When I sat down to write today’s post, wracking my brains in an attempt to come up with a topic, it dawned on me that it’s only fair at this point to dedicate a post to cows. I wrote a few posts all about chickens, the animals I interact with the most on our family farm via our chicken barn, so I figure I should extend Blaine the same courtesy and compose a post addressing the animals he interacts with the most on his family’s farm.
Cows are incredible creatures. Blaine has always loved them, and my love for them has certainly deepened because of Blaine’s passion for them. I figure the world could use some more positivity, so here are some interesting facts all about cows, from spca.bc.ca.
“1. Not all cattle are cows. Cattle are often called cows, but this is not always technically accurate! There are different terms for cattle depending on their age, sex, and reproductive status. A cow is a female that has given birth to at least one calf. Before giving birth for the first time, a female is called a heifer. Bulls are intact male cattle of any age, while steer are castrated male cattle.
“2. Cows have a four-chambered stomach. Cows are ruminants, meaning they have a specialized digestive system that helps them break down grass and other vegetation that other animals are unable to eat.
“3. Cows have a very strong sense of smell. Their powerful noses can detect odours up to 10 kilometres away! This helps them to navigate their complex friendships and respond to threats and other information in their environment. For example, cows can detect the scent of stress hormones present in the urine of other cows, which helps them to avoid danger!” the web page states.
Check back tomorrow for part two.
Photo by Jakob Cotton on Unsplash
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