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3 The Life Cycle

of a Cow

Domestic cows often give birth on a farm. Farmers

often plan for births and look forward to adding
to their herd. However, wise farmers know not to

breed their cows until they are ready. Cows should not

be mated until they are at least eighteen months old.
When cows are pregnant, farmers feed them an espe-

cially nutritious mixture of grain and grasses. They
usually give birth in the spring, and the calf has many

warm months to grow strong. Cows can have one calf

per year if they are chosen for breeding. In rare
instances, twins are born.

Cows have a gestation period of nine months, just

like human mothers. Newborn calves weigh about

Cows usually give birth to just one calf per year.

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MCC-Animals Animals 10 - Cows_26425
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