Farm Animals

Miniature cows are an excellent choice for small dairy operations, home milk production and small farms. Their size makes it possible to raise them on smaller acreage with less feed costs, and...

Cattle health and profitability are dependent upon achieving and maintaining proper body weights. Weight loss or slow gain can indicate health problems such as pests and parasites, or the need for...

Miniature cows for sale can be found all over the country, but because of supply and demand and a high level of interest in lowline cattle breeds, they are similar in cost to full-size cows....

Dairy farmers often inject their milking cows with bovine somatotropin (BST) to increase milk production. This substance, also known as bovine growth hormone (BGH), naturally occurs in small...

Livestock such as cattle and cows are a valuable commodity around the world. Whether you raise cows for beef or as pets what to feed a cow is information for all owners of cows.

Just like humans, cows have tongues to help them eat and drink. The tongue is a muscular organ capable of moving around. Tongues contain taste buds as well as glands that secrete saliva. Many...

Lumpy skin disease occurs frequently in many cattle herds throughout Africa. The disease does not affect humans, but the The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) considers...

Cows are not difficult animals to keep, but cutting corners when building their barns can end up being much more costly in the long run. Keeping in mind the overall comfort and health of your...

A single dairy cow in the United States produces 2,000 gallons (more than 30,000 glasses) of milk in a year. Cows once ran wild and were hunted by man for meat. Eventually people started...

A cow's close-up dry period begins 21 days before her estimated calving date. An effective feeding program for close-up dry cows can help reduce the incidence of metabolic disorders, improve feed...

The gestation period for cattle varies, but usually lasts 276 to 283 days. Calf gender, age, breeds, and multiples are among factors affecting gestation length. Getting cows pregnant once a year...

A cow is a female bovine that has reached maturity. These animals are used for food such as milk and often kept on farms. There are also heifers, which haven't reached maturity and won't be...

Cows provide most of the milk people drink worldwide. It used to take 10 cows to produce the same amount of milk a single cow produces today. Cows need proper care to produce all that milk.

Angus cattle are known for efficient growth, strong maternal instincts and certified beef, characteristics that have helped make the breed the most popular in America. More cattle are recorded...

Black Angus cattle are known in the cattle business as "the business breed." In fact, the Mid-Texas Angus Association has that line as its catch phrase. The reason is simple: for anyone raising...

Artificial insemination (AI) is a common method of breeding cattle. Semen is collected from a bull, placed into straws, and, if necessary, frozen for storage using liquid nitrogen. When the...

In order to raise buffalo for meat, you will need a herd of cows and at least one bull to breed them. When purchasing your initial breeding stock, North Dakota State University recommends testing...

Cows are an integral part of a farm. From the traditional to the more commercial farming methods, cows provide the backbone for many agrarian areas. From providing milk, meat and the precursor for...

Cows are tough, hardy animals and don't require much shelter from the elements other than natural shelters, such as trees. For cows in harsh climates, a simple three-sided shed can be built for...

I recently received an email from eHow member foxtrott inquiring about how to understand cows. The following steps are the answers to foxtrott's questions. Thanks for your inquiry foxtrott.

Jersey cows are one of the most recognizable breeds of cows, seen as a sea of honey brown roaming vast green pastures around the world. Valued for their small size, easy-going temperament and...

A cow stanchion is an upright beam or bar that is used to restrain cows (by their necks) to confine them to their stalls. Cow stanchions are often used during the cow milking process to make sure...

Milk is a popular drink the world over. Almost 75 percent of the milk the world drinks, however, is goat's milk, unlike in the United States, where cow's milk is the popular choice. Does the world...

Cows are are raised as livestock on cattle farms for their beef, on dairy farms for their milk and are harvested for their hides to make leather. In some countries, cows are used for plowing and...

There are several advantages to using an automatic milking system, as opposed to milking cows by hand. The first is efficiency. With an automatic milking system you can milk more cows, in less...

If you’re a cattle herder at heart--yet lack the wherewithal to head west to rustle up some steer--fear not. There is a scaled down version of ranching available just for you. With food costs...

Many times there is much confusion on the proper names of a cow. Many don't know that a Bull is a cow. Below are the proper names for the male, female, young, and a herd of cows.

From Mad Cow Disease to Hoof and Mouth Disease, cows seem like they're particularly prone to becoming ill. In fact, they're not inherently more likely to catch diseases than any other farm animal....

The price of milk keeps going up making some people think that it might be cheaper to start collecting milk from their own cow. If you collect milk from your own cow, it will also be hormone and...

Working cows and calves can be a challenging task. But there are some things you can do to make the job less stressful for both you and the animals. Here are some tips to help you draft or sort...

Dutch Belted Cattle are the only belted breed which trace back to the original "canvassed" cattle described in Austria and Switzerland. This breed was moved to the Netherlands shortly after the...

Ayrshire cows, also known as Dunlop or Cunninghame cows, are a breed of dairy cattle originating from Ayrshire, Scotland. Dunlops from the Cunninghame were bred with cattle from Holland to produce...

Brown Swiss cows are a breed of dairy cattle. They are the second-greatest milk producers in the world, and their milk makes excellent cheese. The Brown Swiss was bred in the harsh climate of the...

If you want to raise farm animals but are not quite sure what to start with, try raising miniature cattle. They require less room than standard cattle and don't require special equipment or...

When you live in the middle of nowhere, sometimes cow tipping is the only fun activity you can find. Even if you don’t actually tip a cow, you’ll remember how exciting the experience was for many...

Most people think of cows as a food source. Unless you've raised a cow, you probably don't know they are intelligent animals and easy to develop a fondness for, and that they become sensitive to...

Cow tipping is a fine art that is best experienced under the cover of darkness, with friends and preferably in an inebriated state. Make sure to be in excellent physical health before embarking on...

The practice of artificial insemination has revolutionized the cattle industry. Owners today can select from thousands of bulls across the country, and cows never have to leave the comfort of...

Oxen are castrated bull cows. A castrated bull is already out of the picture when selecting which of the animals you're going to breed. So, to learn how to breed oxen, you want to start by...

Before drinking raw milk, it is important to evaluate the raw milk dairy. Good raw milk in its natural state is not simply un-pasteurized milk; it must be produced according to certain standards...

Starting a cattle herd can be a lucrative endeavor, if done properly. As an authority on raising cattle once said: "Buy the cattle low. Fatten them cheaply. Sell them high." The formula for doing...

Grass-fed cattle yields the best meat because the cattle are not filled with growth hormones. Generally, grass-fed cattle lead a very stress-free life and are filled with the most nutrients. Done...

The Guernsey cow is named for the Isle of Guernsey, a small island in the English Channel off the coast of France. Monks developed the cow breed in the 10th century by inter-breeding the best...

A good breeding program is essential to any dairy farm for the simple reason that milk production is dependent on how many cows you have lactating at one time. Remember, too, that although people...

Vaccinating cows can keep them healthy and less likely to become infected with dangerous diseases. Whether you have only one cow or an entire herd, properly vaccinating your animals is crucial....

A good feeding program for your cows will produce more milk, better calves and better meat for your table.

If you take good care of your cows, they will produce dairy products, meat and calves for years.