I'm really confused about milk......

Discussion in 'Vegetarian' started by happykoala, Mar 12, 2005.

  1. happykoala

    happykoala Member

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    i read on the peta website that in order for us to get milk we have to get the cows pregnate over and over again, because "cows,like all mammals, only give milk when they have given birth" or somthing like that. This confuses me. Why do all these people have cows but no bulls and yet still milk them every day? im very confused.
     
  2. drumminmama

    drumminmama Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    BAsic biology for mammals: to lactate the hormone signal of a completed pregnancy must be present for a female to secrete milk.
    This is true of humans, cows, bats..all mammals.
    in a dairy AI is used, basically collected sperm to impregnate the cows.
    in a homestead, often the owner of a cow will take her to a neighbor's bull, although AI is also an option.
     
  3. PriceCheck

    PriceCheck Senior Member

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    Plain language translation: Yes, cows need to be pregnant before they can give milk. I read it was about once a year for dairy cattle. If the farm doesn't have a bull, they buy bull semen from a different farm and artificially inseminate their cows with it. The calves are often sold for veal.
     
  4. artsy_freak45

    artsy_freak45 Member

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    yuck veal.....I used to work at a grocery store but I got fired because I cried when someone bought veal...it was pretty pathetic

    I also heard, that they milk the cows too often and hard, causing them some pain as well, but I dunno if thats true or not
     
  5. Elle

    Elle Senior Member

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    When I was 15 I visited a place where they raised veal. A friend of mine had to pick up her sister's boyfriend who worked there so I had no idea where I was going. They kept teeny baby calves in small penned enclosures all alone with nothing but rock/gravel to lay on and a very small alluminum roof like thing on one side to protect them from the elements which it clearly did not. That picture is still engraved in my mind and still makes me sad. There is a small family of cows that I drive past to get to work everyday...they only live in the field so that the guy that lives there can get a tax break so they wont be killed. There are two new calves and I always see them playing and chasing each other. Its so sad what humans are capable of.
     
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