Livestock terms

General Terms

• Ruminants are cud-chewing animals.
• These animals possess a compound stomach.
• The stomach has four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
• The estrous cycle is the interval from the start of one heat to the beginning of the next.
• Estrus signifies a period of one heat when the female is sexually receptive.
• Copulation refers to mating.
• The dam is the female parent.
• The sire is the male parent.
• Fertilization is the fusion of sperm and egg cells.
• Conception is the act of fertilization.
• Gestation is pregnancy, from conception to birth.
• Parturition is giving birth.
  • Calving occurs in cows.
  • Caracalving occurs in carabaos.
  • Farrowing occurs in sows.
  • Foaling occurs in mares.
  • Kidding occurs in female goats (does/nannies).
  • Lambing occurs in ewes.
  • Kindling occurs in female rabbits (does).
• Suckling is the period from birth to weaning.
• Weaning is the process of separating young from their mothers.
• Weanlings refers to young animals after being separated from their mothers.
• Puberty marks when reproductive organs become functional.
• Fertility, in females, depends on producing fertilizable ova, a suitable environment for sperm, and initiating cell division/embryonic development.
• In males, fertility depends on producing numerous sperm cells.
• Fecundity is the ability to frequently produce numerous offspring.
• Prolificacy is the ability to produce a large number of offspring per birth.
• Sterility is the inability to produce normal offspring.
• Impotency is the inability to copulate.
• Castration is removing the primary sex organ of a male.
• Spaying is removing the primary sex organ of a female.
• A proven sire has ample data indicating transmitting ability.
• Cryptorchidism is when one or both testes fail to descend into the scrotal sac.
• Lactation is the period of milk production after giving birth.
• Selection involves choosing desirable animals from a herd.
• Transmitting ability is the capacity to pass on traits to offspring.
• Culling is the process of removing undesirable animals from a herd.

Cattle Terms (Bos taurus & Bos indicus)

• Oxen are ruminants used for draft.
• Cattle are domesticated bovine animals.
• A bull is a mature, breeding-age male.
• A cow is a mature female that has given birth.
• A calf is cattle less than a year old.
• A bull calf is a male calf.
• A heifer calf is a female calf.
• Heifers are females over a year old that have not yet produced offspring.
• A heiferette is similar to a heifer, but has already produced offspring.
• A bulling heifer hasn't been bred and is over 15 months old.
• A spayed heifer had ovaries removed.
• Steers are males castrated before sexual maturity.
• Stags are males castrated after sexual maturity.
• Stag bullocks are draft animals.
• Yearlings are cattle between 1-2 years old.
• Short yearlings are between 1 and 1.5 years old.
• Long yearlings are between 1.5 and 2 years old.
• Freemartins are infertile females exhibiting masculine behavior.
• Stockers are young cattle being fed to grow for meat.
• Polled cattle are naturally hornless.
• Dehorned cattle had horns removed.
• Lactating cows are currently producing milk.
• Dry cows aren't producing milk or haven't calved recently.
• Serving is mating in cows.
• Vealers are calves less than 3 months old, suitable for veal production.
• Veal is the meat from a vealer.
• Booveal is the meat of newborn calves.
• Beef is meat from mature cattle.
• Hide is the skin of mature cattle.
• Calfskin is the skin of young cattle.
• A herd is a group of cattle.
• Breeder stock are animals for breeding.

Cattle Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females occurs between 8-10 months.
• The estrous cycle lasts 21 days.
• Estrus averages 12-18 hours.
• Ovulation occurs 10-15 hours after heat ends.
• Gestation is 283 days.
• They typically have one offspring per birth.
• Puberty in males occurs between 10-12 months.
• The normal female to male breeding ratio is 25-40.
• Normal temperature ranges from 37-41 °C.
• They have 4 mammary glands.
• Ejaculate volume ranges from 5-7 cc.
• Sperm concentration is 1.2 billion/cc.
• Normal respiration rate is 18-28 breaths/min.
• Normal heart rate is 60-70 beats/min.
• Productive life averages 10 years.

