Collection of Terminologies of Cattle and Buffaloes

 

Collection of Terminologies of Cattle and Buffaloes

1.      Type: It is a commonly accepted standard that combines those characteristics essential in adopting an animal for a particular purpose.  For example: milk, meat, wool or work.

2.      Breed: It is group of animals that are result of breeding and selection, have certain distinguishable characteristics. Or, a group of animals related by decent and which are similar in most of the characters like general appearance, size, colors, horns etc. Or, a breed may be defined as a cluster of domestic animals of a species where individuals are homogeneous in certain distinguishable characteristics which differ from one to other group of animals.

3.      Species: A group of individuals which have certain common characteristics that distinguish them from other group of individuals with in species the individuals are fertile when in different species they are not.

4.      Bull: An "intact" (i.e. not castrated) adult male is called a bull. A wild, young, unmarked bull is known as "micky" in Australia. An unbranded bovine of either sex is called "maverick" in the USA and Canada.

5.      Cow: An adult female that has had a calf( or two, depending on regional usage) is a cow.

6.      Calf: Young cattle of both sexes are called calves until they are weaned, then weanes until they are a year old in some areas: in other areas, particularly with male beef cattle, they may be known as feeder calves or simply feeders. After that, they are referred to as yearlings or stirks if between one and two years of age.

7.      Heifer: A young female before she has had a calf of her own and is under three years of age is called heifer. A young female that has had only one calf is occasionally called a first-calf heifer.

8.      Bullock: A castrated male of cattle used for work is called a bullock. However, a castrated male over one year of age is called a steer in the United States of America.

9.      Ox: A castrated male kept for draft purpose is called ox.

10.  Dam: Mother of a calf is known as dam.

11.  Sire: Male parent of calf is called sire.

12.  Yearling: An animal in its second year of age. e.g. yearling cattle, yearling filly, yearling colt

13.  Young bulls: Male calves that have not been castrated are called young bulls.

14.  Slink calf: Aborted foetus after slaughtering is called slink calf.

15.  Leppy: An orphaned calf is known as leppy.

16.  Hide: Skin of cattle is called hide.

17.  Springer: A springer is a cow or heifer close to calving.

18.  Freemartin: In all cattle species, a female twin of a bull usually becomes an infertile partial intersex, and is called a freemartin.

19.  Stag: A male bovine with one testicle is called stag.

20.  Beef: Meat from cattle other than calves. Meat from calves is called veal.

21.  Beef Cattle: Cattle rose for human consumption is known as beef cattle.

22.  Back fat: Amount of fat over the animals back; measured between 12^th and 13^th ribs.

23.  Beast: General descriptive term for an adult bovine.

24.  Bison: A bovine mammal having large forequarters, a shaggy mane, a massive head with short curved horns sometime erroneously called buffalo.

25.  Bobby calf: Calf slaughtered whilst only a few days old.

26.  Cull cow:  A cow that has been removed from the herd to be sent to slaughter is known as cull cow.

27.  Dairy calf: Calf of a mating between a bull and a cow both of dairy breeds is termed to be dairy calf.

28.  Dairy cow: Cow of a breed specifically defined as being for milk production, as distinct from beef or dual purpose breeds.

29.  Dry cow: A cow in the two-three month period between the end of lactation and the subsequent calving. Cows in which calving is imminent are close-up dry cows, or are freshening. Also, refers to a mature cow that is not lactating for whatever reason.

30.  House cow: A cow kept to provide milk for one family is known as house cow.

31.  Stocker: Weaned cattle that are run on grasses or roughage diet are called stocker.

32.  Suckler cow: The mother of a calf raised for beef production is called suckler cow.

33.  Teaser bull: Vasectomised bull used to locate cows on heat.

34.  Bovine: Adjective applying to cattle in general.

35.  Brisket: The fleshy prominent mass of the cattle lying between two fore legs or lower portion of chest.

36.  Bull calf: Entire male young animal up to stage of yearling.

37.  Cattle: Common type of domesticated ungulate that indicates the whole species without any reference to its sex and age.

