Terminology | Actual Meaning |
Breed | This indicates a group of animals that have some common characteristics and can be distinguished from another animal group. |
Species | This indicates young cattle are usually below six months of age. |
Calf | This term indicates the younger female of cattle above the age of six months to first calving. |
Sire | The male parent (Father) of the Calf. |
Dam | The female parent (Mother) of the Calf. |
Heifer | The adult female of cattle from the date of first calving is called a cow. |
Cow | This is matured male cattle used for breeding purposes or covering the cow’s flock. |
Bull | Conception rate is a measure of a cow’s fertility at service or the successful union of males and females in the reproduction process. |
Bullock | It is the castrated male of cattle used for farming /cultivation work. |
Conception | This term indicates the process in which a mature male covers the female. |
Service | It is the process or period of development inside the womb between conception and birth. This is applicable to any group of animals. |
Gestation | This is the timeframe between the conception date and the birthdate. This varies from animal to animal. |
Gestation Period | This term indicates the act of giving birth to a young one. |
Parturition | This indicates the duration or time the female animal produces the milk after giving birth. This period also varies from animal to animal. Example: Cows’ lactation period is different from goat/sheep’s lactation period. |
Lactation period | This is the period after lactation, during which animals do not produce any milk. |
Dry period | This term indicates the period between two successive calves. |
Calving interval | The combination of genes it possesses influences its character. |
Average | It is the Total milk yield. Of a lactation (kg or Lt) divided by lactation period (in days). |
West average (W.A) | The phenomenon whereby, in an individual containing two allelic forms of a gene, one is expressed to the exclusion of the other or genes that have observable effects when present in any one member of a chromosome pair. |
Herd Average (H.A) | It is the total milk yield of lactation divided by calving interval (days). |
Overall average (O.A) | These are mature male cattle used for breeding purposes or covering the cows’ flock. |
Genotype | It is a total milk yield of a day divided by the number of milking animals. |
Phenotype | It indicates the external look. |
Half sib | It indicates half-brothers or half-sisters. |
Full sib | It Indicates full brothers or full sisters. |
Heredity | The passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another. |
Gene | It is the unit of inheritance, which is transmitted in reproductive cells. |
Allel | One or two or more alternative forms of a gene. |
Dominance | This Indicates the inability to produce any offspring. |
Recessive | Relating to or denoting heritable characteristics controlled by genes that are expressed in offspring only when inherited from both parents or Genes that have no. Observable effect unless present in both members of a chromosome pair. |
Epistasis | |
Fertility | It is a measure of ability that an animal gives birth. |
Sterility | Bull is used to detect the heat or estrus of female cows. |
Prepotency | Unusual ability of an individual or strain to transmit its characters to offspring because of homozygosity for numerous dominant genes. |
Fecundity | It indicates the ability to produce abundant healthy growth or offspring. |
Teaser | It indicates the cow is always in estrus condition. |
Buller | This indicates a sterile heifer-born twin with the male. |
Free martin | It indicates a group of cattle/ buffalo |
Herd | This indicates the group of goat, sheep, or poultry birds. |
Flock | This term indicates a castrated sheep is called a wedder. |
Steer | This term indicates the male cattle that are castrated when he is still a calf. |
Beef | The meat of cattle/buffalo. |
Pork | The meat of pig/swine. |
Mutton | The meat of sheep or goat. |
Chevon | The meat of goat. |
Lamb | The meat of sheep. |
Wedder | This is an ability to produce a large number of offspring. |
Prolificacy | Well, this term is universal and indicates the sum of production divided by the number of animals. |
Ram | A male sheep. |
Buck | A male goat. |