Just like you and I, cows have basic needs to survive and thrive. Here at Freedom Hill Farm, these needs are our priority. Simply put there are 3 main factors that affect how cows feel: Food/Diet, Comfort, and Social environment. We’ve already discussed their diets and environment in earlier blogs, so today we will look at how they talk to each other and get along.
All cows are extroverts, they don’t like to be by themselves and they’re not happy unless they’re with their friends. They get lonely and scared by themselves so keeping them close together helps them feel safe and happy. When a new cow comes into the herd and doesn’t know anyone else, they get social anxiety and it takes a little while for them to adjust and relax. To make sure our cows are stress free, we don’t move cows around in the barn unless we have to, that way they can stay with their friends and feel comfortable and safe all the time. When they go out cows will stick with groups of their friends so they always have someone to chat with while they munch the grass.
In the summer we have dry cows (pregnant cows, not giving milk) that live in fields a little ways from the farm. To make sure these cows stay socially connected we never move just a single cow, we take them to the field or bring them back in groups of at least 2 so they always have 1 old friend with them wherever they go!