38.  Fecundity: Ability to produce offspring is called fecundity.

39.  Service: The process in which mature male covers the female i.e. in heat with the object to deposit spermatozoa in the female genital tract is called service.

40.  Conception: The successful union of male and female gametes and implantation of zygote is known as conception.

41.  Gestation: It is the condition of female when developing foetus in present in the uterus.

42.  Gestation period: The period from the date of service (actual conception) to the date of parturition is termed as parturition period or pregnancy period. This period varies according to species of animals. E.g. in cow 279-283 days, in buffalo 310 days, sheep 148-152 days, goat 150-152 days.

43.  Parturition: The act of giving birth to young one is called parturition.        

44.  Lactation period: The period after parturition in which the animal produces milk is called lactation period.

45.  Lactating length: The total time frame from start (when milking starts) to end of lactation (when milking stops) is called as lactating length.

46.  Dry period: The period after lactation in which the animal does not produce milk is known as dry period.

47.  Calving interval: The period between two successive calving is called calving interval.

48.  Artificial Insemination: The technique other than natural, that deposits semen into cattle's reproductive organ with an inseminating tool or other instrument is known as artificial insemination.

49.  Catching and Haltering: The steps in training animals to lead so that it could be handled more easily are referred as catching and haltering.

50.  Complete diet: Winter feed for livestock comprising mixture of concentrates and bulk forages feed as a complete mixture, the animal usually receiving no other feed.

51.  Complete feeds: Fodder given to livestock either in place or in addition to grazing is called complete feeds.

52.  Complete Ration: A portion of a feed or combination of feed satisfies the nutritional needs of an animal for one day is called as complete ration.

53.  Concentrates: The term for variety of animal feeds stuff (other than forages) with a high food value is known as concentrates.

54.  Conditioning: Treatment of cattle with vaccination and other things and means prior to putting them in feedlot.

55.  Cud: Bolus of feed that cattle regurgitate for further chewing is known as cud.

56.  Fat stock/Finished Stock: Beef animals that are ready for slaughter are called fat stock or finished stock.

57.  Fed cattle: Steers and heifers that have been fed concentrates usually for 90 to 120 days in feedlot.

58.  Feeder calves or Feeder: Weaners until they are a year old are known as feeder calves or feeder.

59.  Feed yard: Cattle feeding capacity is referred as feed yard.

60.  Flushing: The practice of feeding higher than normal level energy prior to and during the breeding season to increase ovulation rate is called flushing.

61.  Heat patch: The plastic heat detecting device which is glued to the top of sacrum between tail head and hip bone in order to detect the estrus cycle in animal is known as heat patch.

62.  Herd Average: It is average daily milk yield of milking animal in a herd.

63.  Integrated Resource Management (IRM): Multidisciplinary approach to managing cattle more efficiently and profitably is called integrated resource management.

64.  Maiden: A female; e.g. ewe, heifer, bitch, mare of breeding age but not yet matted is termed as maiden.

65.  Moo: An onomatopoeic term for one of the most common sounds made by cattle. There are a number of other sounds made by cattle, including calves bawling, and bulls bellowing.

66.  Primiparous: It is a general term for any female animal that had one pregnancy that resulted in viable offspring.

67.  Multiparouos: Female animal that has had two or more pregnancies resulting in viable offspring.

68.  Muzzle: The blackest part of the upper lip is called muzzle.

69.  Overall average: It is average daily milk yield of the animal in the period of calving interval.

70.  Paddock: An enclosed area could be fence for grazing animals is called paddock.

71.  Poll, Pollard or Polled cattle: Naturally hornless animals, or those that have been disbudded or dehorned.

72.  Udder: Mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, particularly ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer is called udder.

73.  Vasectomy: Scissoring of the vas deferens in the male reproductive tract to bring about sterility or to prevent infection is called vasectomy.

74.  Wean: To separate young animals from lactating from its mother and introduce them to adult diet is called wean. The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk. The infant is considered to be fully weaned once it is no longer fed any breast milk (or bottled substitute).

75.  West Average: Average daily milk yield of a cow in lactation is called as west average.

REFERENCES:

Ø  A textbook of Animal Husbandry – G.C Banerjee

Ø  Google search

Ø  Senior Notes

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