How long will it be before a calf is considered a cow?

Answer 1

Generally, calves go through three stages, the first being the "calf" stage. Then, when they are yearlings, they are either considered a "heifer" if they are female, "bull" if they are male, or a "steer" if they are a castrated male. Once a heifer has her own calf, then she is considered a cow.

Answer 2

That calf, provided it's a female (a heifer calf), will reach full maturity by the time it is 3 to 4 years of age. If she has been bred at ~15 months of age and has given birth to a calf at 24 months of age, then she is considered a cow. She can remain a heifer if she has not been bred at all during her life, no matter if she's 2 years old or 10 years old. But really, no matter if that female has or hasn't been bred, she's would typically be considered a cow when she reaches full sexual and adult maturity.

ANSWER

A calf can be either a male or female. Calves are generally known as calves until they are weaned at which point they are known as weaners or weaner-calves. It is not uncommon to refer to calves as calves, regardless or whether or not they have been weaned, until they are a year old. After a year, they generally known as yearlings. On a dairy, female calves are kept and raised (or sold) to be dairy cows. Male calves are either castrated to help produce more and tastier beef, or, if they are of good enough stock genetically, kept to become stud bulls.

Answer 3

A calf has to be female, first and foremost, which would be called a heifer calf. This heifer calf gets weaned at around 6 to 8 months of age (sometimes as old as 10 months), which then classifies it as a heifer, not a calf. The heifer continues to grow and eventually reaches puberty at around 15 to 18 months, depending on the breed. Brahmans typically are later maturing than Angus heifers, for instance. It is around this age that a heifer gets bred by a bull for the first time. She then waits for a little over 9 months until she gives birth to her first calf. After she has her first calf, she is known as a cow, or a young cow, rather. Some people prefer to wait for the cow name until she's had her second calf, but that's all down to personal preference of the producer in mind.

Answer 4

A calf becomes a cow when she has reached full maturity at 3 to 4 years of age. But, a calf no longer becomes a calf after she's been weaned; she becomes a heifer at this point. Then, after she's had her second calf, she is a cow.

Answer 5

Cattle is an all inclusive term for bovines, calf is the term for young cattle. A female calf is called a heifer until she gives birth to her first calf. From then on she is called a cow. A male calf is called a bull calf until he is of breeding age unless he is neutered, which would make him a steer. A bull calf becomes a bull at breeding age.

Answer 6

That is actually irrelevant. A calf is called a calf until it is around a year of age, until then it is called a heifer, bullock or steer. A heifer is called a cow until after she's either had her first or second calf. A calf will never automatically become a cow when it comes to a certain age, it has to be a) female b) reached some level of maturity and c) not reliant on its dam for milk.

Answer 7

Over 2 to 4 years for a calf to reach maturity. A heifer becoms a cow when she has had a calf.

Answer 8

It takes only one calf for a heifer to "turn into" a cow or a first-calf heifer. However, for most it takes two births for a heifer or first-calver to become a cow.