Cattle

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Cattle
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Cattle, common term for the domesticated herbivorous mammals that constitute the genus Bos, of the family Bovidae, and that are of great importance to humans because of the meat, milk, leather, glue, gelatin, and other items of commerce they yield. Modern cattle are divided into two species: B. taurus, which originated in Europe and includes most modern breeds of dairy and beef cattle, and B. indicus, which originated in India and is characterized by a hump at the withers. The latter are now widespread in Africa and Asia, with lesser numbers imported to North America (primarily in the southern United States), Central America, and northern and central South America.

The general characteristics of cattle can be provided through their classification. They belong to the order Artiodactyla (even-toed, hoofed mammals) and the suborder Ruminantia (four-compartmented stomachs and a decreased number of teeth, with the upper incisors missing). Like others of the family Bovidae, they have paired, hollow, unbranched horns that do not shed. Other Bovidae that are so closely related to true cattle that they can still interbreed include the anoa, bison, gaur, Indian and African buffalo, and yak.

Dairy Cattle

Dairy cattle are those breeds that have been developed primarily to produce milk. The achievements of careful breeding have been remarkable. For example, in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century, the average dairy cow produced about 6,640 kg (about 14,640 lb) of milk and approximately 242 kg (approximately 534 lb) of butterfat. Individual high-performance cows could produce more than four times this average amount.

In North America the major breeds of dairy cattle are the Holstein-Friesian, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, and Jersey. The ancestors of these animals were imported from Europe, where similar cattle exist today. The Holstein-Friesian came from Holland and adjacent areas, the Ayrshire from Scotland, the Jersey and the Guernsey from the Channel Islands off the coast of England, and the Brown Swiss from Switzerland. Among the major dairy breeds of B. indicus found primarily in India are the Gir, Hariana, Red Sindhi, Sahiwal, and Tharparker.

The major breeds show distinctive characteristics that may be used for identification. The Holstein-Friesian is the largest; a mature cow weighs at least 675 kg (1,500 lb). It is followed in size by the Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, and Guernsey. The Jersey is the smallest, with mature cows weighing 450 kg (1,000 lb). Breeds also differ in color. The Holstein is black and white, although some animals may be red and white; the Brown Swiss varies from a very light grayish-brown to dark brown; and the Ayrshire can be red, brown, or mahogany with white.

The Guernsey is fawn, with white markings and a yellow skin, and the Jersey may vary from a light gray to a very dark fawn, usually solid in color but sometimes with white spots. Breeds also differ with respect to volume of milk produced and milk composition. Holstein-Friesians produce the largest volume, averaging 7,890 kg (17,400 lb), followed by the Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Guernsey, and Jersey. Milk from the Jersey contains the highest concentration of fat (5 percent), however, followed by that of the Guernsey, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, and the Holstein (3.61 percent).

Beef Cattle

Beef cattle have been bred and selected primarily for the production of meat, and many breeds have been developed or adapted for special conditions. The major breeds of registered beef cattle in North America, listed in order of numbers, are Angus, Hereford, Polled Hereford, Charolais, Shorthorn, Santa Gertrudis, Brahman, Brangus, and Red Angus. In recent years, several “exotic” breeds also have been imported, including the Simmental, Gelbvieh, Fleckvieh, Limousin, Maine-Anjou, and Chianina. These later arrivals have been used primarily for crossing with the major American breeds to increase the size and milking ability of the crossbred offspring for commercial production.

Herefords are characterized by a red coat color and a white face. Polled Herefords have the same characteristics, but they are hornless (polled). Angus are solid black in color and are polled; the Charolais are white or cream-colored; and the Shorthorn may be red, white, or roan (a mixture of red and white). The Brahman is usually white in color, with large droopy ears, and a large dewlap. The Santa Gertrudis was developed in Texas from crossbreeding the Brahman and Shorthorn breeds, followed by selection and inbreeding to fix characteristics. These cattle were selected and adapted to the arid region where they originated and have been used successfully in other areas with similar climatic conditions.

