Keep the cows happy to get more nutritious milk

A research carried out by University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US has found that happy cows are produce more nutritious milk with higher levels of calcium. The researchers found that daily infusions with a naturally-occurring chemical commonly associated with feelings of happiness led to increased levels of calcium levels in the milk of Jersey cows that had just given birth.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 16 July 2016.

The results could pave the way of a better understanding of how to improve the health of dairy cows, and keep the milk flowing. Usually, the demand is high for milk rich in calcium and dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are primary sources of the mineral. However, this demand can take its toll on milk-producing cows because a large number of dairy cow population suffers from hypocalcaemia - this is a condition in which calcium levels are low.
The team of researchers in the US investigated the potential for serotonin (a naturally occurring chemical commonly associated with feelings of happiness) to increase calcium levels in both the milk and blood of dairy cows. They experimented with two breeds of cows - the Jersey and the Holstein.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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