Now I have heard that a glass of warm milk before bed is a great way to catch some quality sleep. However, a herd of dairy cows in Germany might have a different solution.
ABCnews.com reporter Mary Plummer, posted a story about a herd of 1,400 cows that are being milked between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., with the theory that they will produce more melatonin in their milk. Melatonin is commonly used by those that have sleeps problems.
To further boost the melatonin production, the bovines are fed clover and soothed under warm red lights to lower stress levels while being milked. And during the day when the weather is good, the pampered animals are turned out in a pen with grass and deep, cozy sand, which the workers call "cow beach."
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| Photo from dw-world.de |
It sounds like a pretty neat product for those that can't get to sleep. However, one thing you might note is that good ole regular dairy cows are treated pretty good too. I have seen a variety of innovative bedding used in standard dairies, including sand bed and waterbeds. Farmers are concerned about the well being of their animals no matter what product they are producing.
We had dairy judging practice at a dairy in Hillsboro, Kan. that had waterbeds for their cows. It was really neat. They also had heaters in the barn to prevent the waterbeds from freezing. I'd say those cows are more comfy in their barn than I am in my apartment in Manhattan!
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