Animal Reproduction Terms

General Terms

• Ruminants are cud-chewing animals, possessing a compound stomach featuring four compartments: rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum
• The estrous cycle represents the time from the beginning of one heat to the onset of the next
• Estrus is a period defined by one heat or a phase of sexual receptivity observed in females
• Copulation describes the act of mating
• Dam refers to the female parent
• Sire refers to the male parent
• Fertilization is the fusion of sperm and egg cells
• Conception refers to fertilization
• Gestation is the time period that denotes pregnancy, from conception to birth
• Parturition is the act of giving birth
  • Calving is giving birth in cows
  • Caracalving is giving birth in carabaos
  • Farrowing is giving birth in sows
  • Foaling is giving birth in mares
  • Kidding is giving birth in female goats
  • Lambing is giving birth in ewes
  • Kindling is giving birth in female rabbits
• Suckling refers to young animals in the period between birth and weaning
• Weaning is the process of separating a young animal from its mother
• Weanling is a young animal that has been separated from its mother
• Puberty is the period reproductive organs become functional
• Fertility in females: ability to produce fertilizable ova, proper sperm environment, activate cell division/embryonic development; in males: the ability to produce numerous sperm cells capable of fertilization
• Fecundity is the capacity to frequently produce numerous young
• Prolificacy is the ability to produce many offspring per birth
• Sterility is the inability to produce normal offspring
• Impotency is the inability to copulate
• Castration is the removal of the male animal's primary sex organs
• Spaying is the removal of the female animal's primary sex organs
• Proven sire refers to one with enough data to prove transmitting ability
• Cryptorchid is a male animal with one or both testes not descended
• Lactation is the period producing milk, from birth until normal milk productio
• Selection is the process of choosing favorable animals from a herd
• Transmitting ability is the capacity of an animal to pass on positive or negative characteristics to its offspring
• Culling is the removal of less desirable animals from a herd

Cattle

• Oxen are bovine ruminants, sometimes the males are used for draft
• Cattle are defined as domesticated bovine animals
• A bull is a mature male breeding animal
• A cow is a mature female breeding animal who has given birth
• Calves are considered the young of either sex, under a year old
• A bull calf refers to a male calf
• A heifer calf refers to a female calf
• A heifer is a female, over a year old who has not given birth
• A heiferette delivered an offspring once
• A bulling heifer is not bred, and is over 15 months
• A spayed heifer had its ovaries were removed
• A steer’s testes was removed before sexual maturity
• A stag had its testes removed after sexual maturity
• A stag bullock is raised as a draft animal
• Yearlings are between 1-2 years old of either sex
• Short yearlings are between 1 and 1.5 years old
• Long yearlings are between 1.5 and 2 years old
• Freemartins are infertile females display masculinized behavior
• Stockers are young, and raised for meant
• Polled cattle are born naturally without horns
• Dehorned cattle had their horns were removed
• Lactating cows are cows producing milk
• Dry cows are not producing milk, or without a calf
• Serving describes the act of a mating a cow
• Vealers are calves, under 3 months and milk-fed usually for veal
• Veal is the meat from a vealer
• Booveal is the meat of a newborn calf
• Beef is the meat from mature cattle
• Hide is the skin from older cattle
• Calfskin is the skin from young cattle used for softer leather
• Herds are grouping of cattle
• Breeder stock refers to animals for breeding

Cattle Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females occurs at 8-10 months
• Estrous Cycle occurs every 21 days
• Estrus length is 12-18 hours
• Ovum release occurs 10-15 hrs after heat
• Gestation is 283 days
• One offspring is delivered per parturition
• Puberty in males occurs at ~10-12 months
• The female-to-male breeding ratio is ~25-40
• Normal temperature is 37-41 °C
• Cattle have 4 mammary glands
• Volume of ejaculate is ~5-7 cc
• Sperm concentration is ~1.2 billion/cc
• Normal respiration is ~18-28/min
• Normal heart rate is ~60-70/min
• Expected productive life ~ is 10 years

Carabao (Bubalus bubalis & Bubalus kerebau)

• Carabull refers to mature male breeding carabao
• Caracow identifies a mature female breeding carabao
• Caracalf denotes young carabao offspring of either sex under one year old
• Caraheifer names a female carabao, not yet produced
• Caraheiferette identifies a female carabao once delivered
• Carasteer labels male carabao, castrated while young
• Carastag labels a male carabao, castrated after maturity
• Caracalving describes act of mating
• Carabeef means meat
• Caraveal means meat from young
• Lactating caracows refers to current milk production
• Herds are groupings of carabao.

