Common Animal Husbandry Terms (Glossary)

• Breed: Group of animals with similar characteristics passed to offspring.
• Culling: Removing non-productive or undesirable animals from a herd.
• Estrus (Heat): Period when female animals are receptive to mating.
• Weaning: Transitioning young animals from mother’s milk to solid feed.
• Body Condition Score (BCS): System for evaluating an animal’s body fat and health.
• Colostrum: First milk rich in antibodies, crucial for newborns.
• Gestation: Pregnancy period from conception to birth.
• Lactation: Period when a female produces milk after giving birth.
• Inbreeding: Breeding of closely related animals, increasing genetic disorder risks.
• Crossbreeding: Mating of animals from different breeds to combine traits.
• Quarantine: Isolating animals to prevent disease spread.
• Vaccination: Administering vaccines to protect animals from diseases.
• Artificial Insemination (AI): Manually inserting semen into a female’s reproductive tract.
• Sire: Male parent of an animal.
• Dam: Female parent of an animal.
• Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR): Efficiency of converting feed into body mass.
• Husbandry: Care, cultivation, and breeding of animals.
• Ruminant: Animals with a four-compartment stomach for digesting food through fermentation.
• Paddock: Enclosed field for grazing animals.
• Drenching: Administering liquid medication to control parasites.
• Forage: Edible plants like grasses and legumes for animal feed.
• Farrowing: Giving birth in pigs.
• Mastitis: Inflammation of the mammary gland, affecting milk production.
• Feedlot: Intensive feeding operation for finishing livestock.
• Pasture: Land with vegetation for grazing.
• Tethering: Tying an animal to limit its movement and grazing area.
• Stocking Density: Number of animals per unit area of land.
• Silage: Fermented forage stored in silos, used as animal feed.
• Castration: Removal of testicles in male animals to control breeding.
• Hoof Trimming: Cutting overgrown hooves to maintain foot health.
• Dystocia: Difficult labor and delivery.
• Roughage: Fibrous feed important for ruminant digestion.
• Cryptorchidism: Condition of undescended testicles affecting fertility.
• Poultry: Domestic birds raised for eggs, meat, or feathers.
• Lambing: Giving birth in sheep.
• Dry Period: Non-lactating period in dairy animals before giving birth.
• Anthelmintic: Medication for treating internal parasites like worms.
• Fleece: Wool coat of a sheep or similar animal.
• Teat: Nipple of a mammary gland for suckling milk.
• Estrous Cycle: Reproductive cycle phases in female animals.
• Grazing Rotation: Moving livestock between paddocks for pasture regrowth.
• Heat Stress: Condition where excessive heat affects animal health and productivity.
• Litter: Offspring born at one time from one mother.
• Parturition: The act of giving birth in animals.
• Ration: Specific daily feed amount given to an animal.
• Colostrum Deprivation: Lack of colostrum intake by newborns, weakening immunity.
• Breeding Season: Specific time when animals mate and reproduce.
• Vaccination Schedule: Timeline for administering vaccines to animals.
• Heritability: Proportion of trait differences due to genetics within a population.

Short Point-Wise Notes:

• BCS: Body Condition Score, a measure of an animal’s fat cover.
• Culling: Removal of unproductive animals from the herd.
• Estrus: The period of fertility in female animals.
• Vaccination: Administration of vaccines to prevent diseases.
• Weaning: Transitioning young animals from mother’s milk to solid feed.
• Inbreeding: Breeding of closely related animals, increasing genetic disorder risks.
• Estrous Cycle: Reproductive cycle phases in female animals.
• Cryptorchidism: Condition of undescended testicles affecting fertility.
• Dry Period: Non-lactating period in dairy animals before giving birth.