How long does it take for a cow to poo?

Answer 1

There are two or three factors to consider:

1) Diet (Type and Quality)

2) Health

3) Time spent on the feed.

Concentrate diets, like grain and high quality grass, tends to pass through more quickly because it takes less time for the GI tract in the rumen to obtain the needed nutrients. Concentrate diets tend to have the nutrients "ready" to be absorbed as soon as the animal has swallowed it and begins digestion. However, lower quality feeds like medium to low quality hay or straw tends to stay in the rumen longer because there is more fibre and particle mass to "get through" in order to complete the digestion process. Feeds that are lower in protein also affect not only the time it takes for feed to become feces, but also the stool quality. Also, when a cow is switched from a hay diet to a nutrient-rich grass diet, the time that it takes for the matter to go through the animal's system is faster because the rumen hasn't been given enough time to change the balance from a roughage hay diet to a grass-rich diet.

Sick animals with a bacterial or viral infection that makes them get diarrhea is also a factor in fecal passage. In these kinds of animals, it takes a very short time for "food to become poo" and that can lead to serious consequences like dehydration, weight loss and loss of appetite.

If you are asking for number of hours, it really depends on the animal. Just like humans, it could be several times per day or once in 1-2 days. They measure the transit with markers (Chromic Oxide) to see when the first marker passes and then also when nearly all of the marker has been passed.