ANIMAL TERMS AND THEIR PROPER USAGE

What is a capon? What is a lambkin? Hither is a list of terms that will assist you better understand the words commonly used by breeders and fanciers when discussing the various species.

Livestock are animals kept by people for utilize or pleasance.

  • Bovine is a term relating to cattle.
  • Caprine is a term relating to goats.
  • Equine is a term relating to horses, mules, zebras, and asses.
  • Herd is a grouping of a single species of livestock. There may be exceptions to the term's usage exterior of cattle, horses, asses, swine, and rabbits.
  • Ovine is a term relating to sheep.
  • Porcine is a term relating to swine.

Ass is a single hoofed mammal of the genus Equus, related to the horses. They typically have a smaller build and longer ears.

  • Ass is the correct term used for a donkey, burro, or jackstock.
  • Burro is the Spanish term used for donkey (generally used westward of the Mississippi)
  • A donkey is the domesticated form of an ass.
  • A hinny is a hybrid animal that is produced when a female ass (jennet) is crossed with a male horse (stallion).
  • Horse hinny is the proper term for a male hinny over three years of historic period.
  • Horse mule is the proper term for a male mule over iii years of age.
  • Jack is a male ass. (Note – young jacks are not referred to equally colts)
  • Jackstock is the plural referring to American Mammoth jacks and jennets. These animals are properly termed asses and are not referred to as donkeys, and never called burros.
  • Jennet or jenny is a female ass. (Annotation – a young jennet or jenny is non referred to as a colt)
  • Jennet jack a male person ass used to produce donkeys.
  • John is an breezy term for a male mule.
  • Mule is a hybrid animal that is produced when a male ass (jack) is crossed with a female horse (mare).
  • Mule colts (males) and mule fillies (females) are young mules under 3 years of age.
  • Mule jack is a male person donkey used to produce mules.
  • Mare hinny is the proper term for a female hinny over three years of age.
  • Mare mule is the proper term for a female mule over three years of age.
  • Molly is an informal term for a female mule.

Cattle domesticated mammals of the genus Bos.

  • Bull is an in-tact male bovine.
  • Bull calf is a male calf.
  • Calf is a immature bovine. This term is used from the time of birth up until about 6 to x months of age when the animal is weaned.
  • Moo-cow is a female bovine that has had a calf. (This term may as well be used for other species)
  • Heifer is a female bovine that has not had a dogie.
  • Heifer dogie is a female dogie.
  • Steer is a castrated male bovine or can be a future ox that is less than iv years old.
  • Ox is castrated bull that has been trained to work and is at least 4 years of age.
  • Oxen is the plural of ox.

Goat the domesticated form of capra hircus.

  • Buck is a male goat over 1 yr of historic period.
  • Buckling is a young male person goat less than a year sometime.
  • Doe is a female goat over i year of age.
  • Doeling is a immature female goat less than a year old.
  • Flock is a group of goats. (The term may exist used in reference to other livestock.)
  • Kid is a baby goat of either sex.
  • Wether is a castrated male person goat (or sheep).

Horse is a domesticated big single hoofed mammal (Horse) with a short-haired coat, a long mane, and a long tail used for riding, pulling, or conveying loads.

  • Colt is a male person horse under 3 years of age.
  • Filly is a female equus caballus under 3 years of age.
  • Foal is a immature equine under i year of historic period.
  • Gelding is a castrated male person equus caballus.
  • Mare is a female horse afterward her 4th birthday.
  • Stallion is an intact male horse.

Rabbit is a mammal of the family Leporidae or the domesticated Old Globe species Oryctolagus cuniculus.

  • Buck is a male rabbit.
  • Doe is a female person rabbit.
  • Fryer or "young rabbit" is a rabbit that is 2 months old and weighs 3 ¾ lbs to iv ½ lbs.
  • Kit is a baby rabbit.
  • Rabbitry is where owners keep their herd of rabbits in separate cages.
  • Stewer or "mature rabbit" is a rabbit three months of age or older averaging 6 pounds or more.
  • Warren is where owners proceed their herd of rabbits as a group in a big cage or enclosure.

Sheep the domesticated species ovis aries.

  • Ewe is a female sheep at least 1 year of age.
  • Ewe lamb is a female sheep under 1 twelvemonth of age.
  • Flock is a group of sheep. (The term may be used in reference to other livestock.)
  • Lamb is a young sheep. When referring to meat, lamb is meat from a sheep that is 12-14 months quondam or less.
  • Lambkin or lambling is a newly born lamb.
  • Ram is an intact male sheep that is at least one year of age.
  • Ram lamb is a male sheep that is under i year of age.
  • Sheep is a mature ovine at least ane year of historic period and may also refer to the ovine species.
  • Wether is a castrated male sheep (or caprine animal).