Carabao Terms (Bubalus bubalis & Bubalus kerebau)

• A carabull is a mature male.
• A caracow is a mature female.
• A caracalf is less than a year old.
• A caraheifer is a female that has not yet produced young.
• A caraheiferette has already delivered young.
• A carasteer is castrated young.
• A carastag is castrated after maturity.
• Caracalving is the act of mating.
• Carabeef is the meat of mature carabaos.
• Caraveal is the meat of young carabaos.
• Lactating caracows are currently producing milk.
• A herd is a group of carabaos.

Carabao Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females occurs between 24-36 months.
• The estrous cycle lasts 21 days.
• Estrus averages 18-24 hours.
• Ovulation occurs on the 3rd or 4th day of estrus.
• Gestation lasts 330 days.
• On average there is one offspring per parturition.
• Normal temperature is 38-39 °C.
• There are 4 mammary glands.
• Normal respiration rate is 24-29 breaths/min.
• Normal heart rate is 56-60 beats/min.
• Productive life averages 20 years.

Swine Terms (Sus scrofa)

• A boar is a mature breeding male.
• A sow is a mature breeding female.
• A piglet is a young pig.
• A brood sow has a litter.
• A barrow is a male castrated before sexual maturity.
• A stag is a male castrated after sexual maturity.
• A gilt hasn't produced young.
• A litter is a group of piglets.
• Litter size refers to the number of piglets per birth.
• Farrowing is giving birth in swine.
• Coupling is mating in swine.
• Pork is the meat.
• A drove is a group of swine.
• A shote weighs 45-70 kg.
• A market hog is ready for market, weighing 80-120 kg or between 7-9 months old.

Swine Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females occurs between 4-7 months.
• The estrous cycle lasts 20 days.
• Estrus averages 48-72 hours.
• Time of ovulation occurs mid-estrus or 30 hours after estrus starts.
• Gestation is 114 days.
• They average 8-10 offspring per birth.
• Puberty in males: 4-8 months
• Normal temperature is 38.9-39.5 °C.
• There are 4-9 pairs of mammary glands.
• Ejaculate volume is 200-300 cc.
• Sperm concentration is 100-200 billion/cc.
• Normal respiration rate is 15-24 breaths/min.
• Normal heart rate is 60-80 beats/min.
• Productive life averages 6-8 years.

Chicken Terms (Gallus gallus)

• A cock/rooster is a breeding male.
• A hen is a breeding female.
• A chick is a young chicken.
• A baby chick is 1-3 days old.
• A straight-run baby chick is an unsexed chick.
• A sexed baby chick has been identified as male or female.
• A pullet is at least 10 weeks of age through egg laying.
• A cockerel is at least 10 weeks of age until sexual maturity.
• A capon is castrated.
• A caponette received hormones for sterilization.
• A spayed chicken had ovaries removed.
• A broiler is fast-growing for meat production within 30-45 days.
• A layer is raised for egg production.
• Molting is shedding feathers.
• Oviposition is laying an egg.
• Ovulation is releasing the yolk.
• Caponization is removing sex organs.
• Incubation is the pre-hatching process, which can be natural or artificial.
• Poultry is a term for domestic birds, or dressed fowl.
• Fowl applies to poultry, especially mature cocks and hens.
• Chickens are the most popular poultry, especially in the Philippines where ducks and quails follow.
• Plumage is the feathers of a fowl.

Chicken Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females: 4-6 months
• Ovulation occurs 30 minutes after laying.
• Normal temperature is 40-42 °C.
• Normal respiration rate (14-26)
• Normal heart rate (130-160)
• Productive life (4-45 weeks)
• Normal female to male breeding ratio: 10-15

Duck Terms (Anas platyrhynchos & Cairina moschata)

• Balikbayan are ducks ready to lay.
• Brooding is providing heat.
• Broody birds desire to sit on eggs.
• Candling involves using light to inspect egg contents and fertility.
• Infertile eggs don't develop an embryo.
• Sexual maturity occurs when a bird is laying eggs
• A drake is an adult breeding male.
• A duck hen is a breeding female.
• A duckling is a young duck.
• A green duck is raised for meat within 10 weeks.
• Balut is partially incubated and boiled for consumption.

