Milk production?
1 - 20 of 58 Posts
Yes a cow must have a calf if she is to procuce milk. The calf is then taken from her as soon as it is born and if it is male it is raised for beef or veal. If it is female it is subject to the same fate as it mother. Pumped full of antibiotics and harmones and made to produce unatural amounts of milk
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">So, does a cow have to produce a new calf every year or so?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
no. just as human females continue to produce milk indefinitely (as long as they are 'using' their mammary glands) after bearing children, a female cow only needs to have one baby.<br><br><br><br>
my last baby weaned in august 2002 and occassionally some milk will still come out of my breasts. my mother, who hasn't breastfed in almost 30 years, still occassionally produces milk with the right kind of stimulation.<br><br><br><br>
as long as the cow is continously milked, she should keep producing. of course, they can increase production by giving her artificial hormones, too.
<div class="quote-block">So, does a cow have to produce a new calf every year or so?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
no. just as human females continue to produce milk indefinitely (as long as they are 'using' their mammary glands) after bearing children, a female cow only needs to have one baby.<br><br><br><br>
my last baby weaned in august 2002 and occassionally some milk will still come out of my breasts. my mother, who hasn't breastfed in almost 30 years, still occassionally produces milk with the right kind of stimulation.<br><br><br><br>
as long as the cow is continously milked, she should keep producing. of course, they can increase production by giving her artificial hormones, too.
Joined
·
83 Posts
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Well, IMHO I think so. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="
">
<div class="quote-block">So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Well, IMHO I think so. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="
">
Joined
·
7,691 Posts
whether they're made to reproduce or not (which i think i read that they are in order to produce that initial milk meant for the newborn, i don't know what they use it for though) either way i feel consuming dairy contributes to many problems. milking cows go through absolute hell, as do their babies, and the health problems caused by the stuff just isn't worth it.<br><br>
and anyway i think it's so unnatural for us to drink the milk of another species
and anyway i think it's so unnatural for us to drink the milk of another species
I found this at Peta<br><br><br><br>
Corporate-owned factories where cows are warehoused in huge sheds and treated like milk machines have replaced most small family farms. With genetic manipulation and intensive production technologies, it is common for modern dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day 10 times more than they would produce in nature. To keep milk production as high as possible, farmers artificially inseminate cows every year. Growth hormones and unnatural milking schedules cause dairy cows' udders to become painful and so heavy that they sometimes drag on the ground, resulting in frequent infections and overuse of antibiotics. Cows -- like all mammals -- make milk to feed their own babies -- not humans.
Corporate-owned factories where cows are warehoused in huge sheds and treated like milk machines have replaced most small family farms. With genetic manipulation and intensive production technologies, it is common for modern dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day 10 times more than they would produce in nature. To keep milk production as high as possible, farmers artificially inseminate cows every year. Growth hormones and unnatural milking schedules cause dairy cows' udders to become painful and so heavy that they sometimes drag on the ground, resulting in frequent infections and overuse of antibiotics. Cows -- like all mammals -- make milk to feed their own babies -- not humans.
Joined
·
83 Posts
I also agree with LadyFaile that it's totally unnatural to drink milk from another species. Not only that but also to drink ANY milk past the age of weaning (or whatever it's called).
Joined
·
83 Posts
Also, I've read that when their milk production wanes (I think around 4 years of age) they get shipped off to be slaughtered.<br><br><br><br>
The dairy industry seems to feed the meat industry in more ways than one. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""><br><br><br><br>
I would not be surprised if the egg industry was similar in that fashion ("spent" hens being slaughtered for meat). Most male chicks are killed after hatching too.
The dairy industry seems to feed the meat industry in more ways than one. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="
"><br><br><br><br>I would not be surprised if the egg industry was similar in that fashion ("spent" hens being slaughtered for meat). Most male chicks are killed after hatching too.
Yes the egg industry does the same things, chickens do not lay while they are moulting so they either do a forced molt, to rush the process, by putting them in a dark barn and witholding food and water. About half of them die during the process. Or they ship them off to the slaughter house.