The recent importation and crossbreeding with the “exotic” breeds may result in the establishment of new breeds in North America in the near future. The various breeds of beef cattle also differ in mature size, growth rate, gestation length, and birth weight. Limited data indicate, however, that strains within the breeds may differ as much as the different breeds in many of these characteristics

Life Expectancy:
22-25 years
Weight:
450-695 kg
Height:
28-39 inches
Color:
Usually white with black spots and brown.

Chicken

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Chicken
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Fowl, term originally meaning any kind of bird, and later applied chiefly to edible species. Except in combinations such as waterfowl and wildfowl, in modern usage the word usually is restricted to the common domestic fowl, or chicken. In poultry markets, fowl commonly means a full-grown female bird. Young birds of both sexes, such as broilers and fryers, are called chickens. On poultry farms, male chickens are called roosters or cocks; females, especially those more than a year old, are called hens; females less than a year old are called pullets; very young chickens of either sex are called chicks; and castrated males are called capons.

Physical Characteristics

Like the turkey, pheasant, quail, and other related birds, the domestic fowl is adapted for living on the ground, where it finds its natural foods, consisting chiefly of worms, insects, seeds, and greenstuff. The feet, usually four-toed except in the English breed, Dorking, are designed for scratching the earth. The large, heavy body and short wings make most breeds incapable of flying except for short distances. The crop is large and the gizzard strongly muscular. In adults of both sexes the head is decorated with wattles and a naked, fleshy crest, called the comb, which is more prominent in the male and is variously shaped in the different breeds and varieties. The typical comb is single, serrated and relatively large, either erect or drooping.

A variation is the rose comb, with three rows of tubercles merging in a rearward-pointing spike. The pea comb of the Brahma has three low serrated ridges, and the leaf comb of the French Houdan has two ridges, set transversely on the head. The strawberry comb of the Malay fowl is a small, rounded, nodular protuberance set near the eyes, and the V-shaped comb of the La Flèche fowl suggests a pair of tiny horns. Plumage of various fowl ranges in color through white, gray, yellow, blue, red, brown, and black.

In size and shape the various breeds show great diversity. The 5-kg (12-lb) Brahma cock, for example, has a miniature counterpart, the Bantam, weighing about 567 g (about 20 oz). The proportions of the long-legged game fowl contrast sharply with those of the squat Cochin. The stubby tail of the latter is one extreme; another extreme is presented by the Japanese or Yokohama breed, in which the tail feathers of the cock may be as much as 2 m (6 ft) long. In general the members of one breed are alike in shape, the varieties of the breed differing in minor characteristics such as the shape of the comb and in color and markings. A group of breeds developed in a single country or geographical area is often called a class.

In habit, chickens are strictly diurnal, highly gregarious, and polygamous; cocks of the game breeds are especially noted for their courage and pugnacity with rivals. The high fecundity of the species is an important characteristic, especially because the eggs as well as the meat are prized as food (see Egg). Unless otherwise trained, female chickens lay their eggs on the ground, in tall grass or weeds. Periodically, domestic hens become broody; that is, they stop laying and show a strong desire to sit on their nests and hatch chicks. The incubation period is approximately three weeks.

The chicks are precocial; that is, when hatched, they are not naked but covered with down and are immediately able to run around. Although they are able to feed themselves, newly hatched chicks can survive about a week without eating, subsisting on egg yolk that is included in the abdomen. Chickens may live as long as 15 years in captivity, depending on their breed and the quality of care they receive.

Life Expectancy:
8-15 years
Weight:
1.3 kg up to 2.0 kg
Height:
14-30 cm
Color:
Commonly brown.

Duck

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Duck
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Duck, a water bird with webbed feet, short legs, and a broad, flat beak. Ducks belong to the same family—waterfowl—as geese and swans. But most ducks have smaller bodies and shorter necks and legs than geese or swans. In general male ducks are brighter in color and more boldly patterned than female ducks, whereas in geese and swans both sexes look alike. Male ducks are called drakes, female ducks are called hens or ducks, and baby ducks are called ducklings.

