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1.1: Terminology

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    Animal Terminology

    POULTRY Broiler / fryer chicken raised for meat
    Chicken Icon Capon castrated male chicken or turkey
    Chick new born chicken or turkey
    Cock or rooster male chicken of breeding age
    Cockerel young male chicken
    Hen mature female chicken or turkey
    Hen poult young female turkey
    Jake young male turkey
    Poult young turkey
    Pullet immature laying hen
    Spent hen egg-laying hen that is no longer producing eggs that are of grade A quality (approximately 2 years of age)
    Tom male turkey of breeding age
    CATTLE Bull male of breeding age
    Cow Icon Bullock young male, typically less than 20 months of age
    Calf newborn (generally any male or female less than 1 year of age)
    Cow mature female; a female that has produced a calf
    Dry cow a cow that has finished one lactation and has not yet given birth and started a subsequent lactation
    Heifer young female; a female that has not produced a calf
    One-calf heifer young female that has produced only one calf and is in her first lactation
    Heiferette a heifer that has calved once, is not lactating, and is fed for slaughter
    Springer breeding age heifer that has not yet given birth to her first calf
    Steer castrated male
    Stocker weaned cattle that are run on grass or are fed high roughage diets
    Yearling male or female that is 1-2 years of age
    HORSES Colt young male
    Horse Icon Filly young female
    Foal newborn
    Gelding castrated male
    Mare mature female
    Stallion or stud male of breeding age
    SHEEP Ewe mature female
    Sheep Icon Ewe lamb young female
    Lamb newborn
    Ram male of breeding age
    Ram lamb young male
    Wether castrated male
    GOATS Buck or billy male of breeding age
    Goat Icon Buck kid young male
    Doe mature female
    Doe kid young female
    Kid newborn
    Wether castrated male
    SWINE Barrow castrated male
    Pig Icon Boar male of breeding age
    Finishing Pig pig aged from about 10 weeks to slaughter age (about 6 months of age)
    Gilt young female; a female that has not had a litter
    Nursery pig pig aged 21 days to 10-12 weeks
    Piglet newborn, up to 21 days of age
    Shoat young male
    Sow mature female; a female that has had a litter
    Weaned pig piglet that has been separated from the sow
    DOGS Bitch intact female
    Dog Icon Dog or stud mature male
    Puppy newborn
     
    CATS Queen intact female
    Cat Icon Tom mature male
    Kitten newborn
     

    Production Terminology

    POULTRY Aviary house cageless layer house with litter floor and multiple layers of perches and nests, allowing birds to freely move between all levels
    Chicken Icon Furnished cages large enclosed cages, holding 30-60 laying hens, that have perches and scratch pads
    Grandparent stock first generation, highest biosecurity level poultry stock owned by breeder companies
    Litter wood chips or seed (rice, peanut) hulls used for footing
    Multiplier stock offspring of grandparent stock; owned by poultry companies and bred for production of growing turkeys, broilers, and layers
    CATTLE Backgrounding growing program for feeder cattle from time calves are weaned until they are on a finishing ration in the feedlot
    Cow Icon Biological type refers to size of cattle (small, medium or large), growth rate, milk production (high, medium or low), and age at puberty
    Calf crop number or percentage of calves produced within a herd in a given year relative to the number of cows and heifers in the breeding herd
    Calving act of giving birth
    Conditioning treatment of cattle by vaccination and other procedures before introducing them into the feedlot
    Cow-calf operation a management unit that maintains a breeding herd of cows and produces weaned calves for sale
    Crossbred an animal that is the product of the crossing of two or more breeds
    Culling removing cattle from the herd for sale or slaughter
    Dry period rest period at the end of a lactation before a cow gives birth again
    Feeder cattle those requiring more growth and/or fattening before slaughter
    Feedlot beef cattle enterprise where cattle are placed in confinement, fed harvested feeds, and fattened for slaughter
    Finished cattle cattle whose time in the feedlot is completed and are now ready for slaughter
    Freestall loose housing system for cows indoors, in which cows can move freely in groups within a large space
    Fresh cow cow that has given birth within the last 3 weeks
    Freshening calving
    Lactation period between two calvings during which the cow gives milk, usually lasting about one year. A cow that has just given birth to her second calf is in her second lactation
    Preconditioning preparation of feeder calves for marketing and shipment, may include vaccinations, castration, training calves to eat and drink in pens
    Seedstock producer enterprise that produces breeding animals for the commercial segment of the industry
    Serving act of breeding
    Tiestall confined housing system with cow tethered by their head and held in one place
    HORSES Foaling act of giving birth
    Horse Icon Covering act of breeding
       
    SHEEP Lambing act of giving birth
    Sheep Icon Tupping act of breeding
       
    GOATS Kidding act of giving birth
    Goat Icon Serving act of breeding
       
    PIGS Farrowing act of giving birth
    Pig Icon Coupling act of breeding
    Farrowing rate (# farrowing / # bred) x 100
    Non-productive days days a given sow or gilt of breeding age is present in the herd but is not pregnant or lactating
    Not-in-pig female diagnosed pregnant (usually by ultrasound) that does not go on to farrow = mortality of all fetuses during gestation
    DOGS    
    Dog Icon Whelping act of giving birth
       
    CATS    
    Cat Icon Queening act of giving birth
       

    This page titled 1.1: Terminology is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Margaret Root Kustritz.

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