Cow, bull, heifer, steer and calf are all words that you
need to be familiar with if you are going to participate in the cattle
industry. Purchasing a bull when you meant to buy a cow or steer likely will
not lead to the desired outcome. It is essential that you have a solid grasp of
basic cattle terminology before you go shopping for your first cow. How to tell the difference between bull and
cow?
Let’s start with the basics. The cow is the female; the bull
is the male. Cow = female, bull =male. A cow is actually a mature, female
bovine that has had at least one or two calves. Many people mistakenly refer to
a "cow" as a highly general (or colloquial) term for all bovines
regardless of gender, size, age, type, or breed. It should be noted that most,
if not all veteran cattle people do not use the colloquial term "cow"
as frequently as one may think. Quite often, in order to refer to a group of
bovines in a general term, instead of calling them "cows," they are called
"animals," "cattle," "critters," or even one or
more explicative words that should never be mentioned on this site. Cows, on
the other hand, can be distinguished apart from other genders by simply looking
for a pendulous sac with four cylindrical knobs at the base--which is called an
udder--between the hind legs.
A bull is a mature male who has never been castrated and is
capable of breeding, which is their primary use in a cattle operation. Bulls
can be aggressive and are capable of causing injury to any animals or humans
they view as a threat. Bulls are much more muscular than cows, with thicker
bones, larger feet, a very muscular neck, and a large, bony head with
protective ridges over the eyes. These features assist bulls in fighting for
domination over a herd, giving the winner superior access to cows for
reproduction. The hair is generally shorter on the body, but on the neck and
head there is often a "mane" of curlier, wooly hair. Bulls are
usually about the same height as cows or a little taller, but because of the
additional muscle and bone mass they often weigh far more.
What’s the difference
between bull and cow?
·
A cow is a matured female member of the Bovine
subfamily, while the bull is a grown male bovine who hasn’t been castrated.
·
A cow is herded as livestock and gives birth to
calves, while a bull helps in the reproduction process of calves and can be
used for meat.
·
The term cow, in general, refers to the female
animals of many large mammalian species, while the bull is used to refer to males
of buffalos and bovines.
·
Cows are a calmer, more gentle members of
bovine, while bulls are seen to be violent and dangerous.
· Cows can live up to 20 years of age and can be of service for a majority of that time, while bulls are serviceable for a maximum of 12 years only.
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