While at the local county fair and the Minnesota State Fair, many people will come walking by our dairy cows and stop to ask a couple questions about them. "What's their name?"; "How old are they?"; and "What breed are they?" are the typical questions that most people ask. Every once in a while, a person will comment on the physical looks of the dairy cow saying, "She looks so skinny." or "I can see her ribs.". They are concerned that we are not feeding them enough, we are milking them too much, or that the cows must be sick because they are so thin. This is not the case. Dairy farmers strive everyday to make sure their cows are at their peak health and are fed proper, nutritious feeds. People draw these conclusions because often times, they have just come from seeing the cattle in the beef barn which are more stocky when compared to the tall, angular dairy cow. Other times, the only cows they see represented in the media and books are fatter, bigger built animals. So, in this blog post, I will try to bring to light the reason why dairy cows are "so skinny".
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| Typical Dairy Cow |
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| Typical Beef Cow |
When comparing a typical dairy cow to a typical beef cow, there are quite a few noticeable differences between the two. The biggest and most important difference is that the dairy cow is raised for milk production and the beef cow is raised for meat production. In beef, the calories taken in from their food is converted into muscle and fat reserves. This gives them the bulky, more stocky appearance. In the case of the dairy cow, the calories taken in are converted into milk production. Making milk takes a lot of energy, so instead of having all their calories go to making unneeded fat reserves, it is used almost right away to produce milk. In truth, a cow will consume around 90 pounds of feed and drink as much water as a bathtub full all in one day. Since this food and water is used for energy in the mammary system (udder) of the dairy cow, there is less fat on the dairy cow figure giving her the "thinner", more angular appearance.
This also goes into why a dairy cow's udder is larger than a beef cow's udder. It is more capacious (bigger) because they are bred to produce larger quantities of milk. On the other hand, while beef produce milk too, they do it on a smaller scale and the milk is mainly used for feeding their young. Another distinct feature are the sizes of the breeds. Dairy cattle are typically taller and longer individuals when compared against beef cattle giving them that more angular presence. Beef are stereotypically shorter and have a more compact which makes them look muscular and bulky.
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| A dairy show cow |
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| A beef show cow |
I hope I helped in clarifying why dairy cattle look different. Just like dogs, cats, and humans, cows come in different forms with various genetic traits that make them who they are. Thanks for reading. Until next time, remember your three servings and have a dairy good day!
Information located at:
http://www.dairymoos.com/how-much-do-cows-weight/
http://www.agintheclassroom.org/teacherresources/AgMags/Dairy%20Ag%20Mag%20for%20SmartBoard.pdf
Pictures located at:
http://www.albertadairycongress.ca/?content/dairy-cows-show-and-sale.html
http://www.jeffersoncountyfairpark.com/fairpark/dairy-barn-facility
Information located at:
http://dairycarrie.com/2013/06/10/why-are-dairy-cows-skinny/
http://www.albertamilk.com/ask-dairy-farmer/why-are-dairy-cows-so-skinny/http://www.dairymoos.com/how-much-do-cows-weight/
http://www.agintheclassroom.org/teacherresources/AgMags/Dairy%20Ag%20Mag%20for%20SmartBoard.pdf
Pictures located at:
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/PAT/recs/livestk/recbeef/recbeef.htm
http://farmingamerica.org/2013/04/18/wheres-the-beef-or-where-does-beef-come-from/
http://www.hereford.co.za/show-results/royal-show-pietermaritzburg-2012/http://www.albertadairycongress.ca/?content/dairy-cows-show-and-sale.html
http://www.jeffersoncountyfairpark.com/fairpark/dairy-barn-facility
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