Potty-Trained Cows?

MOOOVE out of the way! This cow’s got to pee! But it won’t be doing its business outdoors. As part of an experiment, a team of scientists studied whether cattle could be trained to walk into a stall and pee. It might seem like a strange thing to investigate, but potty training the animals could help the environment.

MOOOVE out of the way! This cow has to pee! But it won’t be doing its business outdoors. Can cattle be trained to walk into a stall and pee? A team of scientists did an experiment to answer that question. It might seem like a strange thing to study. But potty training the animals could help the environment.  

Elliffe’s group selected 16 calves to take part in their study. To encourage the cows to pee in a rectangular pen designated as a bovine latrine, or shared toilet, the team of researchers tried a strategy that human parents use to potty-train toddlers: They offered rewards! Elliffe explains that a behavior, like using a toilet, is likely to be repeated if it’s followed by a reinforcer.

First, each cow was led into the latrine. After urinating, the cows were rewarded with a sweet molasses-based treat from a window in the wall of the pen. After this process was repeated 10 to 30 times, the calves would turn to the window immediately after urinating. They’d learned to associate peeing in the latrine with receiving a treat.

If cows urinated outside the latrine, they were sprinkled with cold water, which they found unpleasant, and didn’t get a snack. After several accidents, the cows realized they would be rewarded only if they peed inside the toilet. Eventually, the cows held their pee until they reached the latrine to get their treat. It took 15 days to potty train the cows—as long as it might take to train a human child.

Elliffe’s group selected 16 calves for their study. They wanted the cows to pee in a rectangular pen. It would serve as a bovine latrine, or shared toilet. The team of researchers did something that human parents do to potty train toddlers. They offered rewards! Elliffe explains that a behavior is likely to be repeated if a reinforcer follows it. In this case, the behavior was using a toilet.

First, each cow was led into the latrine. After they peed, the cows got a reward from a window in the wall of the pen. It was a sweet molasses-based treat. This process was repeated 10 to 30 times. Finally, the calves started turning to the window right after urinating. They’d learned to associate peeing in the latrine with getting a treat.

If cows urinated outside the latrine, they were sprinkled with cold water. They didn’t like that. And they didn’t get a snack. The cows had several accidents. Finally, they realized they had to pee inside the toilet to get rewarded. The cows started to hold their pee until they reached the latrine. Then they got their treat. It took 15 days to potty train the cows. That’s as long as it might take to train a human child. 

The scientists proved that cows can be potty-trained. “The next step is trying to automate the training so that we can scale it up to work on real farms,” says Elliffe. During the experiment, a researcher hand-fed the cows. In real life, someone would need to invent a latrine with sensors that recognize when a cow pees and then automatically dispense a treat.

Elliffe also explains that there are unanswered questions, like: How far are cows willing to walk to use the toilet, and how many latrines would be needed for a herd of cattle? And of course, there’s the question of what to do with all the pee. It could be collected and disposed of or potentially turned into fertilizer—a chemical mixture rich in nutrients that helps crops grow.

When Elliffe tells people about the research, he says they often laugh. But once they understand it, “they start taking it seriously and see how useful it could be. Sometimes the craziest ideas can be the best ones,” he says.

The scientists proved that cows can be potty-trained. “The next step is trying to automate the training so that we can scale it up to work on real farms,” says Elliffe. A researcher hand-fed the cows during the experiment. For farms, someone would need to invent a latrine with sensors. It would detect when a cow pees and automatically release a treat.

Elliffe explains that some questions remain. How far will cows walk to use the toilet? And how many latrines would a herd of cattle need? Of course, there’s also the question of what to do with all the pee. It could be collected and disposed of. Or it might be turned into a chemical mixture called fertilizer. The rich nutrients in fertilizer help crops grow.

People often laugh when Elliffe tells them about the research, he says. But after they understand it, “they start taking it seriously and see how useful it could be. Sometimes the craziest ideas can be the best ones,” he says.