Once pregnant, a cow gives birth to a calf in nine months. The average cow has its first calf at around two years of age.
A dairy cow must have a calf to begin milk production. The calves are fed milk from their mother until they are nine to 10 weeks old. A cow can produce as much as 12 gallons of milk daily. Dairy cows are expected to produce milk for around four years, but they live four to 10 years on average. Cows eat roughly 100 pounds of food per day and drink about 50 gallons of water per day.
