# What Do Cows Eat?

> What cows eat: Herbivore — grass, hay, silage, and grain supplement, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Farms and rangelands on every inhabited continent.

- **Species:** Cow (*Bos taurus*)
- **Conservation status:** Domesticated
- **Diet:** Herbivore — grass, hay, silage, and grain supplement
- **Habitat:** Farms and rangelands on every inhabited continent
- **Lifespan:** 15–20 years (dairy cows often culled earlier)
- **Top speed:** Up to 35 km/h (22 mph) when frightened
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/cow/what-do-cow-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/cow/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

Domestic cattle descend from the aurochs and number over one billion worldwide, providing milk, meat, leather, and draft power. Dairy and beef breeds vary enormously — from 400 kg Jerseys to massive Chianina bulls — and cattle farming shapes landscapes, economies, and climate debates globally.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Domestication from aurochs

Cattle were domesticated from wild aurochs in the Middle East and South Asia roughly 10,000 years ago, independently in some regions. Selective breeding produced dairy breeds optimised for milk, beef breeds for muscle, and draught breeds for pulling ploughs and carts.

## Help protect the Cow

Working cattle and farm animals in low-income countries often labour without veterinary care or shelter.

[Support working animals](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/working-horses/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/cow/what-do-cow-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.