Range and Habitat

Ducks live on all continents except Antarctica, and they inhabit most of the world’s islands. Most ducks live near ponds, rivers, wetlands, or other places with freshwater. Some ducks inhabit saltwater bays, river mouths, or seas. Ducks that nest in cold or temperate (mild) climate zones usually migrate to warmer waters for the winter. Some fly from Alaska or northern Canada all the way to Central or South America. Eider ducks inhabit cold, northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans year round.

Kinds of Ducks

Experts disagree on the classification of ducks, but there are some obvious groupings based on physical characteristics or behavior. There are about 150 species of ducks. Ducks that live free in nature are known as wild ducks; ducks kept as farm animals or pets are domestic ducks.

Dabbling, Diving, and Perching Ducks

Two of the largest groups of ducks are the dabbling ducks and the diving ducks. Dabbling ducks feed largely near the surface of the water. They prefer shallow waters where they can upend their bodies to reach food on the bottom. They are often found in ponds, creeks, and shallow lakes. Diving ducks plunge underwater to feed and may dive deep. They prefer deeper, more open waters, such as large lakes, bays, and seas or oceans.

Mallards are the most familiar dabbling ducks in North America, and the most common ducks in the world. Other common dabblers are gadwalls, pintails, teals, and wigeons. Shelducks are common surface-feeders of Africa, Asia, and Europe, although they are not usually classified as dabblers. Diving ducks include canvasbacks, goldeneyes, redheads, ring-necked ducks, and scaup. Other ducks that dive but are not classified as divers include mergansers and ruddy ducks. The stiff tail feathers of the ruddy duck act like a rudder when the duck swims underwater.

Perching ducks have long tails and short legs and can sit in trees, although they rarely do. The wood duck is an example of a perching duck. It builds its nest in trees or logs. Diving, dabbling, and perching ducks are sometimes classified as a subfamily. Other subfamilies include whistling ducks; stiff-tail and freckled ducks; shelducks; and eiders, scoters, mergansers, and other sea ducks.

Domestic Ducks

People raise domestic ducks for meat and eggs or keep them in backyards as pets. Ducks and geese were domesticated at least two thousand years ago. Except for the Muscovy duck, all breeds of domesticated ducks derive from the wild mallard, the first duck to be domesticated, probably in Europe. The white Pekin and the brown-and-white Saxony are domestic ducks bred from the mallard. The Muscovy, which was domesticated in Central or South America, is a large duck with greenish black feathers and red wattles.

Physical Characteristics

Ducks swim, feed, rest, and sometimes build nests in water. They are excellent swimmers and move about better in water than on land. They have webbed feet that act like paddles in water but cause them to waddle awkwardly on land. Diving ducks have large feet, which help them swim fast underwater. The feet of ducks have many blood vessels that keep their feet warm and enable them to walk on ice comfortably.

The legs of diving ducks are placed far back on their bodies. This placement helps the ducks dive but makes it difficult for them to keep their balance on land. To take off for flight, diving ducks flap their wings and run across the top of the water until they become airborne. Dabblers have larger wings than divers and are able to spring into flight directly.

Ducks have lots of soft inner feathers, or down. The down is water resistant, and it traps air to keep the duck warm and afloat. Ducks keep their down waterproof by frequent preening. Using its bill the duck takes oil from a preen gland at the base of its tail feathers and rubs the oil over its feathers. The down of the eider duck is used for filling pillows and quilts because of its softness and elasticity.

Ducks vary in color, but most are brownish overall with areas of grey, black, or white. The males are generally more brightly colored than the drab females, especially in spring when their bright colors help males attract a mate. In some species the males lose their bright feathers in late summer or autumn, after the mating season. The heads of some male ducks have a greenish or purplish sheen in sunlight. The male mallard’s head, for example, appears green, while the male ring-necked duck’s head appears purple. Some ducks have a colored patch on their wings called a speculum. In mallards the speculum is blue. In green-winged teals it is green.

The most colorful duck in North America is the wood duck. The male wood duck has highly iridescent feathers of green, purple, black, white, and blue. The female is similar to the male, but her colors are duller and she has a white ring around her eye. Both sexes have a crest of feathers on top of their head.

