Cow Facts for Kids
Bos taurus · BOSS TOR-us
A big, gentle farm animal that eats grass and gives us milk.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 800 to 1,400 lb363 to 635 kg1
- 📏 size: not yet checked
- 🎂 lifespan: not yet checked
- 🍽️ plants
- Not on the Red List (Not assessed)
A cow is a big farm animal. It eats grass all day and says moo. Many cows give us milk.
A cow swallows its grass, then brings it back up later to chew again. This is called chewing the cud. A grown-up girl is a cow, a boy is a bull, and a baby is a calf.
Cows are ruminants: a cow's stomach has four parts, and tiny living helpers inside it break down tough grass that people cannot digest. A cow spends a big part of every day chewing its cud. Cows live in herds and like to stay close to the herd friends they know. On many farms, milk, cheese, butter and yogurt all start with a cow.
How big is a cow?
Cow: no checked size yet, so there is nothing to draw. We only draw what a source says.
Cow in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 800 to 1,400 lb363 to 635 kg1grown beef cows, small to large: 800 to 1,400 pounds |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | no checked number yet |
| What it eats | grass, hay and grain |
| Where it lives | farms and ranches all over the world |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Not on the Red List (Not assessed) |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A cow's stomach has four parts.
- Cows chew the same grass twice: once to swallow, and again later.
- Cows like to stay close to the herd friends they know.
Compare the cow
Friends and neighbours
Horse
Chicken
American bisonThree questions
Books about the cow, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the cow for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Missouri Extension, the system concept of beef production (G2037), checked 6 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Cow (Q830), checked 30 October 2026.