DeLaval announced it has hit the 30,000 sales mark for its swinging cow brush, a self-grooming device that keeps cows happier, healthier and more productive. “The swinging cow brush is very popular among dairy farmers thanks to its many customer benefits. Definitely a DeLaval success story,” DeLaval Vice President Business Area Aftermarket & Services Tim Nicolaï said.

Cows using DeLaval swinging cow brush SCB are cleaner, calmer and therefore more balanced. A study conducted by Cornell University in 2009 on DeLaval SCB showed better animal health due to an increase in blood circulation. It concluded that clinical mastitis was 34 percent lower for cows in second and higher lactation using the SCB. The research team also reported increased milk production of up to 1 kilogram per day (3.5 percent) for cows in second lactation in a pen using the swinging cow brush, compared to a reference group kept under the same conditions without access to the SCB.

“A cow that grooms herself with the swinging cow brush can produce more milk from the exact same resources and input. That is one of the reasons why it is so popular among dairy farmers. Improved general health leads to less treatment and culling costs so cow health is improved and farmers’ profits boosted,” DeLaval Director Portfolio Farm Supplies Barbara Strunk explained.

—From DeLaval news release