Unless
you have studied animal biology you have probably
wondered how a cow produces milk from grass? This
is how it works.
Unlike most mammals the cow has four stomachs
not just one, the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum,
and the abomasums.
When
a cow grazes grass or eats other fodder she swallows
it half chewed and it goes to the first stomach,
the rumen. In the rumen digestive fluids and bacteria
soften the grass and when it is ready it moves
naturally to the second stomach, the reticulum.
In the reticulum the grass is formed into small
lumps called cuds. After awhile these cuds return
to the mouth and the cow then chews each for about
one or so minutes. When the cud is swallowed it
goes to the third stomach, the omasum.
In the omasum the cud is broken down and nutrients
from the grass are absorbed into the blood stream
of the cow. The remaining cud then passes to the
fourth and final stomach, the abomasums.
In the abomasums grass is broken down even further
by digestive fluids and from there it passes into
the intestine, where the nurishment continues
to be absorbed into the blood stream.
In the cows udder is where the final miracle of
milk making takes place. The udder has four identical
sections and each section has a teat. In the udder
the cow process her blood and transforms it into
nutritious milk.
The transformation of fresh grass to fresh milk
is indeed a life giving miracle.
