Wednesday, 30 June 2021, 11:52 am
Just like humans, our dairy cows need their sleep; but
AgResearch scientists have had to get innovative with new
technologies to better understand the quality of shut-eye
the animals are getting.
Research into the sleep of
cows is seen by researchers as one way of assessing their
welfare, which is important to farmers and to respond to the
growing expectations of global dairy consumers. Although
little is known about the sleep needs of cows, scientists do
know sleep is an essential physiological function for all
animals and plays an important part in physical and mental
health.
The challenge has been that measuring and