Cattle Terminology Flashcards
Bull
male of breeding age
Bullock
young male, typically less than 20 months of age
Calf
newborn (generally any male or female less than 1 year of age)
Cow
mature female; a female that has produced a calf
Dry cow
a cow that has finished one lactation and has not yet given birth and started a subsequent lactation
Heifer
young female; a female that has not produced a calf
One-calf heifer
young female that has produced only one calf and is in her first lactation
Heiferette
a heifer that has calved once; is not lactating, and is fed for slaughter
Springer
breeding age heifer that has not yet given birth to her first calf
Steer
castrated male
Stocker
weaned cattle that are run on grass or are fed high roughage diets
Yearling
male or female that is 1-2 years of age
Backgrounding
growing program for feeder cattle from time calves are weaned until they are on a finishing ration in the feedlot
Biological type
refers to size of cattle (small, medium, or large), growth rate, milk production (high, medium, or low) and age at puberty
Calf crop
number or percentage of calves produced within a herd in a given year relative to the number of cows and heifers in the breeding herd
Calving
act of giving birth
Conditioning
treatment of cattle by vaccination and other procedures before introducing them into the feedlot
Cow-calf operation
a management unit that maintains a breeding herd of cows and produces weaned calves for sale
Crossbred
an animal that is the product of the crossing of two or more breeds
Culling
removing cattle from the herd for sale or slaughter
Dry period
rest period at the end of a lactation before a cow gives birth again
Feeder cattle
those requiring more growth and/or fattening before slaughter
Feedlot
beef cattle enterprise where cattle are placed in confinement, fed harvested feeds, and fattened for slaughter
Finished cattle
cattle whose time in the feedlot is completed and are now ready for slaughter
Freestall
loose housing system for cows indoors, in which cows can move freely in groups within a large space
Fresh cow
cow that has given birth within the last 3 weeks
Freshening
calving
Lactation
period between two calvings during which the cow gives milk, usually lasting about one year. A cow that has just given birth to her second calf is in her second lactation
Preconditioning
preparation of feeder calves for marketing and shipment, may include vaccinations, castration, training calves to ear and drink in pens
Seedstock producer
enterprise that produces breeding animals for the commercial segment of the industry
Serving
act of breeding
