Does a cow have to be pregnant to give milk?

I don't buy into the conspiracy theorist mindset that the dairy industry is "lying to the public" about how cows produce milk. But from an economical standpoint, keeping dairy cows pregnant makes sense: A cow produces the most milk right after it gives birth, and the male babies can be sold for veal. read more

So if you were wondering why do dairy cows have to be pregnant to produce milk, now you know. Just like in humans, milk is a natural product that appears for the babies, in this case, calves. If there is no calf, the cow will no longer produce any milk. read more

No, only cows that have already given birth will produce milk. A cow that has never had a calf, but is pregnant for the first time is not milked. However, a cow that is pregnant for a second, third, fourth, etc. time will still be milked for the first 7 months of pregnancy. All mammals only begin to lactate after they give birth for the first time. read more

No. A cow has to have given birth to a calf and be milked regularly on a routine schedule in order to give milk. Pregnancy has little to do with a cow's ability to lactate. read more