How much methane does a cow expel?

Answer 1

"There are 1.4 billion cows worldwide, each producing 500 litres of methane a day and accounting for 14% of all emissions of the gas."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article745601.ece

Answer 2

See page 51 of http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/k7930e/k7930e00.pdf

"Methane emissions per animal from this assessment are comparable to figures

obtained by Schils et al. (2007b), Cederberg et al. (2009) in OECD countries (ranging from 110 to 130 kg methane per cow per year) and by Herrero et al. (2008) in Africa (ranging between 21 and 40 kg methane per livestock unit per year)."

This source has also mentioned how incomplete studies have been on the actual methane production of cattle because of the various changes in feed, feed type, individuality in cattle, as well as the emissions from manure. Methane is a natural gas in the Earth, and the amount that comes from cattle is actually more insignificant than that naturally produced from such sources as volcanoes, the oceanic floor, swamps, etc.

Answer 3

As far as methane is concerned, without taking into account the land-use, land use changes and forestry factor, cattle contribute to 37% of total methane production. Out of the entire grand total of the calculations made by the FAO, that's only a measly 5.5% of total greenhouse gas production. However, there are flaws to this estimate (it is only an estimate, by the way), because there are variations in diets that cattle are put on, plus no cow emits the exact same amount of methane as the other (they're not machines!). Plus, since methane is a gas, it is impossible to get a true estimate of how much is produced from that bovine through flatulence and belching because of indiscreet changes in diet and such.

Answer 4

In general the decomposition of manure does not lead to the formation of methane. Manure decomposing on the surface of soil is mostly an aerobic process. If the manure is buried in damp soil there is some chance for methane production. Some farms gather manure from feedlot operations or stalls and digest it in anaerobic digesters for methane fuel. Little or none escapes to the environment

The majority of methane released by cattle results from the digestion of food in their bodies. It is released as flatulence

Answer 5

This is impossible to measure since this depends on a lot of variables including what they're fed, how they're fed, whether you're even talking about a cow at all or the colloquial term for a "cow," what breed they are, how efficient they are on grain, how efficient they are on forage, whether they're being grazed on pasture or kept in a feedlot or both, where they live, etc.

Answer 6

Apparently around 100-200 litres a day. Andy Cooper

Answer 7

Usually between 30-50 times a minute due to their 4 stomachs. They are responsible for 14% of the worlds greenhouse gases.

Answer 8

sheep is small ruminant which produces about 'E' amount of methane,where

E=(3.41X+9.8);

x=digested carbohydrate in 100mg;(DCP+DNFE)

Answer 9

a lot