Livestock Terminology

General Terms

  • Breed – a stock of animals within a species having a distinctive appearance and typically having been developed by deliberate selection
  • Breeding animal – an animal caused to produce offspring typically in a controlled and organized way
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Dam – a female parent
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Flock – a grouping of a species of livestock (sheep, poultry)
  • Herd – a group of a single species of animal (cattle, horses, swine, goats)
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Livestock – domestic farm animals kept for productive purposes (meat, milk, work, wool)
  • Market animal – livestock bred and raised for food consumption
  • Polled – a naturally hornless animal
  • Sire – a male parent
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Litter – multiple offspring produced at one birth by a multi-parous mammal. Also called brood

Chickens

  • Chick – a newly hatched or a very young chicken
  • Broilers – a chicken that is six to 13 weeks of age used for meat production
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Pullet – Female bird under one year of age
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Hen – Female bird over one year of age
  • Cockerel – Male bird under one year of age
  • Rooster – Male bird over one year of age

Cattle

  • Bovine – the scientific name for cattle
  • Calf – a sexually immature young bovine
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Heifer – a young female bovine which has not yet had a calf
  • Cow – a mature female bovine
  • Steer – a castrated male bovine
  • Bull – a sexually mature male bovine

Ducks

  • Drake – Adult male
  • Duck – Adult female

Geese

  • Gander – Adult male
  • Goose – Adult female

Goats

  • Caprine – refers to animals in the goat family
  • Kid – a young goat
  • Wether – a castrated male goat
  • Doe – (aka. nanny) a female goat
  • Buck – (aka. billy) a sexually mature male goat

Pigs

  • Swine – a refers to animals in the pig family
  • Barrow – a young, castrated male swine
  • Boar – a sexually mature male swine
  • Gilt – a young female pig
  • Hog – a mature swine (usually weighing more than 120 pounds)
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Pig – (aka. piglet) a young swine (usually weighing less than 120 lbs.)
  • Sow – a mature female swine

Sheep

  • Ovine – the scientific name for sheep
  • Ewe – a female sheep
  • Lamb – a sheep less than one year in age
  • Ram – a male sheep
  • Wether – a castrated male sheep

Turkeys

  • Poult – Young domestic turkey
  • Hen – Adult female
  • Tom – Adult male

Horse

  • Equine – name of the family that includes horses, donkeys and zebras
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Foal – an animal in the equine family, of either sex, that is one year old or younger
  • Colt – a male horse under the age of four
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Filly – a female horse under the age of four
  • Gelding – a castrated animal of the equine family
  • Pony – a mature horse that measures less than 14.2hands
  • Mare – an adult female horse
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Stallion – an adult male horse
  • Draft Horse – a large horse bred for hard, heavy tasks such as ploughing and farm labor
  • Hand – a non-SI unit of measurement that equals four inches

Donkey & Mule

  • Foal – an animal in the equine family, of either sex, that is one year old or younger
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Jenny – a female donkey
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Jack – a male donkey
  • Mule – is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse
  • Donkey – a domesticated animal of the equine family primarily used as a working animal

Rabbit

  • Kit – a young rabbit
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Doe – a female rabbit
  • Buck – a male rabbit

Llamas

  • Cria – a young llama
  • Dam – a female llama
  • Gelding – a castrated male llama
  • Stud – a male llama