Goat Terms (Capra hircus)

• A buck or billy goat is a mature breeding male.
• A doe or nanny goat is a mature breeding female.
• A kid is a young goat.
• A billy kid is a male kid.
• Dry does don't produce milk during the breeding season.
• Milking does are currently lactating.
• Bucking is mating.
• Kidding is giving birth.
• A goatling is a weanling female.
• A weather goat is a male castrated.
• Stag goats are castrated after reaching sexual maturity.
• Chevon is Goat meat.
• Pelt is goat skin.
• Mohair is from the hair of Angora goats.
• Cashmere is from the undercoat of Cashmere goats.
• Band refers to grouping.

Goat Physiological Phenomena

• Female puberty occurs at 7-10 months.
• The estrous cycle lasts 20 days.
• Estrus averages 34-38 hours, with ovulation occurring 18-26 hours after heat starts.
• Gestation lasts 148 days.
• There are usually 2 offspring per parturition.
• Male puberty occurs at 4-6 months.
• Normal temperature is 38-40°C.
• The female to male ratio is 30-50.
• There are 2 mammary glands.
• Ejaculate volume is 1 cc.
• Sperm concentration is 2.0 billion/cc.
• Normal respiration is 12-20 breaths/min.
• Normal heart rate is 70-80 beats/min.
• Expected productive life is 6-10 years.

Sheep Terms (Ovis aries)

• A ram is a breeding male.
• An ewe is a breeding female.
• Lamb is a young sheep.
• A ram lamb is a male lamb.
• An ewe lamb is a female lamb.
• A gimmer is a yearling that falls between the second and third shearing.
• Wether sheep are castrated before sexual maturity.
• A stag is a male sheep castrated.
• Tupping is mating.
• Lambing is giving birth.
• Shearing harvests wool.
• A shearling is a yearling over a year old.
• Two-shear sheep are two years old.
• Mutton is the meat from mature sheep.
• Lamb meat comes from young sheep.
• Wool is the hairy covering.
• Shorn wool is from sheering.
• Pulled wool remains after slaughter.
• Fleece is the skin and hair.
• Pelt consists of wool and fiber.
• Nolls are waste wool.
• Flock is for grouping.

Sheep Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty in females occurs between 5-7 months.
• The estrous cycle lasts 16 days.
• Estrus averages 24-36 hours.
• Ovulation occurs late in estrus.
• Gestation lasts 148 days.
• There is usually 1-2 offspring per birth.
• Male puberty: 4-6 months
• Normal temperature between is 38-40 °C.
• There are 2 mammary glands.
• Ejaculate volume ranges from 0.75-1.5 cc.
• Sperm concentration is 2.0 billion/cc.
• Normal respiration rate is 12-24 breaths/min.
• Normal heart rate ranges from 70-80 beats/min.
• Expected productive life is 6-8 years.

Horse Terms (Equus caballus)

• A stallion is a breeding male.
• A mare is a breeding female.
• A studhorse is intended for breeding.
• A broodmare is intended for breeding
• A foal is a young offspring.
• A colt is a young horse between 1 and 3 years old.
• A filly is a young female between 1 and 3 years old.
• Covering is mating.
• Foaling is giving birth.
• Geldings are castrated before sexual maturity.
• Stags are castrated after reaching sexual maturity.
• A yeld mare hasn't produced offspring.
• A ridgling has only one or no testicles found in the scrotum.
• Equitation is horsemanship.
• Horsemeat is the meat.
• A herd refers to grouping.

Horse Physiological Phenomena

• Puberty of females: 15-24 months
• The estrous cycle is 22 days.
• Estrus averages 4-8 days.
• Time of ovulation: 1-2 days before estrous
• Gestation is 346 days.
• There is one offspring per birth.
• Male puberty: 13-18 months
• Female to male ratio: 20-30
• Normal temperature is 37.5-38.5 °C.
• There are 2 mammary glands.
• Ejaculate volume is 75-150 cc.
• Sperm concentration is 150 million/cc.
• Normal respiration rate (8-16)
• Normal heart rate (32-44)
• Productive life (20-25 years)