Carabao Physiological Phenomena

• Age of puberty onset occurs at 24-36 months (female)
• Estrous cycles occur every 21 days
• Estrus period lasts 18-24 hours
• Ovulation range occurs from 3rd - 4th days of estrus
• Gestation period varies approximately 330 days
• One offspring delivered at parturition
• Normal temperature 38-39°C
• Number of mammary glands equates to 4
• Respiration rate ranges between 24-29 /min
• Heart rate ranges from 56-60 /min
• Anticipated productive duration estimated around 20 years

Swine (Sus scrofa)

• Boar: mature male swine for breeding
• Sow: mature female swine for breeding
• Piglet: young pig of either sex
• Brood Sow: sow with a litter
• Barrow: male swine castrated before sexual maturity
• Stag: male swine castrated after sexual maturity
• Gilt: female swine, not yet produced any young
• Litter: group of piglets in one farrowing
• Litter size: number of piglets born in one farrowing
• Farrowing: act of giving birth in swine
• Coupling: act of mating in swine
• Pork: meat of swine
• Drove: grouping in swine
• Shote: a pig of either sex weighing about 45-70 kg or 60 kg.
• Market hog: pig ready for market/butchering weighing about 80-120 kg

Swine Physiological Phenomena

• 4-7 months - age of puberty (female)
• 20 days - estrous cycle
• 48-72 hours - estrus length
• Mid estrus or 30 hrs after start of estrus - time of ovulation
• 114 days - gestation
• 8-10 - offspring per parturition
• 4-8 months - age of puberty (male)
• 25-50 - number of females to male at normal breeding
• 38.9-39.5°C - normal temperature
• 4-9 pairs - mammary glands
• 200-300 cc - volume ejaculate
• 100-200 billion/cc - sperm concentration
• 15-24/min - normal respiration rate
• 60-80/min - normal heart rate
• 6-8 years - expected productive life

Chicken (Gallus gallus)

• Cock/Rooster – mature male for breeding
• Hen – mature female for breeding
• Chick – young bird of either sex
• Baby chick – newly hatched, usually days 1-3
• Straight-run baby chick – unsexed
• Sexed baby chick - very young classified male or female
• Pullet – young, at least 10 weeks until first egg
• Cockerel – male, at least 10 weeks until maturity
• Capon – male rendered sterile by removing testes
• Caponette – male rendered sterile via drugs or hormones
• Spayed chicken – female rendered sterile by removing ovaries
• Broiler – fast-growing raised for meat (30-45 days)
• Layer – raised for egg production
• Molting – shedding feathers
• Oviposition – laying an egg
• Ovulation – releasing yolk, ovary to oviduct
• Caponization – removing primary sex organs (male, poultry)
• Incubation – prehatching, fertile eggs under conducive conditions, natural/artificial
• Poultry – collective term, domestic birds for economic service; also dressed carcass
• Fowl – applied to poultry, mature hens and roosters
• Chicken – most widespread poultry, then ducks/quails
• Plumage – feathers

Chicken Physiological Phenomena

• 4-6 months age of puberty (female)
• 30 mins. after Laying - time of ovulation
• 10-15 - female to male at normal breeding
• 40-42°C - normal temperature
• 14-26/min - normal respiration rate
• 130-160/min - normal heart rate
• 4-45 weeks - expected productive life

Duck (Anas platyrhynchos & Cairina moschata)

• Balikbayan – ducks, first or second laying duration & being sold ready to lay
• Brooding – when ducklings get heat, natural or artificial
• Broody – birds want sitting on eggs
• Candling – egg diagnostic via strong light, distinguishes fertile vs. infertile
• Infertile eggs – eggs fail to develop embryo
• Sexual maturity – Fully developed primary/secondary sex organs egg-laying begins
• Drake – adult male for breeding
• Duck hen – female duck for breeding
• Duckling – young duck
• Green duck – raised ~10 weeks, sold for meat
• Balut – partially incubated, boiled for human consumption

