Protecting cows in Scotland – what breed to choose.

In deciding what breed to use as the base of a protected cow dairy farm there are a number of criteria to consider. All the cows are going to be care for their entire life so any cow can fulfill that role. Cow Protection is a dynamic status and indicates productivity but in a setting with knowledge that the cow has a physical element, a subtle mental element and a spiritual element. Society benefits immensely with an economic base that has protected cows as its driving and limiting factor. To be productive cows should be selected that give plentiful milk, have good statured males for working and good docility for better human interaction and be beautiful for aesthetic value.

Karuna Bhavan is based on Lanarkshire Scotland and as this is a herd of cows to reach out to Scotland with a message that cow protection will be good for your it seems natural to consider a cow that can appeal to those of specific Scottish interest. There is only one noted dairy breed in Scotland and that is the Ayrshire. Although it has been influenced over the decades and centuries by other breeds it has been noted as a distinct breed for many years. The males weigh up to 900kgs and cows up to 600kgs and the cows are recorded as giving on average 7700 litres of milk over 305 days with a butterfat content of 3.9%.

In practice cow protection dairy farms extend the lactation of the cows until they dry up naturally and this has been recorded to be for about 4 years after the birth of their cow. In other words, once the calf is born the calf has its share and the rest is for people. Once the calf reaches about six months it is weaned from its mothers’ milk, but the cow will continue to feed her human dependents for as long as she is happy which as noted has an average duration of about 4 years but in some cases we see the cow giving milk for 10 years and even more.

In selecting the Ayrshire breed of cows as the base of our dairy farming we are anticipating the development of new information regarding the possibilities of this breed in Scotland. We will see how giving she is not only in terms of her milk and the draft of her males, but we will see the value of her fertilizing properties in her manure and her comforting value in her very presence. We look forward to your visits to experience firsthand the multi value of keeping cows not only in the usual ways but in new ways. We are convinced that having protected cows in karuna Bhavan will enhance the already wonderful visitor destination, but it will also add a new dimension of animal human interaction, one we feel is significant in the development of human happiness and contentment. Help us get there and you get there simultaneously.