Swine are even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, including pigs, hogs, and boars.

  • Barrow is a castrated (before sexual maturity) male person swine.
  • Boar is an adult male swine.
  • Gilt is a female swine that has not given birth.
  • Drove is a group of swine.
  • Feeder pig is a young pig, almost oftentimes between 40-70lbs that is produced by ane farmer and sold to some other for growing out to marketplace weight.
  • Pig is a mature swine with an adult weight above 150 pounds.
  • Lard types of squealer were developed to accept large deposits of fatty that could be more easily butchered from the animal in big chunks. This makes rendering easier and results in less loss of skillful meat.
  • Market hog is a hog that weighs from 220-260 pounds and is 5-seven months of age when it is sent to market.
  • Meat types of hog (besides known as Bacon types) were developed to have more than lean meat with moderate marbling of fat.
  • Pig is a young swine that is not sexually mature or a mature swine with an adult weight under 150 pounds.
  • Piglet or baby pig refers to a young hog in its first 14-21 days of life and is notwithstanding nursing.
  • Shoat is a young hog (non sexually mature) that has been weaned and is ready for marketplace weighing 150-260 pounds
  • Sow is an adult female swine.
  • Stag is a castrated (after sexual maturity) male swine.

Poultry are domesticated birds that are kept for meat or eggs including birds of the order Galliformes: craven, turkey, natatorial (pond) birds: duck and goose.

  • Flock is a group comprised of one species of poultry.
  • Trio is typically a grouping of poultry with one male and two females

Chicken is a common domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus).

  • Broiler is a meat chicken processed at the age of 7-12 weeks when it reaches 2 ½ to iii ½ pounds live weight.
  • Fryer is a meat chicken ordinarily marketed at 12-xx weeks.
  • Capon are male chickens that have been castrated and they are harvested at four-eight months old. They weigh 5-9 pounds and produce more than white meat and accept college fat content than other chickens.
  • Chick is a newly hatched or a very young craven.
  • Erect is a male chicken at to the lowest degree i year of age or older.
  • Cockerel is a male chicken less than ane twelvemonth former.
  • Cornish game hens are a cross betwixt a Cornish and Plymouth Rock chicken (although originally they were pure Cornish), four-5 weeks old, weighing nearly ii pounds. They may be of either sex.
  • Hen is a female person chicken at least one yr of age.
  • Poussin or "spring craven" is a young chicken, three-4 weeks old, weighing about ane pound that is prepared as a unmarried serving.
  • Pullet is a female chicken less than one year of age. A pullet is, in industry, a young female person that has still to start laying eggs
  • Roasters are chickens that are half dozen-12 months of age weighing iv-7 pounds.
  • Rooster is a male chicken over i yr of age.
  • Stewing fowl is a mature male or female craven over ane twelvemonth of historic period.

Ducks are whatever wild or domesticated swimming birds of the family Anatidae, typically having a broad, flat beak, short legs, and webbed feet.

  • Drake is an adult male person duck.
  • Duck can refer to a female of the duck family.
  • Ducklings are baby ducks.
  • Old drake is a male duck over 1 year of age.
  • One-time duck is a female duck over 1 yr of age.
  • Young drake is a male duck under 1 year of historic period.
  • Young duck is a female duck under 1 twelvemonth of age.

Geese are wild or domesticated water birds of the family unit Anatidae and of the genera Anser and Branta that typically have a shorter neck than a swan and a shorter, more pointed bill than a duck.

  • Gander is a male goose over 1 year of age. (Too referred to as old gander.)
  • Goose is the singular of geese or a female goose.
  • Gosling is a young goose up until feathers have replaced all of their downwardly.
  • Onetime goose is a female person goose over 1 year of age.
  • Young gander is a male goose under 1 year of age.
  • Young goose is a female person goose under i yr of historic period.

Turkey is a large North American bird (Meleagris gallopavo) that is widely domesticated for food and comes in many varieties.

  • Hen is a female turkey over one year of age.
  • Old hen is a female person turkey over one year of age.
  • Onetime tom is a male turkey over 1 year of age.
  • Poult is a young domestic (non wild) turkey.
  • Tom is a male turkey.
  • Immature hen is a female turkey under one twelvemonth of age.
  • Immature tom is a male turkey under 1 year of historic period.