How does a cow make milk?

Barn animals

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by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author

Have you ever learned about mammals? The word mammal is used to describe animals that share certain important features in common. Dogs, cats, bears, lions, horses, squirrels, monkeys, and even humans are all types of mammals! One of the key characteristics that all of these animals and all other mammals share in common is that they all nurse their young with milk, like a mommy and a baby!

Because cows are also mammals, they too produce milk for the purpose of nursing their young! But young cows aren’t the only ones who enjoy this milk… a cow’s milk can be healthy and tasty for people too!

A female cow produces milk when she’s just given birth to a calf. The amount of milk and its taste can change according to what the cow has eaten, and how much she’s had. Unlike us, cows have four stomachs (!) and a cow’s breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) goes through all four of these stomachs in order to be properly digested. The waste is sent in one direction (out of the body as manure!) and the nutrients are sent in another. – It’s the nutrients that are sent to the cow’s udder which are then turned into milk! The udder is the part underneath the cow’s body that looks kind of like a big hand with inflated fingers. When a farmer or a special machine milks the udder, the milk comes out and is then processed, packaged, and sent to your grocery store!

Cows aren’t the only mammal whose milk is used by humans for food. Some others include goats and sheep!

Udder-ly Amazing!

If you live on a farm or ever have visited one then maybe you've had the chance to try milking a cow. If not, you can make a pretend udder with a rubber glove and try it out at home!

Fill up a rubber glove with some water, and tie the end closed. Poke a very tiny hole in each finger of the glove, and have someone hold it over a bucket for you. Sit down low to the ground, and gently tug on each of the fingers to squirt out the “milk”!