You might think that Why Keep A Cow As A Pet. cows are easy to keep as pets and take care of them, provide milk and meat without the hassle of buying it in the store, have a fun personality, and are just adorable
Let me tell you something about these beautiful creatures. Cows are intelligent, curious, social, and emotional animals with a strong sense of direction and great spatial memory.
They form close friendships and family bonds and mourn the loss of their loved ones. They also love to explore new things and places and can’t wait for you to take them.
10 Reasons Why Keep A Cow As A Pet
A cow is an excellent pet for any family. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why a cow makes a great pet! A cow is inexpensive to care for. The most significant expense you will have with owning a cow is purchasing it and giving it a place to graze and wander freely in your backyard.
For this, a fence about three feet high is sufficient enough. As long as you provide fresh water and food, your cow should be happy. Cows eat grass, hay and grains such as oats and corn. The main expense you will have with a cow is purchasing food for it each week.
1. Easy to care for
Caring for a cow is very similar to taking care of any other typical farm animal. If you want your cow to produce milk, you will have to breed it once it reaches sexual maturity (which varies by the type of cow) or purchase an already pregnant cow to bring home.
Once the calf is born, you will be able to milk it until it matures, but once it matures, you will not be able to milk it like a baby – again, this varies by type of cow.
2. Produce milk
I know I already mentioned that you need a pregnant cow to produce milk, but this is still one of the best reasons to keep a cow as a pet. Once the calf is born, it will provide milk for you and your family for many years to come.
Cows will only give milk while pregnant or nursing their calves, so you will stop production after 2-3 years once the calf is weened. However, this does not mean that the cow has stopped producing milk – it simply means that it’s just not available at home!
You will still be able to take the cow into town and sell the milk at a local farmers market or convenience store. You can also choose to slaughter the calf once it is weened for meat, which you will have to do if you want to keep producing milk year after year.
3. Provide meat
If you are looking for an animal that will provide you with meat year-round, then a cow is the animal for you! Like milk production, once your cow has matured (after 2-3 years), it will only produce meat.
This does not mean that if you choose to slaughter your calf after weening, it will provide both meat and milk – this only applies if you choose to breed your cow once it reaches sexual maturity.
For more information on why you should slaughter your cow, check out the article here. Meat provides an excellent source of protein for your family and is much easier than buying meat at the store.
4. Healthy & delicious
You don’t need to feed exceptional cow food that will produce more milk or meat for you. They eat grass and any other foods that they can find in your backyard (similar to what a horse eats).
If you choose to breed your cow, you will need to feed it grain as well. Cows don’t require exceptional food like dogs and cats, who need certain types of food based on their breed and size.
Cows are very healthy animals and provide delicious milk and meat for your family to eat year-round!
5. Provide fertilizer
Instead of buying expensive synthetic fertilizers that may harm the ground, you should consider using a cow as a form of natural fertilizer. As I mentioned before, cows eat grass and other foods in your backyard – essentially anything they can find.
This means that when you let your cow out to graze in the yard, you will be providing it with free ‘food’, which is converted into fertilizer – much cheaper than buying synthetic fertilizers! The manure provides terrific nutrients for your lawn, flowerbeds, and garden.
6. No extra money spent on veterinary bills
Cow’s don’t need to go to a veterinarian unless they are sick or injured. This means you will not have any extra money spent on special foods for your cow, needles and medicine from the vet, etc.
Suppose you have another farm animal such as a horse or pig who requires daily brushing and attention from a veterinarian. In that case, I recommend that you check out this article which will explain how to have a healthy, happy cow.
7. Low-cost investment
Keeping a pet cow will not cost much money at all! They do not require exceptional food, toys, etc. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on dog or cat food every month, you can spend $10 and buy some grass and grain for your cow to eat.
If you choose to breed your cow, you will need to feed it an extra $10 of grain each month. A bottle of milk from the store is about $3/gallon, which means that a gallon of organic milk will cost around $6 at the grocery store.
But a gallon from your cow will only cost you $1-$2 per gallon! You can also choose to slaughter your calf when it’s ready and sell its meat for a profit!
8. Fun and rewarding time with your family
When we first got our cow, we did not think that we would handle it, but we knew that we could after some research and timing.
Getting a cow is not like getting a dog or cat where you can follow the directions to take care of it, but instead, you must learn how to milk them each day and feed them grain and hay and provide them with water. Cows need to be brushed every day (at least 10 minutes) and can even be ridden!
9. Fresh dairy products
Milk tastes better when it comes from your cow! Fresh milk contains no preservatives, colouring, or other additives, which you will find in store-bought milk.
It is simply better for you and your family to drink milk that came straight from the cow to your table!
10. Go green & save money!
Did you know that it takes more than 500 million gallons of water to produce milk, transport it to the store, and place it on the grocery shelf? This is why using a cow as your source for milk can help out our environment so much!
There are many other benefits to owning a cow, such as providing shade in the summer and warmth in the winter, protection from predators, and extra money for beef or leather. The benefits of owning a cow are endless!
Cows require very little care – just some food (grass/grain), water, and shelter in the wintertime. They can eat anything you find in your backyard (similar to a horse) and therefore require no exceptional food. Additionally, cows are in poor maintenance and require little attention.
Conclusion
I hope that this article has helped you realize the benefits of owning a cow and how it can benefit your family’s lifestyle. For more information on how to get started with getting a cow, click here.
Have you ever heard of such a thing? How do you think having cows affect the economy and workforce? Do you currently own any cows?
Click here to read about how we got our cow and more tips on having a happy and healthy cow. Thank you for reading this article.
Ou will need to go out with your family every day and truly build a relationship with your cow. When you see each other, hug it or treat the cow as a pet, getting them accustomed to being around humans.
I often let my neighbours come out and play on our new calf that is still young enough to be very gentle. You will have many hours of fun and laughter with your family as you try to take care of the cow. The kids will enjoy learning how to milk their cows each day!
