If you close your eyes and listen to a cow and a goat eating, you’d have a difficult time figuring out which animal was doing the chewing.

It’s fair to call a cow an “oversized goat.” If they’re hungry, you can see cattle eating almost anything.

Although farmers create learned behaviors by offering hay and grain while milking, cows also spend lots of time in the pasture. They eat unprocessed ingredients, chew some cud, and work their stomachs with great joy.

One of the things that cows love more than anything else is bread.

Can Cows Eat Bread?

Cattle can eat grains, which means consuming bread is safe. Their diet is primarily the essential ingredients that go into bread, including wheat. The carbohydrates found in bread deliver extra energy and needed calories during summer pasture losses without creating insulin issues.

Although cows require more food than the average farm animal, they require a lot less than what most people realize. You can send an entire herd to a pasture for grazing, supplemented with some vitamins and minerals in the targeted feed while in the barn.

During the winter months, farmers can save some cash by understanding the nutritional requirements of their cows. Each breed has unique needs to consider, including whether they’re in early or late lactation.

Before you start adding some bread into the feed, here are some ways to make sure your cattle are getting their nutritional needs met without breaking the bank.

1. Test the Hay

Spend the money to have your hay tested at a local laboratory. Most extension offices have this equipment or can tell you where to go. It’s easy to think that all brome hay is the same, but the feed reflects the nutritional qualities of the soil where it grew. You need to know this information to ensure a complete diet is provided, especially in the winter months.

2. Grab Corn Stalks

One of the best ways to reduce winter feed costs is to offer cows corn stalks. There is no difference in rebreeding or calving performance when comparing cattle that only get to graze in the old corn fields to those that get bread, corn feed, and other grains as supplements. You might need to offer extra vitamins and minerals, depending on the soil quality in your location.

3. Yield-Based Grazing

Most cows don’t like to eat corn cobs. When sending them out into a field, keep an eye on how many corn husks are out there. Once they disappear from the ground, you’ll know it is time to move the herd to a different location.

If you don’t have room for natural grazing, you can consider purchasing stalks and husks to add to your feed rotation. Cows like to eat selectively, especially when corn residues are present in their meals.

When you manage your own croplands, consider the bushel yield for the corn you plant. You’ll get more grazing when you can produce more products.

4. Confinement Quantities

Cows spending the winter months in confinement typically need less feed to get through to spring. You can be a little stingy, especially if they receive some bread as snacks or treats.

You can extend this option even further by baling your own corn stalks to turn into feed. Ammoniating it with anhydrous make this food product nearly equal to above-average grass hay.

Ammoniated corn stalks have crude protein reaching nearly 9%, but TDN numbers rise to almost 55%. Cows even seem to like cobs that go through this process.

Bunk feeding also makes sense when it’s available with this option.

5. Stay Competitive

Whether you have a couple of cows on a hobby farm or you’re a rancher with a herd of hundreds, the most profitable operations are the ones with the lowest cost-per-cow ratio to their feed.

When you think about what cows eat, it helps to look for whatever competitive advantages are available. Once these areas become recognizable, the systems can fit your resources.

That means cows can eat bread, but it is probably not the most affordable option to consider if you’re trying to make money by farming and agriculture.

What Bread Should Cows Eat?

Cows can eat molded bread, although the quantities should be severely limited. This food product is considered food waste in most circles, but it can provide nutritional benefits to cattle.

The mold is not harmful to cows in small amounts. It doesn’t contain any toxins that would affect their health.

Moldy bread has fungal growth that works to decompose the product. When this issue occurs, it releases nutrients that cattle can digest.

Cows can process moldy bread better than a fresh loaf because of how it breaks down the cellulose in the product. That means more of the ingredients have better bioavailability levels, allowing for better nutrient absorption. This fact also means that cows over-consuming moldy bread can trigger stomach distress much faster.

Even regular bread works well in the ruminant digestive systems of cattle today, processing the sugars and starches more effectively.

When too much is given, cows can experience bloat. If this gas buildup isn’t treated, it can be fatal.

Cows have no control over how much bread they consume, often consuming a large quantity if allowed. It should be offered in moderation as a supplement to their regular diet of hay and grass. If they eat too much bread, it can put them off their normal foraging activities.

