Just for Kids

Story by Mifi Purvis

Cool Cow Corner

Cows are the wonders of the farming world. They are kind of like natural, walking vending machines. Some scientists even say that when humans evolved the ability to digest cow’s milk, it was the first step on the road to civilization. Did you ever wonder how a cow makes milk? Well, pour yourself a frosty glass of moo-juice and sit down. It’s time to find out about udderly awesome cows.

Q: Doesn’t the baby calf need all that milk?

A: A cow makes 20 times more milk than the calf needs. Holsteins make more milk than any other cow, about 40,000 glasses of milk per year. How many glasses of milk can you drink in a year?

Q: Do cows really have four stomach compartments?

A: You bet. First, the cow chows down, and food goes into the largest of four compartments, the rumen, where it’s is churned, moistened and softened. (That’s why some people call cows and other animals with this stomach “ruminants.”) If you had four stomachs, would they all be for pizza?

Q: Then where does the food go?

A: It moves into the second compartment, called the reticulum, which turns it into tennis-ball sized wads called “cuds.” The cow burps the cuds back into its mouth to be re-chewed. Cows spend up to eight hours a day chewing their cud. Think of it as cow bubble gum.

Q: That’s two stomach compartments – what’s next?

A: Well chewed, cuds go into to the omasum they’re ground up more. Then, finally, to the fourth compartment, the abomasum, sometimes called the “true stomach” because there, acids digest the food. Say “omasum, abomasum” five times fast!

Q: How does this help cows make milk?

A: Nutrients from the food are carried by the blood to the udder. It takes a cow between 50 and 70 hours to turn green grass into white milk. How long does it take you to turn white milk into chocolate?

Udderly funny

What did the cow say to his chess partner?

Your moooove.

Why did the cow jump over the moon?

The farmer had cold hands.

Why shouldn’t you pamper a cow?
You get spoiled milk.