Do Cows Really Have Four Stomachs?
Many people who’ve never been near a dairy farm have heard that cows have four stomachs. It’s one of the questions I get asked most often. The answer: Yes and no.
Cows technically only have one stomach, but it has four distinct compartments. It is very different than a human stomach. That’s why people often say that cows have four stomachs.
Parts of a cow’s stomach:
- Rumen – This is the first part of the cow’s stomach. It helps break down complex plant products like grass.
- Reticulum – Here the food mixes with the cow’s saliva and produces cud. Cows burp up the cud into their mouths and chew it to help break it down more. When you see a cow that looks like she is chomping on bubble gum, really she is chewing her cud.
- Omasum – Here all the water is absorbed out of the food.
- Abomasum – Here is where the food is finally digested, similar to what happens in a human stomach.
What exactly is it that goes into our cows’ stomachs?
Our cows are fed a mix of corn silage, hay silage, grain (corn), distillers grains, and soy bean meal. On our farm, we grow the corn, wheat and hay that goes into our cows’ feed.
Speaking of stomachs, check out our dairy recipes that are farm family favorites!
This post was originally published on May 10, 2010 and has been updated with new images.
that is realy cool
Hello,
This was very interesting and helpful. To be perfectly honest I looked up this question because I was watching a game show a the this was an answer, I knew it wasn’t one but I thought it was three. It was interesting to find out why the cows have four different compartments. Thank you for this information blog 😀
Thank you for the info! Very interesting
Thank you for the information! We were trying to figure out how a cows digestive system works!
The author looks purely organic
Really?
why is this so interesting? I’m blown away by your smartness in cowology and the ways of the elusive cow… but wait… did you see that!?! Let’s take a closer look. This comment is irrelevant and so is your mugshot
Sounds like you probably spray your fields with roundup as well. I would never buy your meat or drink your cows milk.
FAKE NEWS. SAD.
What do you do with the babies you take from them to be able to sell their milk?
Me Mom says cows have four stomachs i say one both of us r correct I am still confused ♀️
Traci – they likely get shipped off to where they go into one of the small white boxes and end up on someone’s plate as “veal.”
Thanks for the clear explanation. I guess you could say it’s easily digested.
Oh Fabian, what are you like!? ;p
Mason, please can you help settle a dispute I’m having with my cousin-in-law. He thinks cows are color blind, but my friend Darius insists that he saw one flying a plane. And surely you can’t fly a plane if your eyes aren’t good. You would hit trees, clouds, and other things?
excellent explanation thanks
excellent explanation
Thank u Mason for clear explanation regarding the digestive process of the cow. What amazes me most is how incredibly stupid people are but most of all that they would actually post their comments. I am referring to the comments about your post and picture thank you for taking the time to answer that question. I wanted the answer along with the others that posted comments
Joe First? More like Joe Worst. Amirite?
Hi Joe, I didn’t click reply under your comment when posting. Just to clear up any confusion, comment above is for your reading pleasure. Hugs’n’kisses, Splatty
Mason thank you for the education. Ignore the idiotic trolls on here that are displaying clear lack of understanding that if it wasn’t for hard working folks like you, we all would have considerably less food available. Keep doing what you do.
Many many thanks to those who breed cows and take good care of them.
What about the cow that jumped over the moon,!,,
that’s why the milk is white .
So…do they have four stomachs or not?