19 ms·

Bovine hide is a lot thicker than human skin. The probes probably didn't penetrate.

by dtech 6y ago

pradn 6y ago
In South Asia, bull herders often have nails at the end of their herding poles. I asked my grandfather if it hurts the bull, and he said, "of course not, they have thick skin".
- buran77 6y ago
  While the skin is undoubtedly thicker, the "of course not" may also be based on a misconception and/or generalization. The same kind of misconception alive today even in doctors when it comes to the skin and pain tolerance of black people, for example.
  - buran77 6y ago
    Not sure if this got downvoted to hell because I mentioned the well documented and studied misconception many medical students and doctors have wrongly believing black people have thicker skin and higher pain tolerance [0], or for challenging the "thoroughly" studied statement that "of course poking bulls with nails doesn't hurt them" [1]. If causing discomfort is not the purpose of a herding tool it makes you wonder why they don't use softer implements... [0] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/racial-differences-doctors.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/raci... [1]
- ethbr0 6y ago
  I asked my dad (a practicing large animal vet at one point) if there was an equivalent to petting dogs... for cows. He thought about it for a minute and said, "Well, I knew a farmer once who scratched their backs with a garden rake. They seemed to like it." That put cow hide in context in a way other things didn't.
  - sjg007 6y ago
    There are cow back scratchers, it’s a thing. They will rub up against trees too. My dog use to roll her back on top of a tennis ball. Smart dog.
    - unwind 6y ago
      There are electric rotary cow brushes, that auto-start on touch by the cow. They swing around on an arm so the cow can control where it is being scratched. Very common in e.g. Sweden as far as I know. See for instance products by DeLaval [1]. [1] https://www.delaval.com/en-us/our-solutions/cow-comfort/cow-brushes/ https://www.delaval.com/en-us/our-solutions/cow-comfort/cow-...

Bovine hide is a lot thicker than human skin. The probes probably didn't penetrate.

by dtech 6y ago

Bovine hide is a lot thicker than human skin. The probes probably didn't penetrate.

In South Asia, bull herders often have nails at the end of their herding poles. I asked my grandfather if it hurts the bull, and he said, "of course not, they have thick skin".

buran77 6y ago
While the skin is undoubtedly thicker, the "of course not" may also be based on a misconception and/or generalization. The same kind of misconception alive today even in doctors when it comes to the skin and pain tolerance of black people, for example.
- buran77 6y ago
  Not sure if this got downvoted to hell because I mentioned the well documented and studied misconception many medical students and doctors have wrongly believing black people have thicker skin and higher pain tolerance [0], or for challenging the "thoroughly" studied statement that "of course poking bulls with nails doesn't hurt them" [1]. If causing discomfort is not the purpose of a herding tool it makes you wonder why they don't use softer implements... [0] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/racial-differences-doctors.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/raci... [1]
ethbr0 6y ago
I asked my dad (a practicing large animal vet at one point) if there was an equivalent to petting dogs... for cows. He thought about it for a minute and said, "Well, I knew a farmer once who scratched their backs with a garden rake. They seemed to like it." That put cow hide in context in a way other things didn't.
- sjg007 6y ago
  There are cow back scratchers, it’s a thing. They will rub up against trees too. My dog use to roll her back on top of a tennis ball. Smart dog.
  - unwind 6y ago
    There are electric rotary cow brushes, that auto-start on touch by the cow. They swing around on an arm so the cow can control where it is being scratched. Very common in e.g. Sweden as far as I know. See for instance products by DeLaval [1]. [1] https://www.delaval.com/en-us/our-solutions/cow-comfort/cow-brushes/ https://www.delaval.com/en-us/our-solutions/cow-comfort/cow-...