Cow dung does not smell pleasant to human beings. But do cows like their feces? Do Cows Dislike the Smell of Their Own Waste? Let’s discuss this.
Do Cows Dislike the Smell of Their Own Waste?
This is a difficult and quite interesting question to answer. To be honest, cow dung does not smell as bad as a pig or pig feces. And cows usually smell their dung and vice versa.
Cows that graze in pastures are hardly bothered about their dung and where they do them because it just gets dropped everywhere. But in their barns, the smell can be overpowering. Cows usually like clean bedding and straw to lie down on. They would not roll over or sleep on their dung.
But do Cows dislike the smell of their own waste? From my experience with cows so far, I don’t think it bothers them much. They could be either indifferent to the smell or cows like the smell somewhat. The only reason I am saying this is that when their barns are fully cleaned out and do not smell of cow anymore, they seem a bit hesitant to go in. I think there could be something about the smell of their dung that is comforting to them.
But this does not mean that cows like living in their own dung, and allowing them to sleep on dirty bedding is unfair and oppressive.
Cows have a very sensitive sense of smell. So they can smell their feces miles away. Cow dung that is composted into manure does not smell so awful, but an accumulation of wet dung around cows can lead to many issues for cows.
Cow dung is high in ammonia and other chemicals that can cause painful sores and ulcers in the body when constantly in contact. Cows like to be clean, and they dislike dampness.
I don’t think cow dung here and there in the pastures or in their barns is any issue for cows. But when intensive farms that raise a large number of cattle do not keep their cows clean, the situation can turn miserable. Dirty stalls will lead to infections, disease, flies and unhappy cows. Unhappy cows will mean less milk for farmers.
There are some dairy cow farms that are accused of never cleaning out dung so much that the feces are hardened. Some farms are knee-high in dung so that cows have to wade through them to get through. Watch this for the video.
Another interesting fact to note is that cows can smell from 8km away. When the dung and urine of stressed cows are detected, they perceive their fear and discomfort. This is why it’s important to keep milking clean and comfortable for cows.
Likewise, cows can also smell blood from far away, so keep slaughtering well away from live cows.
In conclusion: Do Cows Dislike the Smell of Their Own Waste?
They don’t seem to dislike the smell of their own dung. They may like it or maybe just be indifferent to the smell. But they definitely do not like damp or dirty bedding and will not lie down in areas soiled with their dung. We will not be able to find a surefire answer whether cows like their smell or not, but they should not be kept in dirty circumstances. Not cleaning out barns and accumulation of dung in intensive cow farms will cause disease, flies and infection.
Are cows bad for the environment? Read this for the full article.
*All pics are taken from Unsplash.com