T Is For Teeth and Trivia

Do cows bite?

I get this question often.
Have you ever seen a cow smile?

If so, it did not look like this.

Google image

Cows have 32 teeth, just like us, but cows do not have upper front teeth. Instead cows have a tough dental pad. They could "gum" you, but they can't bite you.

Why no front teeth?

Since cows are plant eaters, rather than meat eaters, they have no need for front incisors. Cows use their bottom teeth and their tongue to rip the grass or hay. They toss it in their mouths and swallow it whole, almost without chewing. When she has her fill, the cow then regurgitates it and chews it again using the top and bottom molars in the back of its mouth before swallowing it again. Once it is thoroughly chewed it is swallowed again and digested. Cows can spend about 8 hours a day eating, and another 8 hours per day chewing their cud. 

So what other interesting facts can I share today?

• Cows can smell odors up to 6 miles away.
• Cows can lick and pick their nose with their tongues.
• Cows drink about a bathtub full of water each day.
• Cow's spots are like snowflakes. No two cows are alike.

And did you know-

Google image

See you tomorrow as our June Dairy Month A to Z journey continues.

Q Is For Question

I'm taking you on a journey from A to Z through the land of dairy! 

There's no need to pack your bags, just come along!

  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
I am making a commitment to share as much as I can with you each day this month, about the life of our dairy farm family including what we do, how we share our passion for dairy, and dairy foods we enjoy.