Livestock Reproductive Biology

Cattle Terminology

• Steer: a male cattle whose testes have been removed/castrated before reaching sexual maturity.
• Stag: a male cattle whose testes have been removed/castrated after sexual maturity.
• Stag Bullock: used for doing work or as a draft animal.
• Yearling: a cattle of either sex that is between 1-2 years old.
• Short Yearling: a yearling between 1-1 ½ years old.
• Long Yearling: a yearling between 1 ½ - 2 years old.
• Sterility: the inability to produce normal young.
• Impotency: failure to copulate.
• Castration: the process of removing the primary sex organ of the male animal.
• Freemartin: an imperfectly sexed and infertile heifer born with a bull.
• Carabull: a mature male breeding carabao.
• Caracow: a mature female breeding carabao.
• Caracalf: young offspring of a carabao.

Swine Terminology

• Gilt: a female swine that has not yet produced any young.
• Litter: a group of piglets in one farrowing.
• Litter Size: the number of piglets in a litter born in one farrowing.
• Farrowing: the act of giving birth in swine.
• Stockers: young cattle being fed and cared for, aiming for growth rather than improvement.
• Polled Cattle: naturally or genetically hornless cattle.

Poultry Terminology

• Chick: a young chicken of either sex until weaning.
• Baby Chick: a very young newly hatched chick, usually from 1-3 days old.
• Sexed Baby Chick: baby chicks classified as to their sex.
• Pullet: a young female chicken at least 10 weeks old until first day of laying.
• Cockerel: a male chicken at least 10 weeks old until sexual maturity.
• Capon: a male chicken rendered sterile by the removal of the testicles.
• Caponette: a male chicken rendered sterile through the administration of certain drugs or hormones like diethylstilbestrol.
• Spayed Chicken: a female chicken rendered sterile by the removal of the ovaries.

Physiological Phenomena

• Age of Puberty of Female: 4-7 months.
• Estrous Cycle (Days): 20.
• Estrous Length: 48-72 hours.
• Time of Ovulation: Mid estrous or 30 hours after start of estrous.
• Gestation (Days): 114 days.
• Offspring per Parturition: 8-10.
• Age of Puberty of Male (Months): 4-8 months.
• Female to Male at Normal Breeding: 25-50.
• Normal Temperature: 38.9-39.5°C.
• Mammary Glands: 4-9 pairs.
• Volume Ejaculate (cc): 200-300.
• Sperm/ cc: 100-200 billion.
• Normal Respiration Rate/ min: 15-24.
• Normal Heart Rate/ min: 60-80.
• Expected Productive Life (Years): 6-8.

Goat Terminology

• Stag Goat: a male goat castrated after sexual maturity.
• Chevon: the meat of the goat.
• Pelt: undressed skin of the goat with its hair.
• Mohair: the hair of the goat.
• Band: grouping in goats.

Duck Terminology

• Balikbayan: refers to ducks that have done first to second laying year and are being sold as ready to lay.
• Brooding: a period when duckling is provided with heat either by natural or artificial means.
• Broody: trait of ducks characterized by desire to sit on the eggs.
• Candling: process of placing the egg before a strong light to get an outline of the egg content and detect fertile and infertile eggs.
• Infertile Eggs: egg set in the incubator and found to contain no developing embryo after candling.

Physiological Phenomena in Ducks

• Age of Puberty of Female (Months): 7-10 months.
• Estrous Cycle (Days): 20.
• Estrous Length: 34-38 hours.
• Time of Ovulation: Late estrous, 18-26 hours after start of heat.
• Gestation (Days): 148 days.
• Offspring per Parturition: 2.
• Age of Puberty of Male (Months): 4-6 months.
• Female to Male Ratio at Normal Breeding: 30-50.
• Normal Temperature: 38-40°C.
• Mammary Glands: 2.
• Volume Ejaculate (cc): 1.
• Sperm/ cc: 2.0 billion.
• Normal Respiration Rate/ min: 12-20.
• Normal Heart Rate/ min: 70-80.
• Expected Productive Life (Years): 6-10.