Translations:Benutzer:Arian/Klett-Mini-Test/594/en

One can speak of a true herd organism only when the herd replenishes itself over generations through its own breeding and has bound itself to the conditions of the place, down to the farm's own fodder supply. The breeding bulls occupy a special status: they are replaced at regular intervals by sires from herds of the same character, for the purpose of refreshing the blood of the herd. The herd organism stands above the sum of the individual animals. This finds expression, among other things, in the simultaneity of the animals' day-rhythmic behaviour. In the morning they follow the lead cow out to pasture in what might be called a hierarchical order. There they spread out, yet do not run in all directions; they graze moving in one direction, take in fodder for seven to eight hours a day, interrupted by communal rumination phases that likewise take up around eight hours a day. The going to the watering place, the rest periods, and the giving of milk are likewise subject to a strict rhythm that governs the whole herd. All measures of keeping, feeding, care, and breeding should serve to strengthen this herd-rhythmic process. The more fully developed it is, the healthier the herd.