Q Is For Question

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  Q Is For Question

Anna, a faithful follower, wants to know...

"What's the deal with cow's chewing their cud?"

Most cows chew at least 50 times per minute, and spend 8-10 hours a day chewing their cud. What's up with that?

 

Cows have a stomach organized into sections to take care of hard-to-digest food. When the cow first takes in food, it chews it just enough to moisten it. Once swallowed, the food goes to the stomach’s first section, where it is mixed with chemicals and softened. This softened food is called the cud, small balls of food. Next, the stomach’s muscles send the cud back up to the cow’s mouth, where it is re-chewed and swallowed again, this time going to another section of the stomach, where moisture is squeezed out of the cud. Finally, the food enters the last section of the stomach, the true stomach, where digestive juices mix with the food and start it on its way to the intestine to be completely digested. A cow chewing its cud is a sign of a happy, healthy cow.  

 Thanks for asking, Anna!

For more questions and answers- check out 
They Picked Farm Day and Back To School.

Do you have a question for me? Add it to the comments or email me at bremerfarms@hotmail.com

Learn more about dairy at Dairy Makes Sense
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