This crazy idea was implemented by a farmer in Turkey.
In an effort to increase the daily milk yield from his herd, a farmer in Turkey came up with a rather unusual initiative. This man is experimenting with virtual reality glasses for his cows, making them believe they are in the midst of vast green pastures.
The farmer provides VR glasses for the cows in hopes of increasing milk production (Photo: OC)
The family of İzzet Koçak has a long-standing tradition of livestock farming that has continued for three generations. The reason the İzzet Koçak family has been able to maintain their livestock farming for so long is that they always strive to keep up with the times. İzzet is trying to ensure that his family’s livestock business operates well enough to pass down to future generations by fully committing to experimenting with unique solutions. After previously testing music for the cows to help them relax, this Turkish farmer is now trying VR glasses to make the animals believe they are grazing in sunny fields instead of being stuck in a dull indoor farm during the cold winter.
Koçak shared with Anadolu News Agency: “We receive an average of 22 liters of milk daily from our cows. We have put VR glasses on two of our cows so they can enjoy the view of lush green pastures all day, and the daily milk yield has increased to 27 liters. These glasses have a positive emotional effect on the animals; we have noticed that they are less stressed. This has been reflected in both the quantity and quality of the milk.”
Experimenting with cows wearing VR glasses. (Photo: OC).
The Turkish farmer stated that he was inspired by an article about cows wearing virtual reality glasses on a farm in Russia. He was intrigued by this idea, so he ordered a few pairs of VR glasses to apply to the cows on his farm. The results of the experiment exceeded İzzet’s expectations; he plans to order an additional 10 VR glasses, and if the milk production continues to rise, he wants to implement them for all 180 of his cows.
Koçak plans to equip each cow with a VR headset if this experiment is successful. (Photo: OC).
“VR was first tested by a business in Russia; we happened to see this on social media,” İzzet Koçak said. “We also decided to try it. Currently, we have applied it to two of our cows and observed an increase in milk production. We are now in the first phase of testing, and for the second phase, we have ordered another 10 VR glasses. If we succeed with them, we will order them for our entire herd.”
Koçak mentioned that he will continue to play music for his cows to help them relax. He monitors their moods and behaviors with the help of a tracking system that collects data from a chip implanted in each cow’s eye. Koçak claims that music also makes a significant difference.
