Stop Using Tie-stall Housing System for Rearing Cows

Dairy Cows

Some forms do not tie cows until cows get old enough to be able to produce milk. However, often farms tie cows after they became able to produce milk until they die.
Tie-stall housing system
Survey taken by 畜産技術協会^＊1 shows that 72.9 percent of farms in Japan take method of tie-stall system as a main rearing method of cows.  In this method, cows are tied and their movement is very limitted. They cannot walk or turn around.

Free stall, free barn 
24.6 percent of farms in Japan take method of free stall or free barn.
Free stall (cows can walk around in the pen and when they want to rest, they use the area that is divided for each cow)

Free barn (cows can walk around in the pen. When they want to rest, they lay down where-ever they would like in the pen)

Only 7.7 percent of farms in Japan set cows out to graze everyday. 14.5 percent of farms set cows out to graze sometimes. 72.5 percent of farms are not setting cows out to graze.

Grazing cows

When cows are tied, they cannot walk around at all and it is very stressful for cows. Cows get scared easily, but also like to explore and have emotions. However, when tied, what they can do is only to eat food distributed, to drink water, to stand up, to sit down, or to sleep. They do not have freedom to go somewhere or there is nothing to satisfy their curiosity. Also communication with other cows get limited.
Since they do not have opportunity to walk, their legs get weaker. That is one of the reasons of getting killed for injury.
In free-barn of free stall system, cows can walk around more freely. If they want to check out the person who’s reaching to pen cows can go check out, when it’s hot cows can go near fan or mister. They can rest in the place they wish. When food is distributed, they can go get the food if they want. Compared to tie-stall housing system, cows have more opportunities to decide by themselves and to satisfy their curiosity.
Please imagine how important it is to be able to walk around. Imagine how you would feel if you are not allowed to walk at all. It is best to put cows out to graze, but even if that is difficult, please do not tie cows.

Please see how freely they walk around when they are not ties and they have more space.

Calf

25 percent of farms in Japan tie calves. 50.9 percent of farms put calves in pens. In this case, a calf is put in a small pen so that they cannot move around that freely. In one pen, there is only one calf.

Tied calves cannot walk around freely. They sometimes get tangled by the rope. When each cows are tied separately and far away from other calves, they cannot communicate each other at all. They are all alone all day and waiting for people bringing milk 2 or 3 times a day. They can just sleep, stand up or sit down.

When calves are put in small pens, they ca move more freely than calves tied, but still the size of the pens are too small. When calves are playing and jumping in pen, they are too energetic for being put in the small pen and sometimes their upper body cross over the fence of he pen and they get stuck. If they are given bigger space, they can play and jump much more freely.

Please see how joyful calves play if they are given more space. Because we often see cows and calves tied so we forget that cows and calves can move like this. They run and play.

Please ask milk companies which method they take to rear cows.
Tell your friend about this. Ask companies to put cows out to graze, not to restrict their exercise.
Please give cows freedom to walk at least.

^＊１http://jlta.lin.gr.jp/report/animalwelfare/H26/factual_investigation_cow_h26.pdf