Thursday, 11 April 2019 11:50

Cow toilet

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A farm equipment manufacturer is developing a toilet for cattle and has revealed that cows can be trained to use it.

The Dutch company Hanskamp developed the CowToilet as a way to reduce ammonia spills. It collects urine before it hits the floor in feed sheds, keeping it separate from the solids.

Cows have a nerve reflex that causes them to immediately urinate. The CowToilet is Hanskamp’s means of automating a long-known technique to make a cow urinate.

The CowToilet is placed against the cow’s suspensory ligament and moves in unison with the cow. This locates the nerve that triggers the urinary reflex, stimulates the nerve and the cow starts urinating. The urine goes to a built-in container then is sucked to a separate storage tank.

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