Watch: These bristly, motorised back-scratchers are the perfect way to have happy, healthy cows

In case you were planning to invest in a cow, this is a device that may come handy. While it is already known that cows appreciate jazz, it is increasingly believed in scientific circles that they also enjoy a good scratch.

A cow without access to massage equipment can sometimes be seen rubbing herself against fences, wires and often trees – often destroying them in the process. However, this bristly, swivelling, motorised apparatus makes the whole process much easier – it spins when a cow touches it, allowing the animal to reach places it couldn’t on its own.

This may seem like a joke, but cow massagers are actually mandatory in Denmark. The mechanical brushes are an update on the old fashioned hand-brushing and help ward off parasitic outbreaks, remove dead skin, improve blood circulation and reduce stress levels.

“The way I see a cow move under that brush goes way beyond just relieving that itch,” Temple Grandin, a researcher at Colorado State University, known for her work on farm animal behaviour, told The New York Times.