Fresh cow dung

Cow dung being dried for fuel in India.

Cow dung is a term used for the feces of the bovine species. The species includes the cow, buffalo, ox and bullock. Cow dung is basically the digested residue of herbivorous matter which is acted upon by symbiotic bacteria residing within the animal's rumen. The resultant faecal matter is rich in minerals. Colour ranges from greenish to blackish. In due course, the resulting matter turns yellow due to chemical changes caused by sunlight. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2100x1500, 450 KB) Summary Cow manure showing proper fiber and moisture content indicating balanced feed. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2100x1500, 450 KB) Summary Cow manure showing proper fiber and moisture content indicating balanced feed. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Drying_cow_dung. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Drying_cow_dung. ... Horse feces Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences) is a waste product from an animals digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. ... Tribes Bovini Boselaphini Strepsicerotini The biological subfamily Bovinae (or bovines) includes a diverse group of about 24 species of medium-sized to large ungulates, including domestic cattle, Bison, the Water Buffalo, the Yak, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. ... COW is an acronym for a number of things: Can of worms The COW programming language, an esoteric programming language. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies B. b. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... A Bullock is a castrated bull. ... In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plants (rather than meat). ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... The rumen, also known as the fardingbag or paunch forms the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. ... A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure and specific physical properties. ...

Uses

In many parts of the developing world, cow dung is used as a fertilizer and fuel. Caked and dried cow dung is used as a fuel to cook food in many parts of Asia and Africa. Especially in India where it is known as gobar, cow dung is also used as manure. It has been suggested that fertilization (soil) be merged into this article or section. ... Fuel imports in 2005 Fuel is any material that is capable of releasing energy when its chemical or physical structure is altered. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Animal manure is often a mixture of animals feces and bedding straw, as in this example from a stable. ...

In recent times, the dung is collected and used as biogas used to generate electricity and heat. The gas is a rich source of methane and is used in rural areas of India to provide a renewable and stable source of electricity. Biogas-bus in Bern, Switzerland Biogas typically refers to a (biofuel) gas produced by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter including manure, sewage sludge, municipal solid waste, biodegradable waste or any other biodegradable feedstock, under anaerobic conditions. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula CH4. ...

Cow dung is also used to line the floor and walls of buildings owing to its insect repellent properties. In cold places, cow dung is used to line the walls of rustic houses as is a cheap thermal insulator. Cow dung has an excellent mosquito repellent property and is used by many companies to produce repellents.^{[citation needed]} Mosquito on a bottle of herbal mosquito repellent. ... Thermal insulation on the Huygens probe The term thermal insulation can refer to materials used to reduce the rate of heat transfer, or the methods and processes used to reduce heat transfer. ... For other uses, see Mosquito (disambiguation). ...

It was also used extensively on Indian Railways to seal smokeboxes on steam locomotives. Great Western Railway No. ...

In Canada, some people use frozen cow dung instead of a hockey puck to play hockey.

Cow dung is also an optional ingredient in the manufacture of adobe mud brick housing depending on the availability of materials at hand.^[1] Renewal of the surface coating of an adobe wall in Chamisal, New Mexico Adobe is a natural building material composed of sand, sandy clay and straw or other organic materials, which is shaped into bricks using wooden frames and dried in the sun. ... A Mudbrick is an unfired brick made of clay. ...

Colloquialisms

Cow dung goes by many terms around the world, virtually all of which are colloquial or slang in nature. Cow dung usually appears in a rounded pile and many many of the terms refer to the shape. They include: Look up Colloquialism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• cow pat (used in England; said to originate from the sound made as the faeces drops to the ground)^{[citation needed]}
• cow patty
• cow plop
• pasture patty
• cow chip, (refers to dried cow dung)
• meadow muffin
• cow pie
• country pancake
• buffalo pancake
• landmine

For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ...

In popular culture

The term cow pie has lent itself to a variety of activities, sometimes not related to cow feces:

• "Cow Pie" is a dessert with meringue, whipped cream and custard. ^{[citation needed]}
• Cowpie poker is a stud poker variant. The name of the game is a pun on Pai Gow.
• Bovine bingo is sometimes called "cowpie bingo."
• Cow pie tossing events have been held in a few locales, such as at the Iowa State Fair, though it is quite thoroughly dried first. [1]
• The comedy/folk song "Margo's Cargo", by Stompin' Tom Connors, details the quest to find the makers of the "Cowsie Dungsie Clock", a novelty clock made from a plastic coated cowpie. Such a clock is actually available (see link).
• It is also the food preferred by cartoon hero Desperate Dan in The Dandy comic, though in the strip, 'it is not feces', but a type of enormous meat pie with horns sticking out. It is assumed to contain the meat from an entire cow. Later strips made this more obvious by having the cow's tail hang from the side of the pie.^[2]

Lemon meringue muffins For the Dominican folk dance and the music it is performed to, see merengue. ... Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of raw milk before homogenization. ... This article focuses on egg-thickened custards. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A set of Chinese dominoes. ... Bovine bingo is a traditional rural fundraising game that is often played at country fetes and summer fairs, usually for fundraising purposes. ... The Iowa State Fair is an annual state fair held in Des Moines, Iowa. ... Charles Thomas Stompin Tom Connors OC (born February 9, 1936) is one of Canadas most prolific and well-known folk singers. ... For other uses, see Clock (disambiguation). ... Statue of Desperate Dan in Dundee, Scotland city centre Desperate Dan is a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy. ... // The Dandy is a British childrens comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co. ...

See also

• Buffalo chip
• Manure
• Biofuel
• Sacred cow

A buffalo chip, also called a meadow muffin, is the name for a large, flat, dried piece of dung deposited by the buffalo from the large amount of grass that it eats. ... Animal manure is often a mixture of animals feces and bedding straw, as in this example from a stable. ... For articles on specific fuels used in vehicles, see Biogas, Bioethanol, Biobutanol, Biodiesel, and Straight vegetable oil. ... This article is about Hinduism. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs34d.htm
2. ^ http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Annuals/AnnualFull.asp?passedtitle=Desperate+Dan

External links

• 101 uses of CowDung