If you have ever experienced a cow’s birth in person, there is a good chance you have some questions. One of the strangest things that occurs during the birth of a cow is the mother eating the afterbirth. Yes, you read that correctly. It is very common for a cow to eat the afterbirth after a baby calf has been born. While this behavior is common in cows, it also occurs in goats, pigs, and goats. Today we are going to review the 3 main reasons that a cow eats the placenta after it gives birth.
Why do cows eat their afterbirth?
Animal behaviorists believe there are 3 main reasons why cows eat their afterbirth: hunger crave, protection, and nutrition
Hunger
As you would expect, a cow’s appetite drastically changes once it becomes pregnant. Cow’s tend to eat around 30% more when they are in the peak of their pregnancy. Therefore, a cow that has a large appetite might find the afterbirth enticing. Also, the birth of a calf can be stressful for a cow, so eating the afterbirth can be used as a mechanism to calm her down.
Protection
Another reason cow’s will eat their afterbirth is to protect their calf from predators. If the cow just leaves the afterbirth on the ground, its strong stench can attract dangerous predators to the area. Since a newborn calf is very weak and vulnerable, any presence of a predator can be deadly. Therefore, eating the afterbirth is a way of getting rid of the evidence and protecting the newborn calf.
Nutrition
As crazy as it sounds, afterbirth does have some nutritional value to a mother cow. As you probably know, cow’s need a lot of protein to survive. A girl cow should consume around 9lbs of protein on a daily basis. Obviously this number is higher for a pregnant cow. Since afterbirth is high in protein, it can be very enticing for a cow to eat it after giving birth.
How to stop cow from eating afterbirth
The best way to stop a cow from eating afterbirth is to provide an alternative food it can eat immediately following the birth of the calf. It is also important to remove and dispose of the afterbirth as quick as possible.
