Holsteins are typically black & white, with each cow having a unique pattern! Some Holstein cows are “red” & white – red is a recessive gene and occasionally produces a red/white cow. The cows look golden brown, but they’re considered “red”
Holsteins are known for the quantity of their milk. Guernseys and Jerseys are known for high butter fat content in their milk, and lower production. Cows need to be pregnant or to have recently given birth to produce milk. Cows are bred at approximately 15 months and the gestation period is 9 months, the same as a human. Cows like cool temperatures – 50-60° - milk production goes down in high temperatures.
Herd mentality
Cows like to be in groups, not alone, and that’s why you see them in a pack. Like many animals, cows establish a pecking order. The pecking order is established quickly. With change, the pecking order realigns – which can be stressful for the cows. Cows are curious and friendly animals, and not considered to be very smart.
General Info
Cows spend six hours eating and eight hours chewing cud per-day. A cow will spend only four hours a day sleeping, taking only short naps. The girls sleep laying down while chewing cud.
Cows have almost total 360-degree panoramic vision, and they can see color! Cows have a great nose and can smell up to 6 miles away.
On average, a cows drinks about 1 bathtub full of water per day.
Feeding Cows
What a cow eats is very important for her digestion, milk production and milk quality. Milk Source has formulated a special blend feed to meet all of the needs associated with the health and well being of our cows, as well as for maximum milk production. Our feed consist of a mixture of:
• Corn silage
• Sweet corn silage
• Haylage
• Corn
• Soy Hulls
• Whey Permeate
• Canola Meal
• Protein Mix
•
Wet cake
Cows are a “ruminant” – 4 digestive areas in the stomach – not 4 stomachs! The cow digests plant-based food by initially softening it within her first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again. The process of re-chewing the cud to further break down plant matter and stimulate digestion is called "ruminating".
There are a few sayings that have been derived from cows such as:
“Digest an idea”
“Chew the cud”
Ruminate = ponder or think about!
85 percent of Wisconsin milk goes to cheese
Image copyrighted and provided by Foremost Farms USA
