cow farms?

Question

i recently asked a question if eggs were meat, and i found that although they are in the meat/protein group, technically they are not meat, so a vegetarian could eat them...and someone also posted a site showing how chickens are crammed in such tiny cages...well, that made me decide to not purchase eggs, unless from a farm where i know the chickens are properly taken care of...now, obviously cows are treated badly when used for meat, duh...but what about cows used for milk/dairy???? are they crammed in tight spaces with nowhere to roam? i know the farm by my house lets the cows graze, but is that how most "dairy cows" are treated? i only wanted to know b/c if they are treated as poorly as the chickens, i think i may switch to soy milk....or possibly go vegan...idk...any answers are great! THANKS!!!!

Answer 1

First of all, I thing vegetarianism is foolish. And being strictly vegan is dangerously foolish.

If you are quit eating meat, you need a good source of protein. Eggs and dairy products are great sources of proteins and nutrients that you can not get elsewhere.

If you really have your knickers in a twist about the conditions on commercial egg producers, look for Free Range Eggs.


Dairy Cattle are not confined as tightly as chickens are. The cows spend most of the day in a pasture grazing and are brought in twice each day for milking. A good milch cow will be an active producer for a number or years, it is not like a chicken that will produce for no more than a few months. A reputable dairy will take great care that their cows are in top physical condition. that means good food, and exercise.


Doc

Answer 2

Some easy reasons why dairy is so wrong.

Cow milk is baby food for baby cows - there is no reason an adult human should be drinking nutrients meant for a baby cow.

Once the calves are born they are taken away from their mothers and either become veal or raised to replace their mothers. My uncle owned a dairy farm and I saw the veal calves with my own two eyes and it was heartbreaking. My uncle was a good person and farmer but the practice of raising veal is inhumane.

Once dairy cows are not as productive they are killed and slaughtered for hamburger or other cheap cuts of meat. Their lives mean nothing more than the milk they produce.

Some cows are free to graze and others live a more industrial life inside sheds with little access to the outdoors. Since it would be difficult to know exactly how the cows are treated why not just go vegan? It feels great to do something so compassionate for another living being.

Answer 3

Cow Farm

Answer 4

My 2 Uncles are both dairy farmers and meat farmers. All of their cows are outside in open huge fields everyday. The only time that they are inside is in the winter and even then it is not all day. All of the cows are treated very well. I think that you just have to know that not all cow farmers or farmers in general treat their animals badly. If you want to still drink milk and you want to find out what farm it came from do some research.....sometimes you can go directly to the farm and buy fresh milk.

Answer 5

Hey, umm.. all is true. It is horrid how we treat animals for these things.. but you can purchase free range eggs. And i know in Australia we don't cram cows in small places for milking (places i remember anyway) they know when to come for food early in the morning and get milked at the same time as feeding. But i know in Korea, they don't have a place to roam free. I think tho research is best. Look for brands that are animal friendly. You have the Internet.
Good Luck (we need more people like you ^.^/)

Answer 6

I'm vegetarian but I eat eggs and dairy. It's a matter of personal philosophy whether or not that violates the spirit of vegetarianism. Commercially available eggs are unfertilized, so it's not like you're eating something that's about to be born.

Cage-free eggs produced by farmers who do not shoot their hens up with antibiotics or confine them to cages and who feed them vegetarian feed only are available in most natural foods stores and some large supermarkets.

Some dairy cattle do face pretty harsh conditions and are, in fact, confined to tight spaces. Even some organic milks producers confine their cattle. Purchase organic milk from a producer like Organic Valley for milk that comes from humanely treated cattle.

Answer 7

Most of time, farmed is farmed.

Generally unless you go and specifically find a meat/dairy source that isnt nasty, then it pretty much will be. Nice treatment just isnt cost effective.

I just choose not to participate in any of it, i do this by not buying any of it and telling anyone who asks me why my reasons for doing so.

There are plenty more food sources other than meat/dairy out there that can provide far superior sustenance and nutrition.

Answer 8

I believe that some beef cattle are kept in small enclosures so that they are fattened up nicely, but I have never seen dairy cattle kept in this manner. There is no reason for it as the cows voluntarily return to the dairy every morning and afternoon so they can be milked. Cage chickens lay eggs which are caught in 'egg traps' and very easily collected. This saves on labour costs and hence bumps up profits. Whereas the freerange chickens lay their eggs all over the place and someone has to go find them.

Answer 9

Cows aren't crammed into tiny cages. They live in really big sheds or graze in pastures. The one time they are caged in one spot is when they are milked because farmers have to make sure they milk them otherwise their udders cant get infections and stuff,but they arent really caged, they are just lined up in a big milking shed. Most vegetarians I know eat eggs because there is no slaughter of the chicken or egg in order to eat it the egg not the chicken....those are killed really nastily. I also live by an Angus Beef farm and their cows are kept in the pasture all day long which is fairly big. The other beef farm by me has their cows in a giant one all day long with a creek that runs through it for drinking.