Do you like cows? We do too! They’re important domesticated animals that live in all parts of the world, and provide milk, meat, and many other byproducts, like leather. We’ve put together some fun facts for kids and adults about cows. We start with the basics and outline the difference between dairy cows and beef cattle, and go into more in-depth attributes on what makes these social animals so unique.
There are over 800 different cattle breeds recognized worldwide.
Cattle can be found in all parts of the world and they are typically divided into two main categories: beef cattle and dairy cattle. Beef breeds are raised for their meat, and dairy breeds are raised to produce milk. On our farm at Clover Meadows Beef, we raise Angus-based cattle, which is a beef cattle breed.
Dairy Cattle and Beef Cattle are very different from each other.
Although they both say “moo!” and they may look similar, dairy cattle and beef cattle are very different. In general, dairy cows are bred and raised for their ability to produce milk. Beef cows are mainly raised for meat, but they also produce many other byproducts like leather.
If you look closely at the two, you’ll notice a difference in their frames. Dairy cows are like long-distance runners with big, long, lanky frames, and large udders. Their bodies use energy to produce milk, not meat. They can make an average of 7 to 9 gallons of milk per day, which can be used for milk or other dairy products. Beef cattle are typically shorter and stockier, sort of like a body builder. Their energy is primarily used to build muscle and store fat, which results in great tasting beef. Beef cattle only make enough milk to feed their calves, which is about 1 to 2 gallons per day.
Cows vs. Bulls vs. Steers vs. Heifers.
We all know that Old MacDonald had a farm and, on that farm, he had a cow. However, it’s likely that he also had other bovines, like a bull, steer, and heifer. So, what’s the difference between cows, bulls, steers, and heifers? Females are either cows or heifers. A mature female bovine that has had at least one calf is called a cow. Before having a calf for the very first time, a female is called heifer. Male cattle are either bulls or steers. A bull is used for breeding and is a mature male that is at least 2 years old. A steer is a castrated male bovine, and they are less aggressive than bulls. We talk more about the differences in this post and video –> Learn more here.
Cows are ruminants and have a four-chamber stomach.
Cows are ruminants, which are cud chewing mammals. Sheep and camels also are ruminants. Cows have 4 digestive compartments in one stomach – the rumen (this is where the cud comes from); the reticulum; omasum; and abomasum. These four distinct compartments help them break down grass and other vegetation that other animals are unable to eat.
Cattle like to chew their cud.
A cow will chew for up to eight hours a day, and can move their jaws about 40,000 times a day. It chews about 40-50 times a minute. In case you’re wondering, “what’s cud?” It’s a semi-digested mixture of food that cows regurgitate from the first chamber of their stomach, the rumen. It’s essentially a small round mass of partially broken-down plant material that’s re-chewed, re-swallowed, and further digested. We talk more about cud chewing here. –> Learn more here.
The main stomach of a cow, the rumen, holds 25-50 gallons of food.
To put that in perspective, a bathtub can usually hold 30-50 gallons of water. A cow will consume about 40 pounds of food in a day.
Cows need lots of water.
Cows drink 30-50 gallons of water each day and eat about 100 pounds of feed each day. We have a post and video about cows and their water supply –> Learn more here.
Cows eat grass.
Since dairy cattle and beef cattle are different (see above), they need to eat a slightly different diet. The majority of beef cattle in the United States are pasture fed on grass, then finished with grain. Dairy cattle are fed a balanced diet of forages (a.k.a. grasses) and grains. Cows don’t eat meat ever. They’re always “vegetarian fed.” Both dairy farmers and cattle ranchers do all they can to make sure their cattle are healthy and well cared for and they work with professional veterinary nutritionist to ensure their cattle get the nutrients they need. We talk more about the importance of grass for cattle in this post –> Learn more here.
Beef cattle eat hay in the winter.
On average, one cow will eat five bales of hay during a typical fall and winter. Each bale of hay weighs 600 pounds. We talk more about making hay and feeding it to our cattle in this post and video –> Learn more here.
Cattle come in all different colors.
Beef cattle and dairy cattle come in all different colors depending on the breed: red, black, white, grey, brown, yellow—and all shades in between! Cows used for milking are typically Holsteins, and they’re the black and white cow that many people think of when they think of a cow. Angus cows that people think of with beef, are typically Black Angus or Red Angus.
Cow spots and patterns are unique, like fingerprints.
No two cows have the same spots or patterns, regardless of how close they might look alike.
Dairy cattle produce more than milk.
Dairy cows provide most of the world’s milk supply. The average cow gives about 6-7 gallons of milk each day. U.S. cows give an average of 2,000 gallons of milk per year. That’s over 30,000 glasses of milk! They also produce other dairy products like ice cream and cheese. It takes 12 pounds of whole milk to make a gallon of ice cream, 21.2 pounds of milk to make a pound of butter and ten pounds of milk to make a pound of cheese.
Milking cows takes time.
Before milking machines were invented in 1894, farmers could only milk about 6 cows per hour. Today, farmers use machines to milk more than 100 cows per hour. Cows are milked for an average of 3-4 years.
Beef cows produce more than steak.
