Ox Vs. Cow: Domestic Cattle Differences Simplified For Kids!

Cows and oxen are known as cattle animals.

Cows are female cattle whereas, oxen are male cattle. This means a male cow is known as an Oxen.

Cows are usually kept on a farm for their milk and dairy products and to produce beef. Oxen are kept on farms for pulling carts and engaging in traditional agricultural activities. An ox is also known as a bullock in countries such as India and Australia.

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What is the difference between a cow and an ox?

Female cattle are known as cows, whereas male cattle are called oxen.

It is common to domesticate a cow for its milk, dairy products and beef. Oxen are domestic bovine. They can be trained and are mostly used as draft animals.

Oxen are adult trained bovines used to pull carts, ride, haul wagons, assist in threshing grains, and transportation. However, in many countries, oxen are replaced by either cows or bulls.

A steer is a younger castrated male calf that is domesticated for its meat and not for agricultural work. Adult cows can also give birth to calves as they are female cattle, whereas Oxen cannot as they are male cattle. Younger female cattle that have not given birth yet are known as heifers.

Both cow meat and castrated ox meat are considered beef, but there are huge differences in the minerals, fat, texture, and health benefits that these two types of meat offer. Cow meat is tender and juicy, whereas bull and castrated ox meat is often described as lean, muscular, and has comparatively more fat than cow meat.

Cow meat is widely favored by people over castrated ox meat.

Female cattle are called cows. Male cattle are called bulls. Oxen are a type of castrated cattle that are usually used for labor and can also be used for their meat.

Do cows and oxen belong to the same family?

Cows, oxen, and bulls are all related and belong to the cattle family.

Cows, bulls, and oxen are all herbivorous animals, meaning that they only eat plant-based produce. A cow chews on cud. It chews only half of its food while grazing, and then later, while it is resting, it regurgitates its half-eaten food to chew it again properly. This is known as cows chewing their cud.

Cows are actually the descendants of a wild Turkish breed of oxen known as aurochs.

Animals belonging to the cattle family are often domesticated for their labor, meat, or dairy products. The scientific classification of the cattle family is knowns as Bos Taurus.

Since oxen and cows come from the same family, they share a variety of similar features. Bulls, oxen, and cows both have cloven and horns which are common characteristics of the animals belonging to the cattle family. Unlike horses, oxen need two shoes on each of their hooves instead of one due to their hooves being cloven.

What is more strong, a cow or an ox?

Oxen and bulls are mostly used for agricultural practices and hence, are often well-trained. In contrast, cows are not a type of trained cattle.

An ox is a bovine draft animal and receives a lot of training. Due to the training that they receive, oxen are considered to be smarter animals than cows.

Oxen can respond to vocal commands or commands received by pulling their ropes or whip prodding. Castrated cattle that are used for labor are known as working steers in New England tradition.

Farmers do not train cows as it is quite futile, and cows are often left alone to graze as they are used for producing milk products and beef rather than doing agricultural activities. Cows spend almost 10 hours every day just laying around in the grass and doing absolutely nothing!

Due to the labor that oxen go through, they are muscular, strong, and sturdy; however, cows do not have the strength or muscles of an ox.

Hence, an ox is definitely stronger than a cow.

Does an ox give milk?

Cows are female cattle, and oxen are bovine males.

Oxen are trained bovine and are mostly only used in heavy agricultural activities such as pulling carts, plowing, or threshing grains. Cows, being female cattle, are kept for their milk, which is used for making dairy products like butter, cheese, and yogurt.

Unlike cows, oxen cannot produce milk as they are male cattle. The same goes for bulls. Hence, only cows can produce milk, and bulls and oxen cannot.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our ox vs. cow facts, then why not take a look at our other articles about deer ticks vs. wood ticks or deers vs. elks?