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Actually, it wouldn't have. Cow manure is mostly grass and just has a slight earthy smell, only up close when it's fresh. It's nothing like the smell of the 4 commercial chicken houses that envelops my yard now. I'm building a tolerance to it, but I'll never not notice it. The only smell that strong on the dairy was in the fall. My 2 bros. and father had equipment that cut acres of field corn that was chopped, stalks and all, and stored in 2 gigantic silos. There it fermented like kraut and the smell permeated the air for 2-3 weeks, I think. That silage lasted till the next fall.vfem said:
When the cows were milked, they were fed feed that my father mixed from grains, citrus pulp, and other ingredients that he bought. It was tasty enough to make the cows willing to walk, sometimes a mile, to come in to be milked. Well, unless they found something really choice, like when they'd just been turned onto a new pasture, esp. one with kudzu. That's when I'd walk a mile to get them. I could go on the smallest tractor, but I loved to walk. I'd start calling, "Souix, cow." as soon as I started out. Sometimes they'd meet me half way. If it was hot, they'd usually come in fine as far as the creek. But then there was a swimming party. They loved that cold water, and they were not gonna leave until they had 30 min. to cool off. So you had to allow for the swim, and come back later, sometimes with a stick.
After chowing down on feed while being milked, they went to a long trough where silage was put out. The fermented corn silage was their desert. From there they strolled out to the closest pasture or barn. And of course, there was hay in the winter.
I have a vegan friend who won't drink milk or eat eggs because she says the animals are raised in captivity or living under forced conditions. I guess with many corporate farms now this is the case, but our cows had it made.
