Cattle Diets and Nutrition

Every ranch had a brand registered that was unique to that ranch. This brand, which comprised a combination of letters, numbers and symbols in two digits or less, was burned onto cattles' hides above the flank, ribs or over the hips, and proved to be a very useful ID for cowboys to see which cattle belonged to which ranch come roundup time.

A cow has a four-chambered stomach designed to digest coarse plant material.

They don't mean to eat soil.

They might eat soil by accident because it's attached to the grass they are eating. It doesn't do them any harm.

Answer

I have never seen cows eating soil. Sometimes when the grass is very short it may appear that they are eating soil.

Cud. Cows regergitate grass and it is call cud. Hence cows chew their cud.

They were called Haciendas

It means that the young have to learn from their parent[s] in order to know what's best to eat and what isn't.

The amount a cow eats in the pasture is not measured by "pounds of pasture" as pasture includes the plants and the soil. The amount of forage biomass or just forage is what you should be referring to. So, a typical 1000 lb cow will eat around 2.5% of her body weight in dry matter, which is around 26 lbs DM.

Most cows like to stand and chew, and others will lay down to chew their cud. They all are in a relaxed state of mind, and you know it's "sleepy time" when the herd start to get their jaws moving, so to speak.

Inside the termites digestive tract, there is a symbotic microorganisms by the name of Trichonympha sphaerica who also has a symbiotic microorganism inside of it that digest the cellulose so that the termite can eat it.

For cows it is the same they have symbiotic microorganisms inside of them that breaks down the cellulose but I am uncertain of the name.

The consistency of fecal matter that comes from a cow is not completely solid, thus is unable to form a shape unlike that from horses, dogs and cats. Cow feces is part-solid part-liquid (more liquid when on rich pasture and more solid when on feed with low protein content), thus is able to create what is known as a "cow pattie" or "cow pie" when the animal stops and defecates in one spot.

There are many factors that aids in the fermentation of cellulose and other plant matter in the cow's digestive tract. One is the microflora of the reticulo-rumen, which is comprised of a large population of bacteria and protozoa. These microbes have co-evolved in the cow's digestive system to obtain as much energy and protein as possible from the material consumed by the cow, while at the same time aiding the animal by breaking down the material (cellulose, hemi-cellulose, fibre and lignin) so the cow herself can obtain the nutrients she needs to live and function normally.

The second factor is the environment of the rumen. The rumen itself is an environment where no oxygen is available or can be made available, thus enabling fermentation to take place. The microflora in the cow's rumen are adapted to live and function in such an anaerobic environment, further enabling the fermentation process in the cow's rumen.

The third factor is the ability of the reticulo-rumen to mix the various matter that exists in these two chambers: gas, liquid and solid matter. Smooth muscle contractions force the liquid that is found on the middle layer of matter in the rumen (the top layer is gaseous material) to mix with the solid matter that has sunk to the bottom of the rumen, enabling further digestion and fermentation of the plant matter that was just consumed. These contractions also help in moving foreign objects such as pieces of metal, nails and stones to the reticulum so that they do not impede on the proper digestion process nor puncture the rumen wall.

Thus, it is a combination of the presence of microflora, the anaerobic environment and the smooth muscle contractions of the reticulo-rumen that help in fermentation of cellulose in the cow's digestive system.

Hay is dried grass or legumes (primarily alfalfa and clover) that is mostly light green on the inside of the bale. Round bales, if weather-worn, will look greyish on the outside with the rest of the plant material a golden to greenish colour. Bales that are not as greyed are more goldish-brown colour with green forage inside. Hay tends to be flakey, especially if there's little bits of dried alfalfa or clover leaves inside, as well as parts of grass leaves that are so brittle they're so dry, but it is mostly stemmy from the stems of the grasses and legumes. The thicker stems are from the alfalfa legumes that livestock tend to pass over to get at the grassy stuff.

Hay bales themselves come in different sizes: there's the small square bales that aren't actually square but rectangular in shape and weigh up to 75 lbs. These bales can be carried and broken open by hand without need of a tractor; the large square bales are thrice as big as the little square bales, also rectangular but can weigh up to 1000 lbs or more. The large squares need to be handled by tractor. Small round bales are almost non-existant because of the cost to make them, but they are about 3 feet high by 3 feet wide, some are around a foot larger, and are cylindrical, weighing up to 700 lbs or more. Large round bales are often 6 feet tall (diameter) by 6 feet wide or a foot smaller; and they can weigh up to 1200 lbs if the hay is compacted tightly together in the baler. Large round bales are also cylindrical in shape. Both small and large round bales are handled by a tractor because of their size and weight.

Cows do not digest cellulose cell walls because they, as an animal, are incapable of producing a special enzyme, called cellulase, to do the job. The cellulose-digesting bacteria in their rumen, however, are capable of producing such an enzyme and are thus responsible for digesting cellulose and helping the cow obtain essential nutrients from coarse plant material where she cannot.

They eat about the same. Lactating cows tend to eat 4% of their body weight DM per day, whereas a bull will eat the average of about 2.5% of is body weight DM per day. Since bulls are heavier than cows, the total daily intake is about the same.

When backgrounders going onto a hot ration come into the feedlot they are weighing at an average of 800 to 1100 lbs. At the end they come out at a finishing weight of 1250 to 1450 lbs.

Camel or llama

Well, it's something to the effect of "beneficial" communalism, because the bacteria benefit from the cow by being constantly supplemented with food, and the cow benefits from the bacteria and microflora because they help break down the fibrous material for her.

They eat hay, vegetables, fruits like pears and apples. Some milk farmers feed their cows left over candy from nearby candy factories. Candies like gummy worms and mint jawbreakers. Most dairy farmers feed their cows a mixture of essential proteins and other various nutrients to maximize milk production.

Meat in the form of beef, cheese and ice cream (both which are made from milk of a cow)

I believe it's usually 0.25 cows per acre or more for the arid areas to 0.5 or 1 cows per acre in the more lusher areas of Texas. Check with your local extension office for more information on stocking rates.

Louisiana

Feeders refer to calves and yearlings, both steers and heifers, that are carrying more weight and/or finish than stockers, which are ready to be placed on high-energy rations for finishing and slaughtering. Thus, feeder cattle on a grain diet generally take 3 to 4 months (7 to 8 months for calves) to reach Choice grade and be ready for slaughter.

They like their milk. But they'll also start sampling and eating things that their moms eat, or that are placed in front of them and bribed to eat if they're orphaned calves being raised on the bottle or bucket.