Why does a cow drink its own milk?

Answer 1

The majority of cows don't, actually. Rarely do you ever see such a thing occur, as recorded by those who post such a thing on YouTube. It's rare because it's not noticed by most people (unlike those few who recorded it and posted it to YouTube, making everyone think that it may be common). It's not really a natural thing for any animal to do, since the milk from their udders are reserved for their young, not themselves. However, those that do drink from their own udders (and can only do so laying recumbant, not standing) is possibly because the udder is irritating them due to its fullness and they need to find some sort of relief to release this tension. Yet a cow that has mastitis would also find her udder to be irritating to them, and drinking the milk from an infected udder would not only be hurting herself which she doesn't like, but the milk itself wouldn't be tasting very good either!

The problem with the above possibility, though, is that most cows that suckle from their own udder are not suffering from a full udder, but rather from a behavioural condition called stereotypie or a behavior abnormality. Most dairy cows are confined to a barn or stall and not allowed to fully express themselves as cows. Because of this, they develop behavioural abnormalities that are really difficult to curb. In horses, for example, common stereotypies are cribbing and weaving. In dairy cows, stereotypies may possibly include suckling their own udder, even when it's not full. However I say "possibly" because it's really not known why cows do this due to the fact that stereotypies in cows have not been studied as extensively as in other animals like horses, dogs and cats, and because this condition is considered rare, rare enough to have most people deny such a thing.

Answer 2

No, and if they do it's a rarity. Please see the related question below for more.

Answer 3

Cows don't drink milk because they have no need for it. They're adults, not babies.

Answer 4

She's got the tools to give milk, being an udder.

Answer 5

Cows don't need milk because they are not babies. They MAKE milk for the calves they give birth to, or to feed the human population. Cows drink water, not milk.

Answer 6

Because it tastes sooo good!