The key difference between heifer and cow is that heifer is a female bovine that has had not any offspring while a cow is a female bovine that has given birth to at least one offspring.
Cow refers to the mature female of cattle. It also refers to females of many other animals, including elephants and whales. Heifer also refers to female cattle; however, there is a distinct difference between heifer and cow. A heifer is a young female cow while a cow is a mature female.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Heifer
3. What is a Cow
4. Side by Side Comparison – Heifer vs Cow in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is a Heifer?
Heifer is the female cow who has passed the calf stage but has not reached the cow stage. Usually, the calf stage ends when its age reaches 10 months from birth. A female will be called a cow when she becomes a mother after reaching the reproductive viability. Therefore, heifer is the middle stage of the calf and cow. Usually, a heifer is 10 – 24 months old. However, these time durations could vary depending on the hormonal activity of each heifer.
During the heifer stage, they become reproductively active as they undergo hormonal changes with the development of other body systems. The activities of oestrogen and progesterone make them ready to receive a sexual partner to mate, and the oestrous cycles start to tick. After a heifer has been sexually matured, the mating takes place, and she becomes pregnant; she is called a Bred Heifer at this stage. The bred heifer becomes a First-calf Heifer or First-calver as she becomes a mother, and this happens around 24 – 36 months from birth. Some female cattle do not become reproductively active, and they are called heiferettes. Heifer stage is a very important stage of the life cycle of female cattle.
What is a Cow?
The term cow commonly refers to reproductive female cattle. Cows are fertile and are females who have delivered at least one calf. Usually, they are smaller in size and show less aggression compared to others of the population. Cows do not have prominent horns, but sometimes they may have small and blunt horns. The presence of prominent hump and dewlaps is not usually seen in cows. Out of all those female-specific features of cows, the most important feature to identify them is their female reproductive system, which consists of two ovaries and uterus that open to the external by the vulva. That means observation of vulvae just below the anus confirms that it is a cow. When a cow comes to the heat, mucus secretion could be observed from vulva, and it is a significant feature to detect the heat.
Usually, one female delivers one calf a year, and lactation occurs until the calf is ready to be weaned. As their milk is nutritious for humans, lactating cows have an elevated value for them.
What is the Difference Between Heifer and Cow?
Heifers are younger than cows. Moreover, cows are usually stronger and heavier than heifers. The key difference between heifer and cow is that heifer is a female bovine that has had not any offspring while a cow is a female bovine that has given birth to at least one offspring. Heifers can become a mother only once, as they will be called cows after the first calf. The reproductive organs are always active in cows while heifer has them active only for a little time.
Summary – Heifer vs Cow
The key difference between heifer and cow is that heifer is a female bovine that has had not any offspring while a cow is a female bovine that has given birth to at least one offspring.
Image Courtesy:
1. “4132202” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Cow and calf brown” By Hubert Berberich (HubiB) – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia