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On Your Table Blog

July 12, 2021

Do you have a farm question?

Do you have a farm question?

We have farmers and ranchers who can answer you questions about how and why things are done the way they are.

One recent question we received was: 

Do cows remember/know what time they will be milked if you consistently milk them at the same time?

Answered by Nate Schlief, Grand Forks County

A cow will get accustomed to getting milked at a certain times of the day and that schedule is up to the dairy farmer. Some farmers milk twice a day, some milk three times a day and in the case of robotic milkers it's the cows choice when to be milked and how often to be milked. A cow with a high lactation giving lots of milk may choose to be milked several times a day with a robot. It's up to her to decide when she wants to be milked. In the case of the smaller dairy operation with a barn with stalls, the cow will come into the barn, find her stanchion where she usually stands and get prepared for milking. Yes, she will remember where she stands in the barn and knows when it is time for milking.  

Find other answers on our Ask a Farmer page.