Goat (Capra hircus)

• Buck/Billy Goat: mature male for breeding
• Doe/Nanny Goat: mature female for breeding
• Kid: young goat; either sex
• Billy Kid: male kid
• Nanny Kid: female kid
• Dry Doe: not producing mk or no offspring
• Milking Doe: lactating
• Bucking: act of mating
• Kidding: act of birth
• Goatling: weanling 1-2 years
• Wether Goat: male castrated before maturity
• Stag Goat: Male castrated after maturity
• Chevon: meat
• Pelt: skin with intact hairs
• Mohair: Angora goat fabric
• Cashmere: undercoat wool
• Band: groupings of goats

Goat Physiological Phenomena

• 7-10 months age of puberty (female)
• 20 days duration estrous cycle
• 34-38 hrs estrous length
• ~18-26 hrs Time between ovulation and estrous onset
• 148 days gestation period
• 2 offspring per birth
• 4-6 months puberty (male)
• 30-50 females to one male - normal breeding
• 38 to 40 deg cel. normal temp
• 2 mammary glands number
• 1 cc Vol. ejaculate
• 2.0 billion Sperm/cc
• 12 to 20 Normal respiration/min

Sheep (Ovis aries)

• Ram – mature male breeding sheep
• Ewe – mature female breeding sheep
• Lamb – young sheep, either sex
• Ram lamb – young male sheep
• Ewe lamb – young female sheep
• Gimmer – yearling sheep, b/w 2nd & 3rd shearing
• Wether sheep – male sheep castrated before sexual maturity
• Stag – male sheep castrated after sexual maturity
• Tupping – act of mating
• Lambing – act of giving birth
• Shearing – wool harvesting from mature sheep
• Shearling – yearling, over a year old
• Two-shear sheep – two-year-old
• Mutton – meat of mature sheep
• Lamb meat – meat of lamb
• Wool – hairy covering
• Shorn wool – removed through sheering
• Pulled wool – removed after slaughter
• Fleece – skin & hair
• Pelt – wool & fiber
• Nolls – waste wool
• Flock – grouping of sheep

Sheep Physiological Phenomena

• The age of female puberty ranges from 5-7 months
• Estrous cycle occurs in 16 days
• Estrous period extends 24-36 hours
• Time of ovulation occurs late in estrous
• The gestation period lasts around 148 days
• They give birth 1-2 offspring per parturition
• Male puberty around 4-6 months
• The female to male ratio ranges is 35-60
• The normal temperature range is 38-40 °C
• Contains 2 mammary glands
• Vol. of ejaculate is 0.75-1.5 cc
• With a sperm concentration of ~2.0 billion
• Normal respiration is 12-24 /min
• and a normal heart ranges from 70-80 /min
• With a normal heart rate of 70-80/min
• Expected productive life span is around 6-8 years

Horse (Equus caballus)

• Stallion - a mature male
• Mare - a mature female
• Studhorse - a mature male for breeding
• Broodmare - a mature female for breeding
• Foal - a young offspring (both sexes), under 1 yr. old
• Colt is a young male, between one to three years
• Filly is a young female, between one and three years
• Covering describes the act of mating
• Foaling means giving birth
• Gelding refers to a castrated male horse (before maturity)
• Stag is a castrated male horse (after maturity)
• Veld mare is a dry mare or it's not producing milk
• Ridgling is a stallion exhibiting one or no testes in scrotum
• Equitation is horsemanship or riding on horseback
• Horsemeat is the meat
• Herd is a grouping

Horse Physiological Phenomena

• Age of puberty (female) occurs at 15-24 months
• Estrous cycle lasts ~22 days
• Estrus length can range 4-8 days
• Time of ovulation is 1-2 days pre-estrus
• Gestation is ~346 days
• Offspring is one per birth
• The puberty of males occurs ~13-18 months
• Normal female-to-male breeding ratio is 20-30
• Normal temperature is approximately 37.5-38.5 degrees Celsius
• Mammary glands number to 2
• Ejaculate volume is ~75-150 cc
• Sperm concentration is ~150 million
• Normal respiration is ~8-16 per minute
• Normal heart rate is ~32-44 per minute
• Productive life expectancy is 20–25 years