Ducks also vary in size. The pintail is the largest North American duck in length. Pintails grow as long as 64 to 76 cm (25 to 30 in), including their tail feathers. But the mallard is the largest in weight, reaching about 1 kg (2 lbs). The green-winged teal is the smallest North American duck, with a length of 35 cm (14 in).

Feeding and Diet

Dabbling ducks feed largely on water grasses, pond weeds, seeds, and insects and other small invertebrates near the water’s surface. Some dabblers tip their upper bodies into the water while they eat, leaving their tails sticking into the air. Others use their beaks to skim the surface of the water. Some dabblers also eat seeds, grass, or insects on shore. Divers eat less plant matter and more animals than dabblers do. The animals in their diet include clams, mussels, and other shellfish; small crustaceans; fish eggs; and fish. Sea ducks and mergansers also feed primarily on fish and other marine animals.

Ducks, except for mergansers, have a broad bill with a rounded tip. The edges of the bill are lined with bony notches, or lamellae, that strain plant and animal matter from water. When ducks feed they push their tongue against the top of their mouth to squeeze water through the lamellae, leaving the food behind. Mergansers are fish-eating ducks with slender bills that are notched on the edges like the blade of a saw. These saw-toothed beaks help the ducks catch and hold their slippery prey.

Courtship and Reproduction

Ducks form pairs long enough to mate, but most species find new mates each year. In a few species, including buffleheads and whistling ducks, the pairs form long-lasting bonds. The male ducks perform courtship displays in fall and winter to attract females. These displays involve head and tail shaking; wing flapping; quacks, whistles, and other sounds; and raising or lowering the body in the water. The male mallard, as part of his display, dips his head underwater and brings it up suddenly while spurting an arc of water toward the female.

The female duck generally selects the nesting site, and she often returns to the same site year after year. Most ducks build nests on the ground, often in dense grasses, rushes, or other plants that grow near the water’s edge. The plants hide the nest from predators. Wood ducks nest in holes in tree trunks or logs, or in nest boxes provided by humans. Whistling ducks, goldeneyes, and buffleheads also nest in tree holes.

Female ducks often pluck feathers from their breast to line the nest. The female generally lays 6 to 12 eggs and incubates them until they hatch, about four weeks later. The ducklings are able to swim and feed themselves within a day after they hatch. The female watches over her ducklings until they are able to fly. In some species the males also help care for the young.

Life Expectancy:
19-20 years
Weight:
Up to 1 kg
Height:
30 cm
Color:
Usually white.

Elk

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Elk
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
The elk, or wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is the second largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the moose, Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger. Wapiti are almost identical to red deer found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies; they have recently been determined to be a distinct species based on DNA evidence.

Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, they have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina. Their high level of adaptability poses a threat to endemic species and ecosystems where they have been introduced.

Male elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Males engage in ritualized mating behaviors during the rut, including posturing, antler wrestling and bugling, a loud series of screams which establishes dominance over other males and attracts females. The bugle call is one of the most distinctive calls in nature.

Elk are susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be transmitted to livestock. Efforts to eliminate infectious diseases from elk populations, largely through vaccination, have had mixed success.

Some cultures revere the elk as a spiritual force. In parts of Asia, antlers and their velvet are used in traditional medicines. Elk are hunted as a game species; the meat is leaner and higher in protein than beef or chicken.

Life Expectancy:
14-26 years
Weight:
340 kg
Height:
1.5 m
Color:
Usually brown.

Fighting cock

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Fighting cock
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
A good fighting cock must have the small head of a peacock, the body of a cormorant, deep eyes, long black upper legs, short lower legs, wings neatly wrapped like a shell, a long and a strong neck;
A good fighting cock is carefully selected through the mother hen's bloodlines and appearance. 

It is very difficult to select from a flock of chickens a chick that can fight well. To choose a fighting cock, one must first look at the colour of its feathers. Purple-feathered cocks are usually strong and brave with good fighting abilities. But one must be careful since some of them may have been crossbred between a pure-breed hen, raised for producing cocks and a normal rooster raised for meat.

