Animal Science Vocabulary
Livestock Terms
Bovine- A general family grouping of cattle
Bull- A bovine male. The term usually denotes animal of breeding age
Cow- A sexually mature bovine
Calf- A young male or female bovine animal under a year of age
Heifer- A young female bovine cow before the time that she has produced her first calf
Steer- A castrated bovine male that was castrated early in life before puberty
Beef- The meat from cattle other than calves
Veal- The meat from very young cattle less than 3 months of age
Boar- A male swine of breeding age
Sow- A female swine that has farrowed one litter or has reached 12 months of age
Gilt- A young female swine prior to the time that she has produced her first litter
Barrow- A male swine that was castrated before reaching puberty
Pork- The meat from swine
Buck- adult male goat
Doe- adult female goat
Wether- castrated male goat or sheep
Chevon- French for goat meat; also known as cabrito
Ram- A male sheep that is sexually mature
Ewe- A sexually mature female sheep
Lamb- A young male or female sheep, usually less than a year of age
Mutton- The meat from a sheep that is over one year old
Poultry-This term includes chickens, turkeys, geese, pigeons, peafowls, guineas, and game birds
Cock- A male chicken; also called a rooster
Hen- An adult female domestic foul, such as a chicken or turkey
Broiler- A young meat-type chicken of either sex (usually up to 6-8 weeks old) weighing 3-5
lbs.
Chick- A young chicken that has recently been hatched
Tom- A male turkey
Animal Science Vocabulary
Poult- A young turkey of either sex, from hatching to approximately 10 weeks of age
Equine- Refers to horses
Stallion- A sexually male horse
Mare- A sexually mature female horse
Filly- A young female horse
Foal- A young male or female horse
Gelding- A male horse that has been castrated
General Terms
Domestication- adaptation of animals for the advantage of humans through breeding and
captivity
CAFO- stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations; are largely operated facilities
which raise animals in a confined area and provide management over the animals
Crossbreeding- act of breeding different breeds of the same species together to form a hybrid
breed
Artificial Insemination (AI)- process in which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a
female animal with the intent to impregnate
Embryo Transfer (ET)- process by which an embryo is taken from one female’s uterus and
placed in another to achieve pregnancy in the other female
Estrus (Standing Heat)- regularly occurring state of sexual receptivity during which a female
will accept a male; when ovulation takes place
Gestation- period of pregnancy in animals; time from conception to birth
Parturition- process of giving birth
Castration- removal of the testicles of a male animal
Draft- commonly refers to animals which pull loads
Nutrition- science which deals with food and its effects on health
Rations- mixture of feedstuffs which provide a balanced diet containing high amounts of energy
and protein needed for optimum growth of an animal
Concentrates- feeds high in energy and low in fiber
Roughages- feeds high in fiber
Ruminants- animals with a four compartment stomach
Feed Additive- Ingredient added to a diet to perform a specific role
Animal Science Vocabulary
Expected Progeny Differences (EPD)- number estimate of breeding potential for
characteristics, such as gain, muscling and maternal and carcass traits