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When a dairy cow gives birth her calf is taken away from her and is not allowed to suckle after the first day or two after birth. This is because it is quite difficult to match up a cow to her calf after she is taken away from milking, and even more of a headache to have a bunch of loose baby calves around. Milk also has to be allocated so that the calf is getting a fair amount while at the same time milk can be taken from the cow to be sold and used by humans. Thus, it is much easier to remove the calf a day or two after birth (after it has had its few suckles of colostrum), and put the cows into milk production almost right away. Most dairies have their cows milked twice a day for around 10 months. She is then allowed to rest (i.e., dry up or not be milked at all) for two months prior to giving birth to her next calf. Majority of dairy cows are kept in barns or sheds throughout their lives, occasionally going out to pasture to graze, though for some farms this is even unheard-of.

A beef cow is raised more "naturally" than a dairy cow: she often has never seen the inside of a barn before, and is out seeking her own food source (grass) and raising a calf at her side for 6 to 10 months. She's allowed to roam wherever the fences allower her to go (and restrict her from where she shouldn't), and raise her calf as she sees fit. Beef cattle are raised for the purpose of producing meat, not milk, so the cow produces only enough milk for her one calf to thrive on and grow "soggy" on, not for human consumption.

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12y ago

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