Have questions? Send them to us and maybe they will be posted.

Should I have my rabbit spayed? There aren’t any boys who live with her. - Claire, Studio City, CA

Great question, Claire! It’s always a good idea to have any rabbits who live with you spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering are normally very safe procedures performed by veterinarians that prevent rabbits from having babies. There are a couple of reasons why rabbits should be spayed and neutered. First of all, there are a lot of rabbits who don’t have homes, so allowing these animals to have babies only creates more homeless bunnies. Some of these animals never find a true home and end up starving, injured or worse. Another reason why it’s great to have your rabbit spayed or neutered is that it can help prevent certain cancers that make rabbits very sick. So, for the good of your little friend, it is definitely best to get her spayed!

We can tell that Claire loves her rabbit friend. Do you have any questions about farm animals, like Claire? Send them in!

Does a cow produce milk for rest of her life once she's given birth to a calf? If yes, what happens to the cow's milk when her calf doesn't need it anymore? - Matus

Hi Matus! Thanks for your terrific question. A cow does not produce milk for her entire life. Like a human, she only makes milk to feed her child. Female cows are made to be pregnant about once a year to keep them producing milk for humans. On factory farms, calves are usually taken from their mothers within a day or two of being born and aren't even allowed to enjoy their own mother's milk. The mother cow is then typically milked by a machine. Cows today have been bred to make 10 times more milk than they would make for their babies in a natural environment. As you might imagine, producing so much milk is very tiring for the cows. They become sick very easily and are usually killed when they are only about four years old! These are just some of the reasons why we believe people should consider giving up cow's milk.

Matus asked a great question. Do you have any questions about farm animals? Send them in!

Is a goat a boy sheep?

Great question! A lot of people think that goats and sheep are the same species, but actually they are two different kinds of animals. We call a female sheep a "ewe" (pronounced YOO) and a male sheep a "ram." If you've visited our shelters, you know that sheep and goats can live together very happily. But that doesn't mean they are the same species. It just means that they can make great friends, just like dogs and cats can! If you want to learn more about different farm animal species, take a look around this site. There are lots of fun facts to learn! And keep sending in those questions!

Eating dairy products isn't as bad as eating meat, is it? I know they put the animals in uncomfortable positions but they don't get killed as much, do they? - Stacey

That's an excellent question! A lot of people think animals who are raised for their milk are not treated as badly as animals who are raised for their meat. Sadly, that's not necessarily true. Like Stacey said, animals who are raised on factory farms are often kept in very uncomfortable environments. But did you know that cows wouldn't produce all that milk in the first place if they were not pregnant or nursing babies? So that means dairy cows not only have to be pregnant all the time, but they also have their babies taken away very early on, and some of the babies will be killed for veal when they are just a few months old. You can imagine how sad those mother cows are when their babies are taken away, and how sad the babies are, too! Because dairy farmers want to sell so much milk, dairy cows are made to have babies every year. They are given hormones and are frequently milked, and these things make them produce 10 times as much milk as they would in nature. Producing all that milk gives many cows mastitis. A cow could live up to 18 years of age, but a dairy cow is slaughtered when she is about 4 years old. In fact, hamburger meat is made up mostly of "spent" dairy cows. Animals who give us dairy products are almost always slaughtered for meat when their bodies are too tired or sick to produce any more milk.

So, actually, it's hard to say who is treated worse-animals raised for milk or animals raised for meat. But both definitely suffer, and both deserve to be treated better!

My friend says we should eat animals because animals eat each other. Is that true?

Thanks for the question! Your friend is probably thinking of natural carnivores. Carnivores are animals who have to eat other animals to survive, like cheetahs or coyotes. What makes humans different is that we don't need to eat animals to survive. We can eat only plants and be perfectly healthy. And, the animals who are raised on factory farms don't lead natural lives at all. Many of them are kept in such tiny spaces that they become very unhappy and bite and injure one another-things they would almost never do in nature. So, if we can be healthy on a vegetarian diet, and factory farming makes animals suffer so much, why not put down that hot dog and pick up a yummy tofu dog? The animals (and your taste buds!) will thank you.

Cows make dairy products, but what about goats? Can people who don't drink cow's milk drink goat's milk instead?

A lot of people think that "dairy" only means cow's milk, or food that comes from cow's milk. Actually, "dairy" means anything made from an animal's milk. So, goat's milk is a dairy product too. Some people get sick when they drink cow's milk, some people get sick when they drink goat's milk, and some people don't drink either one because they don't think it's fair to take milk from animals. At Farm Sanctuary, we think milk should be fed to the baby cows, baby sheep and baby goats. After all, milk is special food meant for babies. We don't think it's nice to take away food from a baby cow or baby goat, just because it tastes good. What do you think?

