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Mature female cattle are called cows and mature male cattle are bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers , young male cattle are oxen or bullocks , and castrated male cattle are known as steers .
Cattle may be cows, bulls, oxen, or calves. Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated hoofed animals. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae .
Breeds of Cattle – Cow World (archived 19 January 2017) Cattle Breeds – Embryoplus.com (archived 29 November 2013) Breeds of Cattle – Official 2nd Edition; Cattle Breeds of the World; Portuguese Cattle Breeds (archived 17 January 2016) EuReCa – Towards self-sustainable EUropean, REgional CAttle breeds; Native cow varieties of India
An adult female that has had her first calf (or second calf, depending upon regional usage) is called a cow. Steers and heifers can sometimes be colloquially referred to as "cows," especially by non-agricultural people who are not familiar with the appropriate terminology.
Cow, in common parlance, a domestic bovine, regardless of sex and age, usually of the species Bos taurus. Domestic cows are one of the most common farm animals around the world. The most specialized adaptation that cows (and other ruminants) have is their massive four-chambered stomach.
The dairy cow produces large amounts of milk in its lifetime. Production levels peak at around 40 to 60 days after calving. Production declines steadily afterwards until milking is stopped at about 10 months. The cow is "dried off" for about sixty days before calving again.
The female is first a heifer calf, growing into a heifer and becoming a cow. Depending on the breed, mature bulls weigh 450–1,800 kg (1,000–4,000 pounds) and cows 360–1,100 kg (800–2,400 pounds).