About Cow Stanchions

A cow stanchion is an upright beam or bar that is used to restrain cows (by their necks) to confine them to their stalls. Cow stanchions are often used during the cow milking process to make sure the cows stand still. Stanchions make the entire milking process a lot easier for both the cow and the person doing the milking. Cow stanchions are a staple item in most modern farms these days.

  1. Function

    • Cow stanchions usually consist of an adjustable seat so the milker can sit (making sure that the milker is kept relaxed as well), a platform to raise the cow to an easy, comfortable level for milking, and a feed box to keep the cow content and occupied during the milking process.

    Considerations

    • Some drawbacks to placing cows in stanchions include the problem of restricted movement for the cows. It is very difficult for cows to get up or lie down with their heads inside of the stanchions. It's a good idea to get a light, swinging stanchion for the cow because they are much easier to fasten and safer for both the cows and the farmers.

    Warning

    • Some cows associate milking stanchions with fear and stress, especially when they are locked. This is possibly because the way in which the stanchions were introduced to the cows. Before the cow stanchions are locked up, the cow should learn to associate it with eating, so they won't be as fearful when they enter it. Cows should be gently trained to eat inside of stanchions.

    Identification

    • Generally, cow stanchions are made of wood, or a combination of both wood and metal. Wood and metal cow stanchions were popularly in used in the thirties and forties, but most cow stanchions are updated versions these days. However, a lot of old style cow stanchions from those eras can be found in dairy manufacturing areas of the United States such as the Northeast and the Midwest regions.

    Theories/Speculation

    • There are several places you can purchase cow stanchions on the internet. There are diverse, large selections of cow stanchions available on websites such as The Crowd Controller, Stanchion Depot, Lavi Industries, Stanchion World, Hamby Dairy Supply, DaSilveira Southwest Inc. and several others.