Party in the Cow Clinic!

May 27, 2011

We have been in Hannover since Monday night, and it has been great!  Staying with a host student is so much fun because you really get to soak in their culture and compare and contrast with your own.  Tuesday we visited TiHO’s small animal and equine clinics.  Both were brand new and extremely nice!  In the afternoon, we visited their farm where they raise a variety of animals.  They have a robotic milking machine for the dairy cows, which was very impressive!  I’m sure it is expensive to install, but I wonder why more dairies don’t consider using one instead of the traditional milking parlor.  The farm manager who gave us a tour also explained some of the German laws and ideals relating to animal welfare.  I am all for improving the quality of life for the animals we will eventually consume, but some of their concepts were difficult to grasp.  For example, they have banned cages for laying hens, but since they are free to roam, they fight more and have a higher incidence of disease, increasing the percentage that die.  How are you improving the welfare of animals if more of them are dying?

            Wednesday, we went to the TiHO cow clinic and a Hannoverian stud farm.  The cow clinic was interesting because they deal almost exclusively with dairy cattle, which is much different than at Texas A&M.  The facilities were much older as well.  I was surprised that they didn’t have a single squeeze chute in the entire facility!  When I tried to explain the concept to some of the host students, they said, “So you squeeze the cow into a pancake?”.  Apparently dairy cattle are a little more even-tempered and easier to handle than beef cattle, but it still seemed rather strange to me.  The Hannoverian stud farm was very impressive.  They had beautiful facilities.  After our tour, they showed us how they collect semen from the stallions.  Some of the stallions are so popular that they have to collect daily!  They definitely earn their keep. 

            Thursday, we went to Badersleben to a private vet museum in an old watermill.  It is owned by a retired veterinarian who used to practice in Eastern Europe. His collection is extensive with tools and books from a period of several centuries.  I found it interesting that he was forced to improvise and manufacture many of his own tools before the fall of the wall.  Science was greatly limited by the DDR.  In the evening, the vet students held a party in the cow clinic!  That would never happen at an American vet school.  It was very fun and there were so many people there, even non-vet students!