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No, you're thinking of the term "cattle". Calves are indeed cattle. But "cow" has a specific definition - it refers to fully-grown female cattle. And the male f
by wavemode 1y ago
No, you're thinking of the term "cattle". Calves are indeed cattle. But "cow" has a specific definition - it refers to fully-grown female cattle. And the male form is "bull".
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- hinkley 1y agoHave you ever been close enough to 'cattle' to smell cow shit, let alone step in it? Most farmers manage cows, and I'm not just talking about dairy farmers. Even the USDA website mostly refers to them as cows: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2025/07-25-2025.php https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2025/07-25-2025.php Because managing cows is different than managing cattle. The number of bulls kept is small, and they often have to be segregated. All calves drink milk, at least until they're taken from their milk cow parents. Not a lot of male calves live long enough to be called a bull. 'Cattle' is mostly used as an adjective to describe the humans who manage mostly cows, from farm to plate or clothing. We don't even call it cattle shit. It's cow shit.