That’s some outside the box thinking…
A Russian farm has given its dairy cows virtual reality headsets in a bid to reduce their anxiety.
The Moscow agriculture ministry, which announced the pilot project at a large dairy farm outside the capital, explained that research suggests that happy cows produce more milk.
The project subjected cattle to a simulated summer field with colors tuned for the animals’ eyes, which is a more pleasing landscape for cattle over the winter months than a confined farm.
According to a statement from the ministry, the experiments took place at the RusMoloko farm in Moscow’s Ramensky district.
“Virtual reality architects created a unique summer field simulation programme based on numerous studies showing that cows are better at perceiving shades of red than green and blue tones on the color spectrum,” the statement said.
Initial tests reveal it has reportedly boosted “the overall emotional mood of the herd”.
Further and more comprehensive tests are expected to see if the changes boost or improve the quality of the milk produced.
There’s no word on what kind of conditions the cows on this farm live in on a daily basis with Russia’s winters being notoriously cold but summers are warm.
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