Joined
·
371 Posts
in a normal production system dairy cattle have a calf approximately every year. their gestation period is 9 months, just like humans. she will calve, start being milked, bred during her next heat (estrous cycle is about 21 days), milk for about 305 days and then be dry for about 2 months until she calves again.<br><br><br><br>
like kreeli says, as long as a cow (or a human) is being milked, either mechanically or by offspring, she will continue to lactate. but the amount of milk she produces will decrease significantly over time, so therefore dairy cows are bred to calve about once every year to keep them productive.
like kreeli says, as long as a cow (or a human) is being milked, either mechanically or by offspring, she will continue to lactate. but the amount of milk she produces will decrease significantly over time, so therefore dairy cows are bred to calve about once every year to keep them productive.
Joined
·
8,440 Posts
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block"><i>Originally posted by carbonwafer</i><br><br><b>So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</b></div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Yes, absolutely.<br><br><br><br>
A cow can get up to 20-25 years old, needs a calf every year to keep production up, is economically written off after 4-5 years.<br><br><br><br>
In Europe most cheese is made with the stomach of calves, and only a small part of the cheese is made in a vegetarian way.<br><br><br><br>
Cows have sometimes to be forced to accept the suction things. They can get infected nipples if the suction/no-suction rates of the milk machine shifts.<br><br><br><br>
Cows are separated from their calves direct after birth, because if they dont the mother cow can be aggressive later on. Besides that mother cows can keep boe-ing very loud for days.<br><br><br><br>
Calves have to be separated from each other because they have a natural urge to suck, and they start to suck each other ears.
<div class="quote-block"><i>Originally posted by carbonwafer</i><br><br><b>So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</b></div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Yes, absolutely.<br><br><br><br>
A cow can get up to 20-25 years old, needs a calf every year to keep production up, is economically written off after 4-5 years.<br><br><br><br>
In Europe most cheese is made with the stomach of calves, and only a small part of the cheese is made in a vegetarian way.<br><br><br><br>
Cows have sometimes to be forced to accept the suction things. They can get infected nipples if the suction/no-suction rates of the milk machine shifts.<br><br><br><br>
Cows are separated from their calves direct after birth, because if they dont the mother cow can be aggressive later on. Besides that mother cows can keep boe-ing very loud for days.<br><br><br><br>
Calves have to be separated from each other because they have a natural urge to suck, and they start to suck each other ears.
Joined
·
5,034 Posts
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block"><i>Originally posted by misanthropy</i><br><br><b>Also, I've read that when their milk production wanes (I think around 4 years of age) they get shipped off to be slaughtered.<br><br><br><br>
The dairy industry seems to feed the meat industry in more ways than one. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=""></b></div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
That's true..... most meat comes from "spent" dairy Cows (I can't recall the percentage, but it is high).<br><br><br><br>
It's weird that humans are the only animals that continue to drink milk (and not even of their own species) by choice throughout their life. Milk drinkers are just big wannabe babies and need to have a diaper slapped on them and be burped.
<div class="quote-block"><i>Originally posted by misanthropy</i><br><br><b>Also, I've read that when their milk production wanes (I think around 4 years of age) they get shipped off to be slaughtered.<br><br><br><br>
The dairy industry seems to feed the meat industry in more ways than one. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="
"></b></div></div>
<br><br><br>
That's true..... most meat comes from "spent" dairy Cows (I can't recall the percentage, but it is high).<br><br><br><br>
It's weird that humans are the only animals that continue to drink milk (and not even of their own species) by choice throughout their life. Milk drinkers are just big wannabe babies and need to have a diaper slapped on them and be burped.
Joined
·
19,873 Posts
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
I prefer to think of it as contributing to the solution. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="">
<div class="quote-block">So, I guess that lacto-vegetarians are contributing to the problem?</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
I prefer to think of it as contributing to the solution. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/wink3.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="
">1 - 20 of 58 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!