather with hard wire or nails. If the animal tries to reach its udder or the udder of another animal, the nails will cause pain.
How to prevent the problem from occurring?
Once a problem is discovered, action must be taken immediately. Cattle breeders need to reconsider the cow milking regime. The udder should not be allowed to overflow with milk. It is recommended to start milking an hour or an hour and a half earlier, increasing the number of procedures to 4-5 times a day.
Self-milking occurs in animals as a result of late weaning from their mother. Some owners prefer to feed them milked milk themselves. Calves older than 3 months cannot be kept. suckling with cows. From this age, natural and granulated feeds without the addition of milk are introduced into the diet of young animals. To obtain good milk yield, it is important not only the correct diet and care of the cow, but also timely prevention of self-sucking of milk by the animal.
