Lamb: a young sheep, under a year old Image By napocska, Shutterstock Chicken farm termsįun fact, a hen can sit on 10 to 12 eggs for three weeks before they hatch! Gilt: a female pig under a year old that has not had a litter of piglets (farrowed) Image courtesy of USDA, Flickr Sheep farm terms

Steer: a castrated male bovine, used primarily for beef productionĬalf: a young bovine under one year of ageįun fact, did you know one sow (female pig) can have up to 36 piglets a year?įarrow: When a mother sow gives birth to pigletsīoar: an intact (not castrated) male swine Heifer: female bovine that has never had a calfīull: an intact (not castrated) male bovine, used primarily for breeding Here are some other differentiators between male, female, and baby animals and a couple other fun facts mixed in between! Image By Cameron Watson, Shutterstock Cattle farm termsīovine: a wild or domesticated animal that is part of the cattle group (to include bison and buffalo)

So often times you hear the term “dairy cows and beef cattle.” If you’re looking at a group of bovines on a dairy farm, you could surely say dairy cows because in order to produce milk, they must have had a calf.

In my opinion, the very first word that comes to mind is the word “cow.” Did you know that the word “cow” is technically a female bovine who has had a calf? Often times people refer to “cattle” as “cows,” but when referencing to a group of bovines - especially in the beef industry - the proper term to use is cattle, since they can be either male or female. There are so many other terms that people might not know when they don’t have a background in farming, but these are great for those who want to know more about where their food comes from or learn more about the differences in animal terms! Are you somewhat new to agriculture or just want to learn more about ag terminology? Below is a little bit of an “Ag 101” lesson in basic farm animal terms that you would hear when talking with any farmer or rancher!Īnd that’s the first word to understand in the very basics - the average person might not know what the word “ag” means, which is short for agriculture.

Ag meaning