Normal values

Normal Temperature, Heart Rate & Respiratory Rate of Cattle (Cows & Calves)

Updated 1 Nov 20265 sources

Reference ranges for the vital signs of cattle from the MSD Veterinary Manual tables, adapted from Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals ^[1]^[2]^[3], compared with Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4] and the UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team ^[5], including calves.

Reference ranges

Parameter	Cattle	Source
Rectal temperature — dairy cow	38.0–39.3 °C (100.4–102.8 °F)	^[1]
Rectal temperature — beef cow	36.7–39.1 °C (98.0–102.4 °F)	^[1]
Resting heart rate — dairy cow	48–84 beats/min	^[2]
Resting heart rate — ox	36–60 beats/min	^[2]
Resting respiratory rate — dairy cow	26–50 breaths/min	^[3]

How the references compare

Published reference ranges differ between sources. Each range below is printed as its source gives it; °C values marked * are converted from the source's °F.

Parameter	MSD Veterinary Manual ^[1]^[2]^[3]	Virginia Cooperative Extension ^[4]	UC Davis CVET ^[5]
Temperature, adult	Dairy cow 38.0–39.3 °C; beef cow 36.7–39.1 °C	100.4–103.1 °F (38.0–39.5 °C*)	100.5–102.5 °F (38.1–39.2 °C*)
Heart rate, adult (beats/min)	Dairy cow 48–84; ox 36–60	40–70	40–80
Respiratory rate, adult (breaths/min)	Dairy cow 26–50	Beef 10–30; dairy 18–28	12–36

Calves

Parameter	UC Davis CVET ^[5]
Temperature	101.5–103 °F (38.6–39.4 °C*)
Heart rate (beats/min)	100–140
Respiratory rate (breaths/min)	30–60

Measuring

Temperature: a veterinary thermometer in the rectum, removed after 2 to 3 minutes or after the interval recommended by the manufacturer ^[4].
Pulse: the external maxillary artery, which crosses the lower edge of the jaw just in front of the masseter (cheek) muscle ^[4].
Respiration: count flank movements or breaths at the nostrils for one minute at rest ^[4]; respiration rate is influenced by stress, exercise, temperature and other factors ^[4].
The UC Davis chart lists rumen contractions with a soft rumen as normal ^[5].

Frequently asked questions

What is the normal temperature of a cow?

The MSD Veterinary Manual table gives 38.0–39.3 °C (100.4–102.8 °F) for dairy cows and 36.7–39.1 °C (98.0–102.4 °F) for beef cows ^[1].

What is the normal heart rate of a cow?

48–84 beats per minute for a dairy cow and 36–60 for an ox in the MSD table ^[2]; Virginia Cooperative Extension gives 40–70 ^[4] and the UC Davis chart 40–80 for adults ^[5].

What is the normal respiratory rate of cattle?

The MSD table gives 26–50 breaths per minute for a dairy cow ^[3]; Virginia Cooperative Extension gives 10–30 for beef and 18–28 for dairy cattle ^[4].

What are normal vital signs in a calf?

The UC Davis chart lists 101.5–103 °F, a heart rate of 100–140 beats per minute and a respiratory rate of 30–60 breaths per minute for calves ^[5].

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References

Normal Rectal Temperature Ranges (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Robertshaw D (temperature regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Resting Heart Rates (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Detweiler DK, Erickson HH (heart regulation chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Resting Respiratory Rates (table)MSD Veterinary Manual · Adapted from Reece WO (respiration chapter) in Reece WO (ed.), Dukes' Physiology of Domestic Animals, 12th ed., Cornell University Press, 2004
Monitoring Livestock Vital SignsVirginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech and Virginia State University) · 2020 · Values credited by the source to LeViness EA, University of Arizona (BCH-3000); respiration table adapted from Cattle Producer's Library CL610
Normal Vital Signs (vitals chart)California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), University of California, Davis · June 2024

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