Cows are social animals, and they function within a herd structure. Modern technologies enable scientists to collect data about cow behaviour. Understanding behaviour and how cows spend their day helps farm managers ensure the herd’s welfare.
The lesson plan uses the video Rosie’s World Family Tree Cowcam (5:07) to introduce milking breeds in Aotearoa. The video The Private Life of Cows (59:08) looks more closely at cow behaviour.
Students can practise the science capability ‘Interpret representations’ with diagrams that display the daily activity of individual cows. Other resource sheets explore some factors that affect cow wellbeing.
The following resources are courtesy of Lincoln University:
