Cow Facts For Kids- Characteristics & Pictures of Cows (Farm Animals)

Cows are referred to as the most popular domestic animal in the world. They are also known as farm animals.

Cow Facts For Kids

• Cows are the most common domesticated animal in the world
• Domesticated cows live on pastures. Pastures are fenced in area of green grass. The house cow lives is called shed
• Cows are mammals
• Cows are also referred to as cattle
• There are over 1000 different breeds of cattle in the world
• Male Cows are called Bull or Steer, Female Cows are called Heifer. Females are called cows only after giving birth to a calf.  Baby Cows are called calves. 
• Castrated Cows are called Ox
• Cows are color blind to Red and Green color
• Group of Cows are called herd, drove or team
• Cows gives us milk, leather and meat
• Cow milk can be made into different dairy products such as butter, cheese, yogurt

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Cows – Movements: Walk, Run, Jump

• Cows have head with two eyes, nose and a mouth.  They have 2 ears, 4 legs and a large body
• Cows can jump in a standing position.  Cows can jump 4–5-feet height with ease.  Cows have been known to jump fences and barriers.
• Cows can run 35 miles per hour
• Cows jump out of excitement and when they feel threatened
• Cows does not have knee structure design so they can walk upstairs but cannot downstairs
• In deep mud, cows can run faster than horses

Cows – Respiration

• Cows breathes Oxygen
• Cow’s respiratory system works and functions same as humans
• A cow’s body temperature is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit
• Cows heart beats at 60-70 per minute
• An adult cow’s breaths between 26 and 50 per minute

Cows- Sensitivity

• Cows have an excellent sense of smell.  They can smell up to 5 miles away
• Cows communicate by saying moo
• Cows use different tone in their voice when communicating
• Cows are social and emotional animals
• Cows can hear both higher and lower frequencies better than human beings
• Cows can hold grudge and they are smart and intelligent animals
• Cows jump and kicks when they feel threatened

Cows- Growth & Weight

• A group of baby cows are called herd of calves or a cattle of calves
• The average weight of a calf at birth is 63.6 pounds for females, male calves weigh about 5 percent more at birth
• Not all cows are black and white. Cows can be all white or all black, some cows are brown, yellowish or orange in color
• An adult cow can weigh between 400-1,600 pounds
• Cows live up to 25 years
• Cows stays in group called herd

Cows- Reproduction

• A Cow is pregnant for 9 months just like humans
• Cows usually give birth to one calf a year, although cows can have twins sometimes
• A calf is about 90 pounds when it is born, they can walk within a few minutes
• Twin calves often come mixed (male and female)
• Calves are separated at 4,8 or 12 days from their mothers, then rejoined them 

Cows- Excretion

• Cows have one stomach with 4 different compartments for digestion, the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum
• Cows can digest food that normally cannot be digested
• Cows urinate and defecates in standing position
• Cows cannot vomit
• Cow dung are use as manure as it provides organic nutrients to the soil

Cows- Nutrition

• Cows are herbivores that feed mainly on vegetation
• Cows eat grass, leaves, vegetables, and fruits, but like any other animals, cows also have foods that are toxic to them
• Cows spends 6 hours a day eating and 8 hours a day chewing their cuds

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Fun Facts About Cows

• Cows can see almost 360-degree panoramic vision 
• The number of rings on the horns = approximate age
• No two cows have the same pattern or spots, just like human fingerprints
• Dairy cows can produce 125 pounds of saliva a day

Learn about other farm animals >>