DH asked me what do cows eat. AIBU to divorce him immediately?

[TheIckabog]

We were watching a program about a fancy hotel where they have their own cows. There was a clip of the cows being hand fed apples.

DH exclaimed in surprise ‘I didn’t know cows eat apples!’ He then paused and said, ‘What DO cows eat?’ whilst looking genuinely puzzled.

I said to him what do you think they do all day in the fields? They eat grass/hay etc, how do you not know this? DH then shrugged and said he’d never really thought about it.

He is a well educated intelligent man in his 40s. We also grew up/live in a place where dairy production accounts for a large percent of the export, so it’s not like he’s never seen a cow in a field or on a farm before.

I am aghast. AIBU to divorce him immediately? I really can’t see any other option to be honest

Just as long as he doesn't think cows make milk as a result of eating grass...yes I have actually met a grown man who believed this.
But he wasn't a farmer. Perhaps the erroneous analogy is that the cow is like a petrol engine and can only work using petrol but not diesel. Therefore he thinks that cows can only produce milk if they eat grass. Whereas of course a cow can eat an appropriate diet of other vegetable matter and makes milk. But they will usually eat grass in some form or another because they need that roughage for their gut to work.
I'm totally confused now

@derxa

Just as long as he doesn't think cows make milk as a result of eating grass...yes I have actually met a grown man who believed this. But he wasn't a farmer. Perhaps the erroneous analogy is that the cow is like a petrol engine and can only work using petrol but not diesel. Therefore he thinks that cows can only produce milk if they eat grass. Whereas of course a cow can eat an appropriate diet of other vegetable matter and makes milk. But they will usually eat grass in some form or another because they need that roughage for their gut to work. I'm totally confused now

No he thought that cows didn't need to give birth to make milk. He thought they were different to other mammals.

The best one was a teenage girl believing that dragonflies breathe fire and are similar to fireflies.
Dare I mention a cow one? Comments to a local smallholder from the cafe owner who overheard some tourists/visitors to the area saying they were going to phone the RSPCA because she had left her cows out in the rain, as soon as they got to a place with mobile phone signal.

In a pub quiz I once had a long discussion with a member of our team who was adament that birds were not animals, as the question had asked for. When I mentioned classification into Living/ non-living then plants/animals I was 'being too clever'.

@BaconsLaw

My husband grew up thinking dogs were male and cats were female.

Say what??

No he thought that cows didn't need to give birth to make milk. He thought they were different to other mammals. Who was he? Did you put him right?

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar

My dog is currently having a great time eating plums that have fallen from our plum tree. I was a bit worried about it at first because it doesn't seem like a doggy thing to eat and I thought it might give him the runs but he seems fine.

On the 'what do cows eat' front, I was very surprised when the whole mad cow thing hit the news that cows were eating sheep. I'm from Ireland and had thought they they only eat grass/silage. I'm still a bit surprised tbh that a species that is very specifically evolved to get nutrition from grass, to the point that they have more than one stomach, can also process a meat product. I would have assumed that it would upset their digestive systems.

Someone else has probably already said this but please don't let your dog eat plums as the pits could cause problems...they contain hydrogen cyanide which is toxic and the pits could also cause blockages.

@derxa

No he thought that cows didn't need to give birth to make milk. He thought they were different to other mammals. Who was he? Did you put him right?

One of my dad's friends. He ended up Googling it because he didn't believe me

My DP asked What Hay was made from

Also didn’t know the difference between cows and bulls

We have been spending lots of time driving and walking in the country over lockdown so he has had plenty of time to look and ponder

I think a lot of people don't know the difference between hay and straw.

It's amazing about our lack of knowledge of where our food comes from . Back when my youngest child was in school they did try to educate them . Some children didn't know chips were chipped potatoes , they just come from the freezer . Beef from cows ,sausages from pigs etc.

@FenellaMaxwell

I’m coeliac. The number of times I’ve had to explain to people that rice is not wheat is mind-boggling.

Oh I hear you. Another coeliac here. So, can you eat rice? What about potatoes etc 🤔 😳

I didn't set foot into a proper wood with unmanicured trees until I was about 19. Had only seen town or garden trees till then, no lower branches, straight trunks etc. I looked at the straggly branchy things and pondered for a few minutes before it occurred to me that they were just wild. Duh.

My DP up until his mid twenties thought Lions and Tigers were the same animal. He thought Lions were the males and the tigers were the females. He also thought Shetland ponies were some sort of CGI you could only see on TV and didn’t realise they were real animals.

Don't forget that Panorama programme where they convinced Brits spaghetti grows on trees , well comes in tins don't it.

Well when df DS was weaning I don’t think there was one person who didn’t say ‘he can’t have that there’s egg in it!’
When was an egg dairy???
Dinosaurs and cavemen/neanderthals is portrayed a lot more than the reality, as is things like t rex and jurassic period - would never thin

*think that was odd. It’s what we are told. Boy/girl and pets is weird though. It’s just all about what you know really?

Dogs being boys and cats girls. In the 1970s dog treats were called good boy and cat treats were called good girl. So maybe some people took this as a fact.

@BaconsLaw I grew up believing this too!

I had no idea cows needed to give birth to produce milk either, I though they just did it henxe why we use all the surplus and milk them to relieve the pressure as a favour. I was a lot older than I should have been when i discovered that

I was a teenager before I realised cows had to give birth before producing milk.
Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't grown up on a dairy farm (to the age of 10)

Just yesterday dh asked in a very worried voice whether penguins were actually birds! Then he thought about it a while, and suggested they might be birds, just non-flying ones. But he really wasn't sure.....

Ha ha ha. I've read the cat/dog thing elsewhere. I couldn't believe others thought this, too.

And now a load more have admitted it!

Another one for everyone. We keep goats and they are really fussy eaters. They definitely do not eat everything. They won't eat any hay that has been on the ground and will climb trees to get leaves that are fresh.

I was a teenager before I realised cows had to give birth before producing milk
Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't grown up on a dairy farm (to the age of 10)

Tbf I think the dairy industry likes to keep this information on the DL because people might be upset if they thought too much about that fact that dairy calves are removed from their mothers virtually at birth so the milk can be taken for human consumption. It’s not exactly widely advertised!