Herd of cows eat themselves to death

photo credit: independent print ltd.

Half of a herd of cows ate to death after breaking out from their pen in Western France.

Farmer Anthony Vaillant failed to lock the door of a barn, which gave way for 46 cows to leave the barn.

The cows made their way to a food store at the farm near the town of Couëron, where whole of their winter rations was kept.

They ate a high energy supplement food which can be harmful if consumed in large quantities, and the cows proceeded to eat their way through an entire winter's worth of the food in one sitting. 

“It's like an overdose,” Mr Vaillant told local newspaper Ouest-France.

“If they are eaten in too big a quantity, these cereals stop the digestive rumen function of the cows. And when the stomach does not work the cow becomes intoxicated.”

Mr Vaillant then had to helplessly watch as his herd began to die, despite enlisting help from a vet. In total, 22 cows died from over-eating. The remaining 24 animals can no longer produce milk.