More about cattle

Cattle, commonly referred to as cows (female bovines), are domesticated ungulates; a member of the subfamily Bovine of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat (called beef or veal), dairy products (milk), leather and as draught animals (pulling carts, ploughs etc).

In some countries, such as India, they are honoured in religious ceremonies and revered. It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world today.

An adult male is called a “bull”. An adult female who has had more than one or two calves is called a “cow”.

Young cattle are called “calves” until they are weaned, then “weaners” until they are a year old in some areas, in other areas, particularly with beef cattle, they may be known as “feeder – calves” or simply “feeders”. After that, they are referred to as “yearlings” if between one or two years of age, or by gender:

A young female before she has a calf of her own is called a “heifer”. A young female that has had only one calf is occasionally called a “first-calf heifer”.
An older (usually over 500Kg) castrated male is called a “bullock”.

Cattle raised for human consumption are called “beef cattle”.

Cows of certain breeds kept for the milk they give are called “dairy cows” or “milking cows” – most young male offspring of dairy cows are generally sold for veal, and may be referred to as “veal calves”.

Biology: Cattle have one stomach with four compartments. They are ruminants, meaning that they have a digestive system that allows them to utilize otherwise indigestible foods by repeatedly regurgitating and rechewing them as “cud”.
The gestation period for a cow is nine months. A newborn calf weighs roughly 25-45Kg.

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