When cattle are butchered, approximately 99% of the animal is used after it’s processed. Approximately 65% produces meat, while the rest is used for products such as pet food, leather, glue, insulin and other pharmaceuticals, gelatin, cosmetics, and soap, among other things.
Like sports? Thank a cow for the ball.
All your favorite sports equipment is made with hide from beef cattle. The hide from a single processed steer or heifer can be used to produce 12 basketballs, 144 baseballs, and 20 soccer balls. Furthermore, it takes 3,000 hides to make the number of footballs used each year by the NFL.
Cows have an acute sense of smell.
You may think cows smell bad (that’s debatable), but did you know they have an incredible sense of smell? Cows detect odors up to six miles away.
Cattle can see almost 360-degrees.
Cows have eyes on both sides of their heads, which means they can see just about 360 degrees. That’s an incredible field of vision! As a result of this near panoramic vision, they can watch for predators from all angles without moving their heads. They are even aware of their surroundings when their head is down grazing. However, they don’t see well straight in front of them and they will typically turn their head to look at you if you are walking directly towards them.
Cattle can see colors.
Cattle can see colors, including red, but they don’t charge specific colors out of fear or dislike. When you see a Matador waving a red flag at a bull, the bull charges because of the flag’s movement, not the color.
Cows are very social and don’t like to be alone.
Cows are very social and they enjoy being together in a herd. When a cow isolates herself, it’s usually because she is sick or about to give birth.
Cows have unique personalities.
Just like humans, every cow has its own personality traits. Some cows are more curious and social, whereas others are more timid and shy.
Cows have no upper front teeth.
Cows are unique because they have fewer teeth than most animals. Cattle have 32 teeth — six incisors or biting teeth, and 2 canines in the bottom front of the jaw. They have no upper front teeth. In place of the top incisors, there is a hard leathery pad known as a dental pad. Due to this, cows use their tongue to grasp a chunk of grass and bite it off. We talk more about cow teeth in this post and video –> Learn more here.
Cows are smart.
Many studies have been done that show cows can think critically and solve problems to achieve a reward, like food.
Cows can display emotions.
Studies have shown that cattle experience a wide array of emotions like joy, fear, anxiety and stress. One of the most obvious emotions to observe is stress. There are many things that can cause stress in cattle, but the most common have to do with food (too much or too little food) and environment (too hot or cold). When they’re stressed, they show it in physical ways such as lower milk production, weight loss and increased disease.
Cows like to lounge all day long.
Cows spend about 10-12 hours a day lying down. However, they’re not great sleepers. They only sleep about four hours a day, but you wouldn’t know it since they’re often lying down.
Cattle like to swim.
Cattle are great swimmers and have successfully crossed rivers.
The first cow arrived in the U.S. in 1611 in Jamestown.
Until the mid-19th century, nearly every family had their own dairy cow to produce milk and other dairy products. Over time, as the colonies grew and expanded westward, cattle ranching became an integral part of the American agricultural landscape. Beef cattle were predominantly raised for their hides and tallow, with little emphasis on beef consumption during this period.
The U.S. produces about 25% of the world’s beef.
This is extremely impressive when you consider that the 31.7 million beef cattle in the U.S. only account for 10% of the world’s beef cattle. Other top beef producing countries are Brazil, China and the European Union.
Missouri is one of the leading beef producers in the United States.
Missouri has more beef cows than any other state in America, except for Texas.
The average U.S. consumer eats 61 pounds of beef per year and this is mostly ground beef.
That’s about 5% of a steer. The amount consumed by Americans has been gradually decreasing over the last few decades. In 1985, an American ate about 80 pounds of beef per year. In 1995, that number had decreased to about 65 pounds per year. Argentineans eat more beef than anyone else in the world — they each eat about 140 pounds of beef per year.
Cows are warm blooded.
Their average body temperature is 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cows’ hair protects them from the cold.
In the winter, cows thick skin and hair is a natural insulator that protects them from the bitter cold.
One beef cow produces many products you use every day…
When you think of beef cattle, you probably think of steak and ground beef. However, they produce much more thanks to their by-products. Here are just a few of the items containing beef by-products:
- the ground beef from one cow can make over 2,000 quarter pound hamburgers
- a cow’s hooves, bones and horns help produce things like adhesive, band aids, glue, shampoo, and more.
- a cow’s manure produces fertilizer
- a cow’s hide, hair and skin produce basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, footballs, marshmallows, wallets, candy and more.
- a cow’s fat produces antifreeze, deodorant, creams and lotions, tires, toothpaste and plastic, just to name a few.
- a cow’s internal organs and blood produces medicine, insulin, pasta, tennis racket strings, dyes and inks, cake mixes, and more.
One more thing!
Do you want to learn more about beef? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes, and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmers perspective.
Here are a few other links you may like:
- What’s the Difference Between a Steer vs Bull? Cow vs Heifer?
- Making Hay
- One Pan BBQ Beef Short Ribs
- Easy Carne Asada Street Tacos
- 7 Steps to Grilling a Steak to Perfection
- How We Raise Our Grass Fed Beef
- The Best Farm Books for Kids
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cows also get married guys suprised they didnt include that >:(((
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Love the article!
I shared this list with people around around the table, and actually lost friends. No one was impressed.
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Enjoyed learning fact about cows. Thanks. Mary & Ron