about Cows

Cows

Cows are members of the sub-family 'Bovinae' of the family 'Bovidae'. This family also includes Gazelles, Buffalo, Bison, Antelopes, Sheep and

. Goats

Cows are raised for many reasons including: milk, cheese, other dairy products, also for meat such as beef and veal and materials such as leather hide. In older times they were used as work animals to pull carts

. and to plow fields

In some countries such as India, cows were classed as sacred animals and were used in religious ceremonies and treated with much respect

Today, cows are domesticated ungulates (hoofed animals with two toes on each hoof) that we see very often chewing the grass in farmers fields as we walk or drive through the countryside

There is an estimated 1.3 billion head of cattle and 920 breeds of cow in the world today. Cows are referred to as the 'fosters mothers to

the human race' because they produce most of the milk that people

. drink

.'The mature female of the species is called a 'cow

.'The mature male of the species is called a 'bull

.'A group of cows is called a 'herd

.'A young female cow is called a 'heifer

.'A baby cow is called a 'calf

A cow spends up to 6 hours a day eating. Cows spend over 8 hours a day chewing thier cud which is regurigated, partially digested food. Cows

. each drink equivalent to a bath tub full of water a day

Cows occupy a unique role in human history. Cows have been considered one of the oldest forms of wealth. Cows have always been of interest to man because of their amazing ability to be able to provide meat and dairy products, have been strong animals to work with and also reproduce

!the mselves while eating nothing but grass. Amazing

Cow Reproduction

.The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf

Calves are fed from the cow until they are between 8 and 9 weeks old. It is essential for a calf to be fed their mothers milk from the start as it contains antibodies that protect the new calf from

. diseases

Two months before giving birth, a dairy cow takes

. a rest from giving milk in order to grow her calf

During this period the cow is known as a Dry Cow. When a dairy cow gives birth, this process is called a freshening. All calves are born with

. horn nubs. It is common for a vet to remove these nowadays

Did you know that cows never forget their calves. It is quite common to

see them licking their grown calves just as they did when they were

. young

How to determine the age of a cow

The age of a cow is determined by examination of the teeth and less perfectly by the horns. The temporary teeth are in part erupted at birth

. and all the incisors are erupted within twenty days

The first, second and third pairs of temporary molars are erupted in thirty days. The teeth have grown large enough to touch each other by the sixth month. They gradually wear and fall in eighteen months. The fourth permanent molars are through at around the fourth month. The fifth at the fifteenth month and the sixth at two years. The temporary teeth begin to fall at twenty-one months and are entirely replaced by the thirty-ninth

. to the forty-fifth month

Interesting Cow Facts

The oldest cow ever recorded was a Dremon Cow named 'Big Bertha' who died 3 months just before her 49th birthday on New Years Eve, .1993

Big Bertha' also holds the record for lifetime breeding as she'

. produced 39 calves

The heaviest live birth of a calf is 225 lbs for a British Friesian cow in

. 1961

.Dairy cows can produce 125 pounds of saliva a day

Dairy cows can produce up to 200 pounds of flatus (trumps and burps) a day

.Cows often have their ears pierced-with I.D. tags

.People first domesticated cows about 5000 years ago

.The Holstein cow produces the most milk of all breeds

Cows can live to the age of 25 years old if people would let

.them

.A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day

.In an average herd, there is 1 bull to every 30 cows

.Cows can detect odours up to five miles away

.The age of a cow can be determined by counting the rings on its horns

.Cows can see colour

.There are approximately 350 'squirts' in a gallon of milk

.Cows can pick and lick their noses with their tongues

Cows drink 25 - 50 gallons of water each day. That is nearly a bathtub

. full

.When the Pilgrims went to America, they took cows with them