Why do cows have a hole in their side? What is its use in animal husbandry

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The twenty-first century is a time when the latest technologies are being introduced into all areas of life and science. Farming was also not without “updates”. So, in recent years, more and more often you can see on the street or in photographs of cows with holes in their sides. This is not animal abuse, not the wonders of computer photo editors, but a special technology that simplifies the life of livestock and the work of farmers. This will be discussed in this article.

Cow stomach

So, why do cows have a hole in their side? The appearance of such holes is due to the fact that the animal has a very complex digestive system. The stomach is a multi-level mechanism that is designed to digest large amounts of fiber. This body can be compared to a real factory. Due to the content of various microorganisms in the cow's stomach, suchsubstance like cellulose. That is why cattle can eat hay and still feel no discomfort.

Digestion problems

Despite the fact that the stomach of a cow is such a complex system, malfunctions can occur in its work. Most often, they are associated with the fact that the microflora of the body is very sensitive, so it can be disturbed due to an unbalanced diet. There are times when the diet of an animal changes dramatically. For example, a cow was fed hay for a long time, and then suddenly she was given young clover, silage, beets, or other plants.

In such situations, the microorganisms that are in the stomach of cows cannot react quickly and immediately change to digest food of a different kind. Because of this, an excess of deposits is formed in the rumen, that is, in a certain section of the stomach. The cow suffers from this. If help was not provided to her in time, she could die. To prevent such situations from happening, holes are made in the side of cows.

Old Solutions

Before the new technology of creating holes in the side of an animal, farmers and veterinarians de alt with the digestive problems of cows in a different way. For this, the belly of the cow was simply pierced in a special place. This allowed the release of excess gases from the body. However, this procedure was urgent and very painful for the animal. Moreover, such operations were carried out, as a rule, too late. The point is that farmersthe latter hoped for a miraculous recovery of the cattle and were in no hurry to call the veterinarian.

Benefits

Why do cows have a hole in their side? The use of valves instead of abdominal piercing is due to several reasons, which are also advantages of this technology.

• Momentality. You can open the valve at any time, as soon as it is necessary.
• The ability to remove excess gases from the body.
• Cleansing the stomach. Through the valve, poorly digested food can be removed, and this will prevent the reproduction of pathogens.
• Control the number of bacteria and other single-celled organisms that live in the cow's stomach.
• Meal planning. According to the state of the body, you can understand which products the cow can digest best at the moment.

As you can see, there are many answers to the question of why cows get holes in their sides. The main disadvantage is unattractiveness. However, there are no other disadvantages.

Painless

Protection of the animal's body - that's why cows have a hole in their side. There is a myth that the valve gives the cow a lot of inconvenience. However, veterinarians who carry out operations to install them assure that it is absolutely safe for the cow. This does not prevent her from living, eating, sleeping and walking. Moreover, there is a feeling that the animals do not even feel the valve in their body.

Disputes

On the one hand, the implantation of the valve prevents variouscow digestion problems. That is why many farmers install them in advance, when the animal feels quite well. This is done even if the scar has not bothered the cow before. However, not all animal advocates support the view that valve implantation is appropriate. Some are sure that it is better to avoid this procedure. Needless to say, cows with holes in their sides do not look very attractive (the photo is presented in this article). It can be said that this spectacle is not for the faint of heart.

Farms

There are special farms where specialists study why cows have a hole in their side. In the same place, work is underway to study the relationship between feed and the microflora of the stomach. A special valve is inserted into the scar, which makes it easy to make samples and take tests. Moreover, various excursions are organized to such farms. Even children can watch the process of work. Those who wish can independently extract not fully digested food from the stomach. Animal rights activists are convinced that such behavior is unacceptable. By taking part in such an excursion, people can find out what the hole in the side is actually called. There is a term "fistula", which denotes this concept. Thanks to the fistula, you can understand which foods are best given to a particular cow.

Synthesis of products

Animal advocates are still unhappy with the practice of implanting valves, despite the fact that they know whycows in the side hole. An interesting fact is that scientists are trying to investigate the principle by which microorganisms work in the gastric tract of animals. And if these works are successful, then it will be possible to find a way to synthesize new products. They will be very useful for humans, but they are considered vegetarian.