GENERAL TERMS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE

General reproductive and production terms

Parturition

The physiological process of giving birth. Species-specific terms include calving, farrowing, kidding, foaling, lambing, whelping, queening, and kindling.

Calving

Parturition in cattle and water buffalo (carabao).

Farrowing

Parturition in swine.

Kidding

Parturition in goats.

Foaling

Parturition in horses and other equids.

Lambing

Parturition in sheep.

Gestation

The period of pregnancy from conception to parturition. Gestation length varies by species, breed, and individual.

Conception

The establishment of pregnancy following successful fertilization. It is not synonymous with implantation; fertilization forms the zygote.

Dam

The female parent of an animal.

Dam

The female parent of an animal.

Fertility

The capacity to reproduce. In females, it includes producing viable oocytes, conceiving, maintaining pregnancy, and producing offspring. In males, it includes producing viable sperm and successfully fertilizing ova

Fecundity

The biological capacity to produce offspring, often expressed as the number of young produced.

Sterility

Permanent inability to reproduce. Infertility is the broader term for reduced or absent reproductive capacity and may be temporary or treatable.

Impotence/ inability to copulate

Inability of a male to complete normal mating. The older term 'impotency' is imprecise and should be avoided in technical writing.

Implantation

The later attachment of the embryo to the uterine lining (wall).

Puberty

The stage at which an animal first becomes capable of reproduction, indicated in females by the onset of ovulatory cycles and in males by production of viable sperm. Puberty does not necessarily mean the animal is ready for breeding.

Prolificacy

In livestock production, refers to the number of offspring born per parturition.

Weaning

The management and physiological process of ending milk feeding or suckling and transitioning the young animal to an independent diet.

Weanling/ or weaner

A young animal that has recently been weaned.

Bovine

Pertaining to cattle or other members of the subfamily Bovinae. Domestic cattle are Bos taurus or Bos indicus; carabao are water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis.

Cattle

Domesticated bovines raised for meat, milk, draft, hides, breeding, or other purposes. The word is plural; one individual may be called a bovine or head of cattle.

Ox

An adult bovine, commonly a castrated male, trained and used for draft work.

Bull

A sexually mature, intact male bovine.

Cow

A mature female bovine that has produced at least one calf. In casual speech, 'cow' is often used for cattle generally, but this is technically imprecise.

Heifer

A young female bovine that has not yet calved. A pregnant heifer remains a heifer until her first calving.

Steer

A male bovine castrated before sexual maturity.

Stag

An older livestock term for a male bovine castrated after sexual maturity; its use is less common in modern production terminology.

Calf

A young bovine of either sex, generally from birth until weaning or approximately one year of age, depending on the production system.

Bull Calf

A young intact male bovine.

Bullock

A regional term whose meaning varies. It may refer to a young bull, a steer, or a draft ox; define the intended meaning when used.

Carabao Terminology

Standard cattle terms such as bull, cow, calf, heifer, and steer may be qualified with 'carabao' or 'water buffalo.' Coinages such as carabull and caracow are not widely standardized.

Proven Sire

A sire whose genetic merit has been estimated with adequate reliability, usually from progeny records and other performance information.

Transmitting Ability

The expected average genetic advantage or disadvantage that an animal passes to its offspring for a specified trait; commonly expressed as expected progeny difference or predicted transmitting ability.