Source: Daily Reporter
A New Zealand study suggests that dairy cows with calm, curious personalities produce more milk than their more fearful or reactive counterparts. Researchers observed 87 cows over 16 days, conducting behavioral tests to evaluate their responses to unfamiliar objects, humans, restraint, and milking. The study identified three personality traits: fearful of humans, calm and investigative, and reactive during milking.
Cows exhibiting calm, investigative behavior spent approximately 70 additional minutes grazing daily and produced roughly 5.5 kilograms more milk per day than less curious cows. Meanwhile, cows displaying greater reactivity during milking produced approximately 1.8 kilograms less milk daily. Researchers also found that cows fearful of humans spent less time lying down.
Published in the Journal of Dairy Science, the findings suggest that understanding individual cow personalities could help dairy farmers develop more personalized management strategies, potentially improving animal welfare, grazing behavior, and overall milk production on commercial dairy farms.
Read the full story HERE: https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2026/10/07/curious-cows-produce-more-milk-new-zealand-study-links-personality-traits-to-dairy-yields/