# Where do cows get the calcium from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 13, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615 "2008-11-13T23:13:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![z-facta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@z-facta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/z-facta)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615/1 "2008-11-13T23:13:38Z")

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Cows give milk. Milk has calcium. But where do the cows get the calcium? Is it in their diets? Do grasses contain a lot of calcium?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615/2 "2008-11-13T23:26:49Z")

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It would seem so. They (herbivores) also get a significant amount of the calcium that their own bodies need that way.

[http://www.amazinggrass.com/nutritional-breakdown-organic-wheat-grass.html](http://www.amazinggrass.com/nutritional-breakdown-organic-wheat-grass.html)

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615/3 "2008-11-14T03:48:09Z")

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Green leafy veggies are decent sources of calcium, and considering the quantity of greens and the quality of digestion for a cow, they absorb a good amount of it.

Most people would have a hard time getting most of the calcium from greens, but you can get a fair amount.

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**Author:** ![Incref](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@Incref](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incref)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cows-get-the-calcium-from/472615/4 "2008-11-14T09:05:46Z")

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I thought it might also be interesting to note that cows often become [deficient in calcium](http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/RPIO-4ZS2PU?open) during calving.

It’s an amazing thing to watch a cow with milk fever after receiving a shot of calcium, they usually get right up like nothing was wrong to start with!