Animal Science Terminology

Vocabulary flashcards covering general animal science terms, species-specific terms (cattle, buffalo, horse, swine, sheep, goats, poultry), meat classification, and common livestock management terminology.

Parturition

Act of giving birth.

Calving

Act of giving birth in cows.

Farrowing

Act of giving birth in sows.

Kidding

Act of giving birth in does.

Foaling

Act of giving birth in mares.

Lambing

Act of giving birth in ewes.

Gestation

Period of pregnancy; period from conception until birth.

Conception

Implantation of the zygote.

Dam

Female parent.

Sire

Male parent.

Fertility

In female, the ability to produce fertilizable ova and to provide proper environment for and of initiating cell division and embryonic development; in male, the ability to produce large number of sperms capable of fertilization.

Fecundity (or prolificacy)

Ability to give birth to offspring frequently or numerous young at frequent intervals.

Sterility

Inability to produce normal young.

Impotency

Failure to copulate.

Puberty

Sexual maturity, as exhibited by first heat or ovulation.

Weanling

Young animal, after separation from its dam.

Weaning

The process of separating the young from its dam.

Ox

Member of the bovine family or, sometimes, the male used for draft purpose.

Cattle

Domesticated bovine animals.

Bull

Mature male cattle used for breeding.

Cow

Mature female cattle for breeding.

Heifer

Young female cattle under three years of age, usually, one that has not yet given birth.

Steer

Male cattle that has been castrated before the secondary sex characters develop.

Stag (Cattle)

Male cattle castrated after sexual maturity.

Calf

Young cattle of either sex under one year of age.

Bull calf

Young male cattle under one year of age.

Cara

Carabao (as proposed by Dr. V. Villegas, UPLB); the use of the prefix "cara" to terms for cattle to apply to carabaos.

Carabull

Mature male carabao used for breeding.

Caracow

Mature female carabao for breeding.

Caraheifer

Young female carabao under three years of age, usually, one that has not yet given birth.

Caracalf

Young carabao of either sex under one year of age.

Bullock

Usually a stag used for draft purposes.

Proven sire

Bull about whom there is sufficient unselected information to indicate its transmitting ability.

Transmitting ability

The ability of an animal to pass on either good or bad production traits to its progeny.

Stallion

Mature male horse; if used for breeding purposes, the term Stud Horse is preferred.

Mare

Mature female horse. Brood mare is a female horse used for breeding purpose.

Colt

Young male horse usually up to 3 years old.

Filly

Young female horse usually up to 3 years old.

Foal

Young horse of either sex below one year of age.

Gelding

Horse castrated while young.

Geld mare

Dry mare, which has not produced any young during the breeding season.

Ridgling

Stallion with only one testis or none in the scrotum.

Equitition

Horsemanship; the art of riding on horseback.

Boar

Male pig of any age.

Sow

Mature female pig.

Gilt

Young female pig under one year of age, usually one that has not yet delivered.

Shote

Young pig of either sex weighing approximately $60\,\text{kg}$.

Barrow

Male pig which is castrated while young or a castrated pig that is unsexed before the secondary sex characters have developed.

Litter

Group of pigs in one farrowing.

Litter size

The number of young born in one litter.

Ram or buck

Male sheep of any age for breeding purposes.

Ewe

Female sheep of any age.

Lamb (Animal)

Young sheep of either sex below one year of age.

Wether sheep

Male sheep which is castrated while young, preferably between one to three weeks of age.

Shearling

Yearling sheep with two teeth.

Fleece

Wool covering of the sheep.

Buck (Goat)

A mature male goat.

Doe

A mature female goat that has kidded or given birth.

Doeling

A mature female goat that has not yet kidded.

Pelt

Wool and skin of a sheep.

Kid

Young goat of either sex below one year of age.

Milking doe

A nursing or lactating female goat.

Wether goat

Castrated male goat which was unsexed before the secondary sex characters have developed.

Beef

Meat of cattle, 1 year or over.

Veal

Meat of cattle, 1 year or less.

Pork

Meat of pig.

Venison

Meat of deer.

Mutton

Meat of sheep, 1 year or over.

Lamb (Meat)

Meat of sheep, one year or less.

Chevon

Meat of goat.

Carabeef

Meat of carabao, 1 year or over.

Caraveal

Meat of carabao, 1 year or less.

Lapan

Meat of rabbit.

Meat

Properly dressed flesh derived from animals sufficiently mature and in good condition at time of slaughter.

Slaughtering

From fasting through stunning, bleeding up to skinning, evisceration and halving.

Butchering

From splitting and quartering to cutting the carcass into retail cuts.

Backyard poultry raising

Small-scale poultry farming usually for home consumption.

Broiler

Any young bird, grown usually for 6 weeks in order that it may weigh $1\,\text{kg}$ after that period.

Candling

The process of subjecting eggs to light (usually a bulb) to check its fertility.

Capon

Castrated male chicken.

Brooding

Process of subjecting young animal to heat and warmth in order to increase their chances of survival.

Cockerel

Young cock.

Contract growing

Growing animals for someone else for a fee.

Culling

The process of eliminating undesirable animals.

Domesticated birds

All birds that have been tamed or trained or adapted to serve man's needs.

Dubbing

The removal of the comb and wattle.

Drake

A male duck.

Fowl

A domesticated bird, now commonly referring to a cock or hen.

Fryer

Any bird that has developed to a size suitable for frying.

Gander

A male goose.

Gosling

A young goose regardless of sex.

Molting

The natural means of renewing feathers in birds.

Poult

Young turkey regardless of sex.

Pullet

A young female bird, hen or chicken.

Roaster

An overgrown fryer.

Sexing

The process of finding out the sex of the animals.

Squab

Young dove or pigeon.

Tom

Male turkey.

Weight per day of age (WPDA)

Measure of weight gains for the period specified, usually from birth to weaning, or from weaning to one year of age or to $1000\,\text{lbs}$ or $90\,\text{kg}$ for swine.

Ad libitum

Unlimited or liberal feeding.