Livestock Terminology Notes

Breed — General animals within a species with a distinctive appearance, typically developed by deliberate selection.
Breeding animal — General animal used to produce offspring, typically in a controlled and organized way.
Dam — General female parent.
Flock — General grouping of species of livestock (sheep, poultry).
Herd — General group of single species of animals (cattle, horses, swine, goats).
Litter — General multiple offspring produced at one birth by a multiparous (litter-bearing) mammal. Twins/triplets are not an example of this. Also called brood.
Livestock — General domestic farm animals kept for productive purposes (meat, milk, work, wool).
Market animal — General livestock bred and raised for food consumption.
Parity — General number of times a female has had offspring.
Polled — General naturally hornless animal.
Sire — General uncastrated male parent.
Stag — General male that is castrated after sexual maturity (often shows signs of masculinity at slaughter).
Weanling — General an animal that has recently been weaned.
Yearling — General an animal that is about $1 ext{ year}$ of age.

Bull — Cattle sexually mature uncastrated male.
Calf — Cattle sexually immature young bovine.
Calving — Cattle process of giving birth.
Cow — Cattle mature female.
Fed steer or heifer — Cattle steer or heifer that is ready for slaughter at the end of a finishing period.
Feeder steer or heifer — Cattle steer or heifer that is ready to enter a feedyard and begin the finishing phase.
Heifer — Cattle young female bovine which has not yet had a calf (usually less than $22-24 ext{ months}$ old).
Ox — Cattle castrated male bovine at least $4 ext{ years}$ old.
Steer — Cattle castrated male bovine.

Ewe — Sheep female.
Ewe lamb — Sheep female under $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Lamb — Sheep less than $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Lambing — Sheep process of giving birth.
Lambkin (aka. lambling) — Newly born lamb.
Ovine — Relating to or resembling sheep.
Ram — Sheep uncastrated male sheep at least $1 ext{ year}$ old.
Ram lamb — Sheep uncastrated male sheep that is under $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Wether — Sheep castrated male sheep.

Barrow — Pigs young, castrated male swine (castrated before sexual maturity).
Boar — Pigs sexually mature uncastrated male swine.
Farrowing — Pigs process of a sow giving birth.
Feeder pig — Pigs young pig ( $40-70 ext{ lbs}$ ) that is ready to be finished up to market weight ( $260+ ext{ lbs}$ ).
Gilt — Pigs young female pig that has not yet given birth.
Hog — Pigs mature swine (usually weighing more than $120 ext{ lbs}$ ).
Pig (aka. piglet) — Pigs young swine (usually weighing less than $120 ext{ lbs}$ ).
Porcine — Relating to or resembling pigs.
Sow — Pigs mature female swine.
Swine — Pigs; refers to animals in the pig family.

Galline — Relating to or resembling chickens.
Hen — Poultry female bird over $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Pullet — Poultry female chicken under $1 ext{ year}$ of age (typically has not yet started laying eggs).
Laying — Poultry act of giving birth in chickens.
Rooster (aka. cock) — Poultry uncastrated male bird over $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Broilers — Poultry meat chicken that is $1.5-3.0 ext{ months}$ of age at slaughter.
Fryer — Poultry meat chicken slaughtered at $3-5 ext{ months}$ of age.
Capon — Poultry castrated male chicken slaughtered at $4-8 ext{ months}$ old.
Chick — Poultry newly hatched or very young chicken.
Cockerel — Poultry uncastrated male bird under $1 ext{ year}$ of age.
Drake — Poultry uncastrated adult male duck.
Duck — Poultry adult female duck.
Ducklings — Poultry baby ducks.
Gander — Poultry adult uncastrated male goose.
Goose — Poultry adult female goose.
Gosling — Poultry young goose (up until feathers have replaced all of their down).
Poult — Poultry young domestic turkey.
Tom — Poultry uncastrated adult male turkey.
Meleagrine — Poultry relating to or resembling turkeys.