Why do cows wear cow bells?

Cow bells are something that nearly everyone has heard of. Although, in the present day and time it is more likely that a cow bell will be found as a musical instrument rather than found strung around the neck of a cow. So in that case why are they called cow bells, do cows still wear them, and what point do cowbells on a cow serve?

Well today we are going to find the answers to some of those questions for you.

Why are they called cow bells?

At one point in time you would almost never see a cow that did not have the lovely adornment of a bell around her neck. Each movement she made would result in a delightful tinkle of sound that would be emitted from the bell. Since it was only cows for the most point that were wearing them they became known as cow bells, even though some farmers also used them for sheep.

Do cows still wear them?

Not as much as they used to it seems. Very rarely do we see cow bells on the cows in southwest Virginia. But we have read that they are still widely used on cows in Switzerland and out west where farmers still have much more acreage than we have here.

What point does the cow bell serve on a cow?

Especially before the days of tagging cows, a cow bell was how a farmer would identify which cows were his if they got mixed in with another farmer's herd. Also, it made wandering cows easier to locate so that they could bring them back home.