He Puts Bras On His Dairy Cows
Dairy farmers can reduce mastitis by fitting their cows with "bras", according to Michael Battisti, a Syracuse, New York, dairy farmer, who outfits half of his 69-cow herd with brassiere-like harnesses to keep them from damaging low-hanging udders with their hooves.
"Cow bras", supported by an elastic harness around the cow's body, are marketed as "udder supports" by the DeLaval Company (11100 N. Congress Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64153 ph 816 891-7700).
"They keep the udders clean and the teats tucked up out of the way so they won't get stepped on," says Battisti, who has used bras on his cows for several years. "I put them on my older cows because the older a cow gets, the lower her udder hangs. They've more than paid for themselves in reduced mastitis. It takes only two to three minutes to install the harness and only a few seconds to unsnap the bra. I wash them in hot, soapy water every two months. I remove the bras whenever cows dry up."
Cow bras sell for $38.95 each.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Battisti, Rt. 1, Box 173, Eaton, N.Y. 13334 (ph 315 684-9178):
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He puts bras on his dairy cows LIVESTOCK Dairy (17) 14-5-10 Dairy farmers can reduce mastitis by fitting their cows with "bras", according to Michael Battisti, a Syracuse, New York, dairy farmer, who outfits half of his 69-cow herd with brassiere-like harnesses to keep them from damaging low-hanging udders with their hooves.
"Cow bras", supported by an elastic harness around the cow's body, are marketed as "udder supports" by the DeLaval Company (11100 N. Congress Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64153 ph 816 891-7700).
"They keep the udders clean and the teats tucked up out of the way so they won't get stepped on," says Battisti, who has used bras on his cows for several years. "I put them on my older cows because the older a cow gets, the lower her udder hangs. They've more than paid for themselves in reduced mastitis. It takes only two to three minutes to install the harness and only a few seconds to unsnap the bra. I wash them in hot, soapy water every two months. I remove the bras whenever cows dry up."
Cow bras sell for $38.95 each.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Battisti, Rt. 1, Box 173, Eaton, N.Y. 13334 (ph 315 684-9178):
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