2LearnKept species
Cattle
Bos taurus
Cattle were domesticated from the now-extinct aurochs about ten thousand years ago and are kept for milk, meat, leather and draught work. Hundreds of breeds range from small, hardy hill cattle to large dairy and beef breeds. As grazing ruminants they turn grass into food and fertility.
About
Large, domesticated, cloven-hooved herbivores.
- Family
- Bovidae
Keeping
How it is kept
Kept for
- Meat
- Dairy
- Draught work
- Mature weight
- 400–1100 kg
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years
- Gestation
- 283 days
- Temperament
- Generally calm herd animals; bulls can be dangerous
- Forage
- Grazing ruminants that need plenty of good grass or hay, clean water and a mineral supplement. High-yielding dairy cows need extra feed on top.
- Housing
- Strong, stock-proof fencing and shelter from wind and wet, with dry lying areas or winter housing. A safe handling area makes routine care far easier.
- Good to know
- Cattle are herd animals and should not be kept alone. A cow needs to calve about once a year to keep giving milk, and a milking cow must be milked every day. Never treat a bull as a pet, because even quiet bulls can be dangerous.
Photos, videos and notes
From keepers
Known as
Names around the world
- en
- cattle, cow
Full detailsevery field on the record, to copy
- Name
- Cattle
- Slug
- cattle
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Bos
- Species
- taurus
- Wikidata QID
- Q830
- Container suitable
- No
- Indoor suitable
- No
- OSSI pledged
- No
- Hazard level
- 1
- Data completeness
- 48
Generated sections & citations
summarywikidata