A ‘Mooving’ Wash Experience

The influence of carwash designs has now reached the dairy industry. While I have twice written about human carwash designs and even shopping cart washing technology, I don’t think I ever expected to discuss bovine beauty treatments. But such is my world in monitoring the ongoing influence of automatic carwash technology.

A Swedish company called DeLaval specializes in equipment systems solutions for dairy farmers, and its swinging cow brush looks like it would be right at home inside an automatic carwash. The brush begins to rotate on contact with the animal, reaching 22 rpm as it moves freely up, over and alongside the cow. Bristles are 18 centimeters long and apparently help stimulate blood circulation while keeping cows clean and calm.

The payoff? Better milk production. Apparently cows have a need for hygiene, and this self-grooming device not only prevents cows from rubbing against the interior of barns and equipment, which can cause injuries, but also keeps them centered in a happy place to increase their milk flow. Cornell University studied the swinging cow brush last year and determined it “showed better animal health due to an increase in blood circulation,” according to the DeLaval Web site. Healthy, relaxed cows produce more milk.

The company says it has sold more than 30,000 swinging cow brushes and offers three other mechanical brush systems.

You can see the device in action in the video below:

Related Articles:

• Anatomy of a ‘Human Carwash’
• Human Carwash Pt. 2
• Shopping Cart ‘Carwash’