I know a dairy that says they treat their cows nice. Should my family buy milk from them? Jami, Age 14

We can't say exactly how the animals are treated on specific dairies, but here are a few things you should know about pretty much all milk farms:

A cow can't make milk unless she is pregnant or just had a baby. So, farmers force cows to be pregnant almost all year, every year! Imagine how tired a cow gets after just a couple years of that!
Milk is meant to be food for baby cows, but most dairy farms take calves away from their mothers immediately after they are born and then force the mothers to produce 10 times more milk than they would produce naturally for their babies.
The boys born to dairy mothers are usually sold when they are a few weeks old, for beef or veal.
When dairy cows are "spent" (that means older and not able to produce as much milk), they are taken to stockyards and sold for slaughter, just like beef cows.
Some farms call themselves "humane." "Humane" farms say that they treat their animals kindly, and don't abuse them. It is hard to say which farms are "humane" to their animals, because there are no laws that say which farms can call themselves "humane." It is very important to visit the farm yourself, and ask lots of questions, to decide for yourself before you buy their products.
A lot of the time, folks think that they are buying animal products from small farms owned by a Grandma and Grandpa who take care of a few chickens and cows. When they visit the farms and ask questions, they may be really surprised and upset to find out that the animals are forced to do many things they do not want to do, and that they get killed for meat when they can't produce milk or eggs anymore. From Farm Sanctuary's standpoint, it is never "humane" to make someone be pregnant, take away their child, over-milk them, or sell them for slaughter, no matter how much nicer the farm is, compared to other farms.

Do girl cows have horns? Carolyn, Gainesville FL

Most female cows are born with horns. Sadly, farmers don't want cows to have horns, because it's easier to not have to deal with them. So, many farmers cut them off. You probably already knew that bulls and steers (male cows) have horns, too. Farmers usually cut off their horns too! Some farmers even use breeding to make sure cows, bulls and steers aren't born with horns. If humans weren't farming cows, all cows would have horns.

Can I visit the animals at Farm Sanctuary?

Yes! If you live near California or New York, you can come visit our animals any time! Our cows, pigs, goats, sheep, geese, donkeys, ducks, chickens, turkeys, and bunnies would all love to meet you. Just ask your parent or teacher to check out our visiting information. If you don't live near us, don't worry! Ask your parent or guardian if you can sponsor an animal. Then you can hear all about your special friend as they grow up, safe and sound.

Isn't it hard to give up meat, dairy, and eggs?

Giving up meat, dairy, and eggs really isn't as hard as it sounds. Meat substitutes and soy "dairy" foods are now sold at most supermarkets. Whole-food groceries and natural food stores with an even wider variety of plant, soy, and dairy-free foods are within reach of most Americans. Of course it helps to have the support of your family if you are thinking about becoming a vegetarian or a vegan. Hopefully, if you tell your family that you will work hard to be healthy on your new diet, they will understand and support you.

How do you get the animals at the farm?

The animals who live at Farm Sanctuary have been rescued from various abusive situations, some were literally taken out of trash cans or off piles of dead animals. Some of the animals were discovered as a result of Farm Sanctuary's own investigations, while in other cases, the animals were found by local humane societies, animal control agencies, or even concerned neighbors or citizens who contacted us.

What is a vegan?

A vegan is someone who does not consume animal products of any kind, including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, and gelatin. Vegans also avoid animal products in their clothing, including leather, fur, wool, down, and silk, and avoid personal care products that have animal ingredients or have been tested on animals.

Do farm animals really have feelings?

Yes, farm animals do have feelings. They have individual personalities and they can feel pleasure and pain, just like you and I. They don't want to suffer any more than we do, and they deserve to be treated with respect. You should check out one of our websites: www.sentientbeings.org. This site contains scientific research about farm animals and shares numerous stories of farm animals expressing their emotions.

Since humans are the smartest species, why shouldn't we do what we want?

Throughout history, humans have sometimes hurt people and animals. This does not mean we should do this. The ability to conquer, exploit and kill does not prove that we are smart; it merely demonstrates that we are capable of cruelty. If we are, indeed, the "smartest" species, hopefully we have learned that we should be kind to other people and animals.

Animals eat other animals, why shouldn't we?

Well, not all animals eat other animals. Some animals — even big, strong critters like cows and elephants — eat only plants. Those animals who do consume other animals are called "carnivores" and live in the wild. They need to kill to survive. Humans, on the other hand, can choose kindness over killing. It is not only unnecessary for us to eat meat to survive, but we can also live a healthier life on a vegetarian diet.

We don't kill animals for dairy and eggs, do we?

Actually, billions of chickens and cows die every year as a direct result of the egg and milk industries. After living in cruel conditions for years, "spent" laying hens and dairy cows are killed. Male chicks, useless to the egg business, are killed at the hatchery. Unable to produce milk, male dairy calves are sold and raised for veal or beef.

Meat-eaters may kill animals, but vegetarians kill plants. What's the difference?

Unlike mammals, birds and fish, plants do not have a central nervous system and the ability to suffer. Additionally, on a vegetarian diet you actually eat far fewer plants, since it takes so much plant food to raise and feed farm animals. It takes about 16 pounds of grain, for example, to produce one pound of beef.

My family and friends says I need meat, milk and eggs?

Many people live healthy, happy lives without eating meat, milk, and eggs. Your family and friends probably just aren't used to the idea of not eating these products, and they want you to be healthy.

Check out the "Eats" section of this website so you can show your family and friends that a vegan diet is healthy. Then, do your best to explain why it is so important to YOU to stop eating animals.