Stale bread is often cheaper than fresh loaves for feeding cows. They should not eat raw dough, especially since it can ferment before they eat it.

All bread products should be cooked entirely and not stored around excess heat and moisture.

How Much Grain Should Cows Eat Daily?

Farmers introduce grain to cows as a grazing supplement. It allows for drought rationing, winter needs, or in-lot feeding.

A cow’s digestive system needs time to adapt to grains and bread products if they haven’t been consumed before. It’s not unusual for grain sickness to occur if too much is introduced too quickly.

When cows overeat grain, it can lead to lactic acid poisoning.

The symptoms of grain sickness are highly variable, but they often show as dehydration, a slow gut, and lethargy. It’s caused by the grain fermenting inside the cow’s stomach.

Additional symptoms of grain sickness include bloating, staggering, lying down, and diarrhea. Some cows may seem excessively thirsty when dealing with this issue. If you suspect that bread or grains have caused this health issue, contact a veterinarian right away.

Once treatments start for lactic acid poisoning, it can take up to six weeks for the animal to recover. Some cows develop liver abscesses during their recovery or other organ-related problems that can cause a failure to thrive.

Most adult cows can start with about one pound of grain per day. Once you’re satisfied that everyone is adjusting to the new feed, you can add another pound every other day until you reach the ration amount required for their health.

What Are the Reasons to Feed Bread to Cows?

Although bread can be an expensive feed option, cows tend to love this product. It shouldn’t be offered as their primary nutrition source, but it can be an occasional treat or supplement to the regular feed.

There can be specific reasons why bread is an essential food option for cows. Here are the most popular reasons why it is offered.

It’s Cold Outside

Cows can convert the energy from bread into body warmth quicker. When the nights get dark and cold in the winter, their digestive systems can work throughout the evening to digest the food, ensuring that they stay warm enough.

Gain More Weight

Bread is a cost-effective way to help cows start gaining weight quickly. It supports effective weight maintenance, especially during times when pastures are sparse, or the nutritional qualities of the feed require supplementation.

The cheapest option is to purchase stale bread from local bakeries. Some farmers bake their own loaves to support their herds.

Bond with the Animal

If there’s one thing a cow likes more than anything else, it’s the chance to sample a tasty treat. They will eat anything, especially if you’re the person who offers it.

When farmers have a stubborn cow that doesn’t want to listen, they sometimes use bread as a motivator. If the food is desired, you can have the animal come right up to you. It’s much easier to get them into stalls that way, especially for milking.

Herding Control

The only thing that drives cows more than hunger is jealousy. If one sees that someone might be getting a treat that they want, they’ll hustle over to ensure they don’t miss the action. You can see farmers bringing bread to the pasture because it causes the herd to follow them to the barn or the next field.

You can also catch an entire herd by placing a couple of loaves of bread in a specific location. This method of animal movement is safer than using dogs or physical controls for transportation needs.

Recycle the Leftovers

Most people don’t like eating the end pieces from a loaf of bread. Cows don’t really care! Instead of throwing these pieces away, the products are usable as feed. This option works incredibly well for hobbyists who might only have one or two cows to manage.

Should I Feed Bread to My Cows?

Bread is one grain choice of many that cows love. Distillers’ grains are a better option for large beef herds, while dairy operations often choose corn stalks or other crop leftovers to supplement the winter feed.

Most farmers name their cows like “Bessie” or “Daisy.” My mother took care of “Maggie” for nearly 20 years on our small farm. Mine was called “Milkshake.”

Milkshake knew when it was time for breakfast. Her incessant calling would start at 5:30 AM on the dot. I never needed an alarm clock growing up, but I did quickly learn how to manage neighbor conflicts with her behavior.

If Milkshake didn’t get her breakfast on time, she knew how to trigger the lock on her stall to escape. From there, she’d use her nose to lift the barn latch, then crash through the fence to graze on the various veggies our neighbors grew in their garden.

My mother threw an old loaf of bread at Milkshake one day in frustration. They stared at each other for a moment, then Milkshake grabbed it and started chewing. We added stale pieces to her feed at night, she started sleeping in better, and we had happier neighbors.

Bread is a potential option for many cows. Although it should be offered in moderation, it is a resource to consider.