Adult
male
Adult
Female
Young
Gestation, or
incubation
Life
Expectancy
Size in Pounds
Age
Dairy
Cow
Bull
Calf
9 mons.
8-10 yrs.
600-2000
2yrs
Horse
Mare
Stallion
Foal*
11.5 mons.
20-30 yrs.
250-2000
4yrs
Goat
Nanny
Billy
Kids
5 mons.
5-8 yrs.
30-300
2yrs
Sheep
Ewe
Ram
Lambs
5 mons.
8-10 yrs.
50-400
2yrs
Pig
Sow
Baar
Piglets**
3+ mons.
10-20 yrs
50-900
Rabbit
Doe
Buck
Kits
1 mon.
5-8 yrs
4-12
8 mons.
Chicken
Hen
Rooster
Chicks
21 days
4-6 yrs
2-12
6 mons.
Duck
Hen
Drake
Ducklings
28 days
4-6 yrs.
3-10
Goose
Goose
Gander
Goslings
32 days
4-6 yrs.
5-15
Turkey
Hen
Tom
Poult***
32 days
2-3 yrs.
20-70
of
Maturity
Farm Animal
Friendly Farm Animal Facts
*Foals – male / colt, female / filly
** Piglets – male / barrow, female/gilt
*** Pout – male / jake, female/ jenny
© D. Bergmen, Friendly Farm, 6-12-2004
Farm Animal Myths
Farmers don’t give their animals good care. (Farmers can’t afford to not give animals good care, it would affect the animals
production & the sicker the cow becomes, the more expensive & time consuming the illness is to treat. Veterinarian charge
more than doctors.)
Livestock eat corn & other grains that could feed starving people. (The corn raised for animals is course & not palatable for
human consumption.
A vegetarian diet provides all the nutrients one needs to live. (Meat provides essential amino acids that are necessary to a
complete diet.
When livestock are slaughtered, much of the animal goes to waste. (Every part of the animal is used for something such as
fertilizers, pet food, & medicines.)
Horse – horses always stand while sleeping (Especially on a warm spring day, horses will lay in the sunshine)
- horses are smart (actually they have a brain the size of a walnut
Cow - cows milk for years at a time (cows milk only after having a calf & only for 9 months)
- It’s mean to take a dairy cow’s calf away. (Diary cows produce way more than a single calf could eat, by not taking
the calf away, If the calf was left on a dairy cow, it most likely would get a disease called mastitis, a curdling of
the milk in the utter)
- All cows have horns. (Some breeds are naturally polled (have no horns) if this is the case both the caws & bulls
have no horns. If a breed has horns, both the cow and bull have horns. Farmers tend to remove horns for the
safety of other cattle, easier handling, and safety of the farmer.
Sheep - Tails should be left on sheep. (When tails are left on it is difficult to shear, get matted with stickers, & infested
with flies
Pig
- Pigs are dirty. (Pigs have no sweat glands, therefore, they will roll in mud. If given a choice between mud, or clean
water, they will take the clean water. They will defecate the furthermost place from the place they eat.
- Pigs are stupid. (Pigs are very intelligent, in fact they are the 5th most intelligent animal on the planet.)
- It is mean to snip the piglets needle teeth at birth. (If those teeth are not cut, they tear the mother apart as
they nurse.
© D. Bergmen, Friendly Farm, 6-12-2004
Goats - Goats will eat anything, even tin cans (Goats are curious & nibble on things, but they are picky eaters)
Rabbits Chicken – Roosters only crow in the morning (They crow all day long to establish territory)
- Hens need roosters to lay eggs (Most store purchased eggs are from hens in cages with no roosters)
- Hens have teeth (No they grind their food with rocks in gizzard)
- Brown eggs are more nutritious than white eggs (They are the same.)
- If you cut a chickens head off, it will keep running. (When a chickens head is cut off, the brain is no longer
attached to the body, as the nervous system shuts down, the legs & wings twitch.)
Ducks –
Goose – Have night vision, are nocturnal, very intelligent and great memories
Turkey – are not very intelligent
-
Interesting Facts
Egg laying depends on light, age of chicken, and if it is too hot, or cold
The turkey was first domesticated 500 years ago by the Aztecs & brought back to Europe by the early explorers
Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey the national bird.
Rabbits teeth continue to grow their whole life
Goats have no tear ducts
Rabbits can see more than 180°, so they can virtually see all the way around them
The dots on the muzzle of a cow are as unique as finger prints
During WWII geese were used for guards
Some Asian people actually use ducks to catch fish, tying a string around their neck to prevent swallowing
Call ducks were used as live decoys tethered in the water on a string during the 1600’s in England
Rabbits regulate their body temperature through their ears.
White meat on turkey & chickens are the muscles least used, dark meat are used more & receive more oxygen.
© D. Bergmen, Friendly Farm, 6-12-2004
X
X
X
Horse
X
X
X
Goat
X
X
X
X
X
Sheep
X
X
X
X
X
Pig
X
X
X
Rabbit
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Filtering
X
1 Stomach
X
Claws –
Swimming
Beef
ClawsScratching
X
Solid Hoof
X
Feathers
X
ls
Omnivores
X
Birds
X
Mammals
Dairy
Use of
Beak
Pecking
Digestion
Gizzard
Feet
4 Stomachs
Body
Covering
Skin & Hair
Eating
Habits
Herbivores
Species
Cloven Hoof
(2 parts)
Characteristics & classification
X
x
X
X
Chicken
X
Duck
X
X
X
X
X
X
Goose
X
X
X
X
X
X
Turkey
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
© D. Bergmen, Friendly Farm, 6-12-2004
x
Goat
x
Sheep
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Chicken
x
Duck
x
x
x
Goose
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Pet Toys
x
x
Rabbit
x
x
x
x
Turkey
x
x
x
x
x
x
Pig
x
x
x
x
Weed / brush
Removal
x
Work/ Ride/ Pull
Cart
x
x
x
Medicine
x
Hide, Feathers,
Wool, Fur
x
Gelatin
Horse
x
Oils / Fat
x
x
Chemicals
Beef
Fertilizer
Meat
Eggs
x
Dog Food
Dairy
Milk
Pets
Farm Animal Use & Products
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Working Farm Animals
Horse – riding; herding; pulling carts, wagons, logs; on farms, ranches, in parks & for law enforcement
Goats – grazing to get rid of unwanted under brush, pulling carts (San Francisco Airport)
Sheep – grazing to get rid of unwanted under growth in fire prevention (Tahoe National Forest)
Geese – removing unwanted weeds in cotton fields
© D. Bergmen, Friendly Farm, 6-12-2004