The Best Ways to Feed a Cow

Cattle can be classified as beef cattle or dairy cattle, and there are over 800 different breeds worldwide. All cattle are ruminants, which means their digestive system has a four-compartment stomach, and they chew cud. Male cattle are called bulls, adult female cattle are called cows, young females are called heifers and castrated males are called steers. The term "cow" is often used for all cattle and they all feed in the same way. Understanding how a cow processes food is a key to understanding the best ways to feed a cow.

  1. Digestive System

    • The main compartment of a cow's stomach is called the rumen, which contains microbes that ferment plant tissue. Cows often swallow a lot of their food without chewing it, and later on they can bring it back up into their mouth and chew it, which is known as "chewing the cud." It then goes to the rumen where micro-organisms digest cellulose from plant cells, and starch and sugars are digested.

    Grass and Forage

    • A cow's digestive system has evolved to depend on a diet of grasses and other fibrous plant material. Because of this, the best way to feed a cow is by allowing it to graze on pasture with a mix of grasses. Cattle forage by wrapping their tongue around the grasses and pulling it up in a tearing method. Because of this, they need grass that is a minimum of three inches long. Fresh water should always be available.

    Hay and Silage

    • During winter there may not be enough pasture, and you should feed hay or silage to keep the cow in good condition. Cows will normally eat 2 to 2½ percent of their bodyweight a day. For a milk cow or cow with calf, this is around 3 percent. Hay and silage should be fed in a feeder to reduce wastage and reduce the number of intestinal worms the cow can pick up from the ground.

    Grains and Supplements

    • Mineral blocks should be available to provide trace elements that can be missing in pasture. Blocks are available for lactating and nonlactating animals. These should be placed in a container in a shelter where the rain cannot dissolve it. Cows do not do well on all-grain diets as these can upset the microbes in the rumen. Grain should be introduced to cattle gradually to give them time to adapt.

    Treats

    • Most cows will enjoy a few additions to their pasture diet. Things they enjoy include potatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn cobs, capsicums, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, bananas, apples and bread. Bread should be fed in moderation as it can affect the rumen in the same way that too much grain can. Pre-prepared or cubed feeds should be avoided as they can contain poor-quality ingredients. Cows on a natural healthy diet will do best.