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Cattle Diets and Nutrition
Domestic bovines don't eat just grass: the diet of a bovine is surprisingly complex and involved with the variety of feeds in the form of forage, grain and byproducts available. But in order to determine the diet of a bovine one must understand the nutritional aspect of the bovine as well--an aspect that has its complexities and variations as well. If you are looking to learn and ask questions about the diets and nutrition of cattle, you've come to the right place.
1,811 Questions
How do cows digest their food?
Digestion first starts in the rumen, where feed is fermented and digested by microorganisms. The cow typically likes to swallow her food whole, so the process of fermentation is twofold: one after she initially swallows or eats feed like grass, hay or grain, then again after she regurgitates the partly digested matter, re-chews it to break it down even more, then swallows it again to complete the fermentation (or rumination) process. If she has swallowed any rocks or metal objects along with her food, all that will be moved into the reticulum, where it stays for pretty much the rest of her life. The partly digested matter then moves into the omasum, where the liquid portion of the digesta is absorbed into the many "leaflets" of the omasum chamber. Then it moves on into the "true stomach" or the abomasum, where digestive juices like hydrochloric acid, peptidases and other enzymes are activated to aid in further digestion of the digesta. Nutrients are absorbed through the stomach wall of each of the chambers in the stomach, but most of the nutrients are absorbed through the small intestine into the blood stream. Other organs like the liver, the spleen, and pancreas all aid in the digestion and absorption of the digesta moving through the small intestine. Then it all goes into the large intestine or colon where once again water is absorbed out. The matter is now considered feces, once it gets into the rectum. Then smooth muscle contractions rippling down the colon send the feces out onto the ground where they will decompose into the earth for the plants to use that the cow will eat.
No. She needs to stop and rest to chew cud and lay down for an hour or more before going back to eating again. She does this every 2 to 4 hours, every day, depending on her routine schedule. She also needs to take time off to find and drink water, socialize with other cows, etc. If she's a dairy cow, she also takes time off to go to the milk parlour to get milked out. If she's a beef cow with a calf, she needs to take the time to allow her calf to nurse.
How much grain do you feed a cow?
Depends on age, body weight, body condition, nutritional needs, breed, and how the "cow" is managed, even if it is a cow that we are talking about here (i.e., a female mature bovine that has at least 2 calves). For cows that are underweight and need to gain weight, feeding at 1% of their body weight is sufficient. This is the same for bulls and replacement heifers. For backgrounding steers, 1.5% to 2% of their bodyweight is desirable; for finisher cattle, 3% of their body weight should be fed to them.
There are also other alternatives to feeding grain. Some producers don't even feed grain and instead feed good quality hay and other supplements like range cubes, beet pulp, bread, etc., to increase weight gain in cattle.
Grain should only be given if your animals are thin and need to increase their weight. If they are in a good condition (can't really see their bones) or fat (can't see any bony protrusions at all) then don't bother graining them; you're just wasting money on feed you don't need.
Because they need food to live and to function properly, just like all other animals (including humans) on this planet.
The steer will feed by itself, so long as you have some good feed in front of him.
Grass, but mostly Highland cattle eat things that cattle in America stay away from.
You can try asking him to move it, politely! If that doesn't work you might try contacting your local law enforcement agencies or an attorney to see what you can legally do about it.
What is the average feed conversion ratio for beef cattle on full feed?
Cattle average from 5.5 to 6.5 lbs of feed per lb of gain. These numbers can vary a lot depending on weight of cattle entering the feedyard, genetic background etc...
What are the health hazards of cow manure?
While cow manure is used frequently as a beneficial fertilizer, it may have health hazards. Manure gives off gasses as it decomposes. In quantity, these gasses replace oxygen and may cause a loss of consciousness or other health effects on the respiratory system.
How much hay will a cow eat in a lifetime?
There are far too many unknown variables to be able to answer this question.
What is the purpose of the small inside pocket in jeans?
The small pocket inside the right front pocket is probably a hold-over from the days of pocket-watches. Old trousers used to have this pocket to hold the pocket watch. In more modern times it has been retained because it is a handy place for small items like coins which don't go well in a wallet. Obviously as the use of pocket watches declined, the size of the pocket became much more flexible and generally shrank since it didn't need to be big enough for a watch.
Is ther any organic vaccines that will help prevent Red Water in cattle?
No, vaccines are inherently not organic.
How do you tell when cut grass is ready to bale?
There are two ways that I use. First, when the grass sounds crispy when you rake it with the hay rake. Second, pick up four to five stalks in your hand and twist until they break. There should not be any moisture in the stalks.
What do Texas Longhorn cattle eat?
They eat the same stuff that all other beef cattle will eat (see related question below). They'll eat grass if they are on open range or pasture. They'll eat hay, various grains like corn, oats and barley, and all kinds of vegetation like tree leaves. They've even been known to eat cactus, mostly in feeding rations (with thorns removed).
Cow poop smells because it contains a mix of bacteria, undigested food particles, and waste products that produce gases such as methane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia. These gases give cow manure its distinctive odor.
What did cows eat 300 years ago?
Cows have not changed through the years they still eat the same things; vegetation and grains.
What farm animal out eats a cow by seven to one?
Unless you are thinking of an elephant as a "farm animal" that would obviously eat 7 times more than a cow, technically an elephant isn't really considered a farm animal. Now I am going to go according to Animal Units (AU) on consumption to make things easier here. One animal unit is equivalent to a 1000 lb (454 kg) cow with or without a calf. A farm animal that eats twice as much as a 1 000 lb cow is a 2 000 lb bull, which typically has an AU of 2.0. A Chianina bull, the largest that tipped the scales at over 3500 lbs and the largest breed in the world, would have an AU of 3.5, which is thrice and a half times that of a 1000 lb cow. Going in AUMs or Animal Unit Months (defined as the amount an animal unit can consume in one month's time [780 lbs (355 kg)]), a 2000 lb bull eats twice as much as a cow that has 1 AUM can eat 1560 lbs in one month (2 AUM = 1560 lbs). The Chianina bull example can eat 2730 lbs in one month (3.5 AUM = 2730 lbs).
As for horses, most horses have an AU of 1.5. The large draft breeds such as the Percherons, may have an AU that exceeds 3.0. However, thrice as much as a cow is the highest that a farm animal will eat.
So the final answer to this question is that, technically, there is no such animal that exists.
Cattle can eat during all hours of the night and day, since they only sleep a few hours during the day at a time. If the day is hot, they will stay in the shade and only graze during the cool in the morning and evening. If it is cold out, they will eat as much as they will to keep themselves warm then rest and ruminate. Cows that are fed in a barn like most dairy cows will eat when they are fed, pausing to rest and ruminate, then eat again. All cattle are fed ad lib so they eat as much as they want before laying down to chew their cud.
