Certain types of
management situations are stressful to cattle. A cow’s body responds to
stressful situations in many ways. The bodily response most characteristic
of stress is increased secretion of hormones called glucocorticoids from the
adrenal gland. Many management situations or diseases can increase secretion
of glucocorticoids. For example, trucking cattle, competition for free
stalls, isolation from all herd mates, over milking, surgery, and severe
mastitis have been shown to increase blood levels of glucocorticoids. A few
research studies have been conducted to look at the effect that stress has
upon reproduction, milk production, and aggression in livestock. Most
studies have focused on stress in relation to reproduction only. New studies
have shown that cows exhibit varying degrees of stress regardless of whether
they are male or female, young or old. We now know that the balance
of hormones can be easily altered by a multitude of stressful situations. There are many practical
situations where management of cattle may induce unnecessary stress. One example is chasing or roping cattle,
another is the use of aggressive dogs to isolate
cattle. Also, when moving animals through a cattle chute for estrous
synchronization and/or breeding.
Isolating a cow in a breeding stall away from the rest of the herd several
hours before being bred artificially may be stressful.
A recent research study closely
examined two herds of dairy cows that were moved into a new milking and housing
facilities. In the first group adrenal stress hormone levels were elevated and milk
production decreased immediately. In the second group there was only a
slight decline before stress levels and milk production were back to normal.
There was nothing significantly different between the two herds of cows. The
facilities used did not differ greatly either. The study was designed to
test the effects of music and sound effects on stress in livestock. The
first herd was greatly disturbed by the change in surroundings there were no
problems in detecting cows in estrus. The important conclusion of this study
was that cows can undergo the stress of transportation, and adjustment to a
new milking parlor, a new free stall barn, new farm workers and new herd
mates
without a decline in estrous detection rate. Extra stress was avoided in
this study by not chasing, beating, or roping the COWS,
and handling the cows as gently as possible. In conclusion, the time that
management stress may have its biggest effect on reproduction appears to be
immediately before a cow comes into standing estrus. Any management
procedures that can decrease the amount of stress in cattle at this time
should be practiced.
Products
Offered for Dairy Cattle - Available on CD or Cassette Tape with your choice of musical or
natural sounds (see order page for details). For only $16.95 each. All CDs and tapes can be Customized.
Speed
Healing - Order code-SH
Does your pet have an illness or a
physical ailment? Has your pet had a recent operation or surgery?
Speed up his or her recovery time with this revolutionary new CD. We
have isolated the sounds of nature that have been proven to boost
the immune system and accelerate the healing process. Placed at a
subsonic level under the music of your choice you can give your pet
the fast and comfortable recovery it deserves by simply playing a
CD!
Taming Aggression - Order code-TA
Specifically designed for aggressive or agitated pets this CD
contains the natural sounds that have the greatest calming effects.
Sounds alert animals to danger and let them know when to relax.
Overly aggressive animals are often being negatively stimulated by
hostile sounds. We have found the sounds that work best to tame the
wild beast so that you can enjoy a stress free and peaceful
relationship with your beloved pet.
Restful Sleep- Order code-RS
One of the most troubling problems we encounter is animal insomnia.
The reason this condition is so problematic is because the symptoms are so
varied. We have seen pets that are aggressive, sluggish, un-responsive,
distracted, over-eating, under-eating, and even prone to self mutilation,
all because they weren't getting enough sleep. It is often easy for pet
owners to assume that their pets are getting sleep at night or when they are
away. If your pet is behaving in uncharacteristic manner it may be suffering
from animal insomnia. This CD is designed to bring peace to your pet and
enable an environment that promotes deep and restful sleep.
Call
of the Wild- Order code-CW
While an overactive pet is sometimes cause for concern, a lethargic
pet can be just as worrisome. We have developed a CD that revives
pets of all ages and encourages an active lifestyle.
Appetite
Stimulator - Order Code-AS
During the course of our
research we were surprised by how often we ran into pets who lacked
appetite. We decided to Attempt this problem using sound. After
years of research and testing we finally found a combination that
helped to restore appetite. Using the sounds of early animal
development we have been able to stimulate appetite in a variety of
animals from cats to cattle.
