Milkmaids and farmers know how important healthy sleep and proper rest are for cows. The amount of milk and meat the animal produces directly depends on this. In addition, with poor quality rest, immunity will decrease and the cow will get sick. In critical cases, she may even lose the calf. There are many more interesting things that can be said about how and where cows sleep.
How and where do cows sleep?
Burenki, like many representatives of cattle, sleep in two positions: lying and standing. It depends on the hierarchy in the herd, housing conditions and season. Animals that are kept only in a stall have the opportunity to get quality sleep, but herd heifers and bulls have to while away an additional two hours of sleep a day. After all, they cannot always fully rest at night.
In addition, sleep is affected by:
- General health.
- Bright light.
- Temperature and drafts.
- Noise.
- Presence of other animals.
Regular sleep keeps cattle healthy. It has been proven that cows dream. If you watch a sleeping cow, you will notice how it inhales noisily and moves its eyeballs.
When cows rest in the fresh air, they lie down so as not to touch each other - at a distance of about 1.5-2 meters. Even in their sleep, they do not stop chewing, and the process of fiber absorption does not stop.
Lying down
If an animal lies on its stomach in a stall, it means that it is comfortable and has enough space, it feels safe. In this case, the cow may well switch off for some time, staying at night in a deep sleep phase. When space is very limited in the barn, group members begin to compete and even fight for the right to sleep. In this case, only expanding the stall will help.
In a spacious meadow or pasture, the position indicates the animal’s place in the herd hierarchy. The lying cow is one of the leaders. As a rule, other individuals keep a distance from her and guard the leader’s sleep.
standing
Cows are able to sleep on their feet if there is no way to lie down. But such a dream negatively affects the health of the cow.Animals can sleep while standing even with their eyes open, but it is difficult to call this quality rest. The body cannot completely relax. When a cow sleeps only standing for a long time, she becomes irritable and aggressive. In the stall it is better not to tie her up at night, because the tether restricts her movement.
The impact of sleep on productivity
A normal daily routine is as important for cows as it is for any living creature. Its absence has a detrimental effect not only on all systems of the mammal, but also on the products it produces. Meat breeds of cows they build muscle mass worse, get sick, and delicacies made from such beef turn out dry, tough and tasteless. During rest, the animal processes calories from food into muscle tissue, so they try to feed the cows tightly and give them the opportunity to get enough sleep.
In dairy cows, the percentage of fat in milk decreases and milk yield falls. To prevent this, you should combine daily grazing with adequate rest. In general, limited sleep affects cattle activity, appetite and vitality. But long-term naps are also unacceptable for these animals.
How long does sleep last?
Veterinarians have calculated that a mammal can fully restore its strength with 5-15 hours of sleep per day. Basically, cows rest for about 6-7 hours, although in excellent conditions they can sleep soundly for up to 10 hours.
