My cow chewing thing !

Pasohorsegal · #1 09/23/12, 08:40 PM

What would cause a cow to throw her head up and make chewing motions after eating . She does this all the time , Does she have some stuck hay in her teeth , or do many cows do this???? She is healthy, bright eyes , weight is nice ,playfull, etc. I dont have a clue why she does this.. Any Ideas?

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SpaceCadet12364 · #2 09/23/12, 10:23 PM

Why Does a Cow Chew Its Cud? | Big Site of Amazing Facts ®

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences...n/nut00014.pdf

Pasohorsegal · #3 09/24/12, 07:05 AM

[B][B][/BNO she in not chewing her cud ! She will lay down and do that , This is while she is standing . She streatches her head upward and starts to gnaw the air she perhaps does it for an hour not allways after feeding but that when I see it the most. ... We were thinking she has tooth that gets hay stuck in it or??????

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SpaceCadet12364 · #4 09/24/12, 05:08 PM

What does a cow do when it chews the cud

Cud chewing does not happen only when lying down. They do it while standing up as well. They're flexible that way.

I take it you are new to cattle? The "gnawing" at the air is probably when she is in the act of regurgitating the bolus from the first stomach in order to chew on it. You just seem to be seeing her in action alot.

BlackWillowFarm · #5 09/24/12, 06:56 PM

I have a cow that does that when she's eating grain at milking time. She gets a mouthful then lifts her head in the air and chews. Sometimes she chews and slides her jaw back and forth like food gets stuck in there. She only does it while she's eating though, not afterwards. I think her teeth might be worn unevenly and it hurts her a little to eat with her head down. She always spills grain out of her mouth too.

Do they float cow teeth like they do for horses?

I think you're right that something might be wrong with your cows mouth.

Pasohorsegal · #6 09/24/12, 08:57 PM

I dont know My husband is not new to cows and he said he has never seen a cow throw its head up and chew the air eiither.. She is healthy and her weight is good but Bill just looked out the window ,Its 8pm and dark its been several hrs since I fed her and she was chewing the air...Mayby the cud thing but she sure does it a lot... I have never seen her do it when lying down..

SpaceCadet12364 · #7 09/24/12, 11:22 PM

Well, if this is a relatively new thing for her to be doing, maybe a vet check might be in order? Unless you have your own head gate and she will let you handle her head enough for you to check and see if maybe she might have some sort of dental problem going like an abcess or something.

At a minimum, if you have a regular vet, you might run what she is doing and how long she's been doing it by them and see what they think.

Pasohorsegal · #8 09/28/12, 11:46 AM

Yes I think I will check with my vet , she is healthy and has good weight so I dont think its a crises.. Im just intrested to find out why ..

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