Heifers, Cows, and Steers, Oh My!
When discussing any profession there is a certain amount of terminology that goes along with the job, it is no different for farmers! Being primarily cattle feeders we have to have a set of vocabulary specific enough so we can express exact ideas when referencing the cattle. We thought a reference list of some of these terms would be the perfect first blog post!
The Cattle
Here is a list of cattle related definitions that will be used freely throughout our blog:
- Cattle: When referencing a group, no matter the sex, this is the correct word. Note, there is no good singular version of this plural word.
- Cow: A female who has had a calf.
- First-Calf Heifer: A cow who has had 1 calf on her second birthday and has yet to reach her mature weight.
- Calving: The act of a cow or heifer having a calf.
- Freshening: A dairy industry specific word that means calving.
- Bull: An intact male.
- Steer: A bull who has had his testicles removed.
- Castration: Removing a bull's testicles.
- Heifer: A female who has not had a calf.
- Spaying: Removing a heifer's ovaries, only done in heifers in the feedlot.
- Calf: A baby, either heifer or steer.
- Deacon: A calf that has been weaned at birth and fed either pasteurized milk or milk replacer.
- Dairy Cattle: Breeds classically used to produce milk during their lifetime. Examples include: Holsteins, Jerseys, Brown Swiss.
- Beef Cattle: Breeds classically used to produce meat. Examples include: Angus, Simmental, Shorthorn, Charolais.
- Continental Breeds: These breeds came from the European continent. The most popular ones are Charolais, Simmental, Gelbvieh, and Limousin.
- British Breeds: These breeds came from the British Isles. They include Angus, Hereford, and Shorthorn.
Nearly all of our feedlot cattle are steers.
While some of these terms are used infrequently, it is important to us as producers to be familiar with all of them.
Just for fun, we thought we would include some basic vocabulary from a couple different species as well!
Horses
Oliver (on the left) and Girl (on the right).
- Horse: Can refer to any horse of any sex.
- Foal: A baby of either sex.
- Foaling: The act of a mare having a foal.
- Filly: A female foal.
- Colt: A male foal.
- Mare: An adult female horse.
- Stallion: An adult male horse who is intact.
- Gelding: An adult male horse who has been castrated. Most male horses are geldings.
On the farm, we have two horses named Girl and Oliver! They will be making appearances from time to time so be on the lookout for their adorable faces.
Pigs
- Pig: Can refer to a pig of any sex.
- Piglet: A baby pig of either sex.
- Gilt: A female pig who has not had a litter.
- Sow: A female pig who has had a litter.
- Boar: An intact male pig.
- Barrow: A castrated male pig.
- Farrow: The act of a sow giving birth.
We have 20-30 pigs per year that we feed for freezer pork. Make sure you come back and check for their cute little noses during the summer and fall times!
We really enjoy the pigs while we have them!
Chickens
Our lovely laying hens!
- Chicken: Can refer to a chicken of any sex.
- Chick: A baby chicken of either sex.
- Pullet: A young female chicken who has not started laying eggs.
- Cockrel: A young male chicken who is not mature.
- Hen: A mature female.
- Rooster or Cock: A mature male.
- Capon: A castrated rooster. This is rarely done currently.
We have recently decided to sell our laying hens and switch to meat chickens. This decision is based on how much time we have available at the moment, meat birds take less time that layers! We will be turning several groups a year so come back and check for our availability!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our very first blog post! We hope you have enjoyed it and continue to come back to learn more about agriculture and to follow our adventures as modern farmers!
John and Emily Crain, Owners