Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cows

got milk? i do.

kitchencrush — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:07:19 -0800

What can I do with two bottles of real milk before they go bad tomorrow? So, I bought real, straight-from-the-cow milk at the farmers market on Saturday. I have not drank it all yet and am afraid that it will turn bad tomorrow since it doesn't last too long. What can I use it in, besides coffee, that will significantly benefit from its real yummy taste?

Why cows need to calf to express milk?

foleypt — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:45:15 -0800

To maintain high milk production, a dairy cow must be bred and produce calves. Has any research been done on artificially stimulating milk production? Perhaps by artificial selection or by hormone treatment. As the calves are born half female half male that leaves farms with a surplus of male calves. In most countries the extra male calves are breed for a short while and then used as veal, in others they are simply shoot soon after birth. On a Hindu farm all the male cows are kept and worked on the farm. As an ovo-lacto vegetarian for many many years I am late to understanding that my milk drinking has an ethical cost and I am mostly comfortable about that on a "I'm doing what I can" basis and am unlikely to change now. However what I can't understand is why nobody seems to have tried alternative methods to getting cows to produce milk? I know the market for hormonally or genetically modified organic milk must be small but surely this would offer more efficiency for the dairy farmer?

How smart are cows and sheep?

yankeefog — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:32:18 -0800

Just how smart are cows and sheep anyway? I know that it's hard enough to define and measure intelligence within our own species, so I'm not expecting a definitive and objective answer here, or even a vaguely scientific one. But if you've had any first-hand experience with cows and/or sheep, I'd love any anecdotal info you'd care to provide about how smart they seemed to you.

Feel free to use any definition of "intelligence" that makes sense to you. If it helps, my own definition of intelligence encompasses all the following areas:

* Analytic intelligence (problem solving, learning from past experience, etc.)
* Emotional intelligence (recognizing when somebody is angry, happy, etc)
* Social intelligence (having different kinds of relationships with different individuals,etc)

Again, I'm not looking for a definitive answer; I recognize that, unless you speak fluent Moo or Baa, you can't test these qualities in any objective way. I'm happy with anecdotal evidence that seems relevant to you.

Chews for two moos?

mezzanayne — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:09:35 -0800

What do cows like to eat? Soon I am going to be visiting a friend of mine who has two pet cows. I'll be bringing a 6-year-old who wants to feed the cows some treats. I asked my friend about the cows' preferences and she said that she'd tried all manner of fresh fruit and horse treats but her cows didn't like them.

What can I bring that the cows might enjoy? I have ready access to health, grocery, farm supply, and pet stores. Treat or toy suggestions are appreciated.

learning about old cows

esereth — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:28:12 -0800

I need to know about old-timey cows!!! Who can I ask? My grandfather ran a dairy farm from the 1920's to 1940's. I want to write a story about it, based on his love letters to my grandma. I only have a smattering of details. Leaving me with the questions:

How many cows could a single farmer with no hired hands handle in 1926? Would he have a milking machine back then? If so, would it have cost him all he had to buy it?

What is the routine of a dairy farmer? Feed, milk, muck out? In what order?

And if you don't know any of this (imagine that....) who could I ask? Who in the world knows this kind of stuff now?

Any tips for hiking safely among cows (and bulls?)?

mechantbruce — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 19:02:40 -0800

Any tips for hiking safely among cows (and bulls?)? Once a week, a friend and I hike up a local hill at 5:30am. For part of this walk we cut through a paddock full of cows (and one or two beasts that look more like bulls to me). So far we have faced nothing but mild curiosity from the animals, but being big city folk, it kind of freaks us out. Should we be worried? Is there a particular time of year we should be worried(we are in Northern California)? is there any particular way we should react if attacked?

Cow and/or Pig model?

Marky — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 21:00:32 -0800

I'm looking for a particular cow/pig figure... a cow and/or pig with the parts diagram printed on it.

Like the fiberglass figures on "America's Test Kitchen,"(seen among these pics) but smaller, about 4" to 6" tall.

The Case of the Missing Cow

ducksauce — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 10:51:56 -0800

Where can I find a stuffed cow that was once for sale at The Enchanted Forest, a store previously located at 85 Mercer street in New York City but now closed down? Two winters ago my girlfriend and I decided to go visit a stuffed animal store in SoHo called The Enchanted Forest (more info about the store here: http://www.newyorkmetro.com/pages/details/1248.htm). She fell in love with two of the animals there: a bear and a cow, but decided to get neither, the both of us being pretty broke at the time. I later bought her the bear as a present, but when we went back together to get the cow we found that the store was gone -- only a big empty space where the animals had once been. She was heartbroken. I vowed that day to do everything in my power to track down this cow, although I've been doing a pretty lousy job of it so far. I've found a thousand incorrect cows, but not the one she dreams of.

About the cow:
It was vaguely humanoid in shape, about 15 inches tall. The body was a light biege color, and the head looked like something Gary Larson (The Far Side) would have drawn. The fur was very, very soft, just like the animals sold at FAO Schwartz, but I don't know the name of the material (could it be mohair?).

So far I haven't even been able to find a picture of this cow online, let alone a store that sells them. I've tried eBay and have googled for hours on end, but it is nowhere to be found. If any MeFites remember this store or think they've seen a cow matching this description I would greatly, greatly appreciate a response. You can also email any tips to Jester_458@yahoo.com. That's an ancient email address where I won't mind all the spam I'm bound to get after publishing contact info.

Moooved to ask

baltimore — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 20:48:05 -0800

Anybody have a clue what's going on at BovineUnite.com? Billboards started showing up here in the Baltimore area a week or so ago. The site is registered locally, but the execution of the site seems too good to be just some local prank. So far, the only Google reference to the site is a Craigslist ad looking for people to travel around Maryland wearing the cowsuit. What are they advertising? Skim milk? Chick-Fil-A?

What happens to the sheep carcass?

jgballard — Mon, 14 Feb 2005 13:13:59 -0800

My wife and I were at IKEA last week and noticed a big batch of sheep skins for sale, rather cheaply. I know these are popular for some as car seats and the like, but we got to wondering, what happens to the slaughtered sheep from which they are taken? Do people still eat mutton at all? Whether or not one is a vegetarian, at least leather and similar hides presumably come from cows that are also slaughtered for their meat. But what happens to the meat of sheeps?