Black coloured cocks possess moderate skills. Grey fighting cocks with black legs or white-feathered and white-legged cocks are quick, but poor at withstanding their opponents strikes. The species Mau Mo (apricot coloured) produce beautiful chickens. But they tend to run away when subjected to fierce attack. Owl-feathered fighting cocks are strong and persistent and possess good fighting skills.

Cock owners carefully train their cocks before the fight. The cock should be able to stand in the right posture and deliver the right kicks and pecks. It is said that a fighting cock, even if large, will fail if it lacks certain necessary strokes. Moreover, a good fighting cock must have the small head of a peacock, the body of a cormorant, deep eyes, long black upper legs, short lower legs, wings neatly wrapped like a shell, a long and a strong neck.

In short, a fighting cock must look brawny and powerful. Fighting cocks are usually divided into two types: feathery and sinewy. The former is small but tireless and nimble, while the latter is strong and sturdy. However, it is not possible to judge a fighting cock just by looking at its appearance. Some cocks may look frail but can prove unbeatable.

Life Expectancy:
8-15 years
Weight:
1.3 kg up to 2.0 kg
Height:
14-30 cm
Color:
Usually red with various color markings.

Goat

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Goat
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Goat, common name for any of eight species of cloven-hoofed, horned mammals closely related to the sheep. The two differ in that the goat's tail is shorter and the hollow horns are long and directed upward, backward, and outward, while those of the sheep are spirally twisted. The male goats have beards, unlike sheep, and differ further by the characteristic strong odor they give off in the rutting season.

The female goat, or doe, which has smaller horns than the male, in ordinary usage is often termed goat or nanny goat. The young are called kids. The male goat is called buck, or, colloquially, billy goat.

In the wild state, goats are nomadic and are generally found in mountainous habitats. They are agile animals adept at making long, flying leaps from rock to rock, landing with both front feet close together. Their surefootedness is due partly to the construction of their hooves. The subunguis (inner layer of material of the hoof) is softer than the unguis (outer layer) and wears away more quickly. Acting as a shock absorber, the subunguis takes the punishment from the pounding that rocky terrain gives the hooves, wears away, and keeps the hooves continuously supplied with a hard edge. Goats are gregarious, except for old bucks, which tend to live by themselves and which serve sometimes as sentinels or scouts on the outer edges of herds.

The wild goat feeds on greens in pastures and, in the mountains, on the branches and leaves of shrubbery. It breeds in the fall, generally between October and December. The gestation period is five months or, in some species, a few weeks longer. Two kids are usually produced at birth. They are soon able to move with the herd and mature sexually at two to five years, depending on the species. Among the most important of the wild goats is the bezoar goat, or pasang, a brownish-gray to reddish goat 0.7 to 1 m (2.3 to 3.3 ft) high at the shoulder, found from Asia Minor to northeastern India. See Ibex.

A number of breeds of goat are raised domestically throughout the world. These animals probably descended from the bezoar goat. Several million are raised in the United States. The goat is used for meat, as a milk producer, as a pet, and as a beast of burden. Many parts of the animal are economically valuable for a variety of purposes, such as the skins for leather and the pelts for rugs and robes.

One variety of domestic goat, important for its commercial value, is the Angora. The most valuable Angora is covered, except for the face and the legs below the knees, with long, fine, silky hair called mohair. The brilliant, transparent texture of mohair has made it a valued material. The Kashmīr goat, a small animal native to the Jammu and Kashmīr region of India and Pakistan, is the source of fine wool cashmere.

Goat's milk compares favorably in nutritive value with cow's milk and is more easily digested by many people. It is used extensively in making cheeses.

The Rocky Mountain goat of the United States is properly a goat antelope. It is closely related to the European chamois.

Life Expectancy:
6-12 years
Weight:
21-27 kg
Height:
50-80 cm
Color:
Usually brown and white.

Goose

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Goose
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Goose, a swimming bird with webbed feet and a long neck. Geese belong to the same family of waterfowl as ducks and swans. Geese are larger and have longer feet and necks than ducks. Geese are smaller and have shorter necks and legs than swans. Ducks are generally more colorful than geese, which tend to be brownish in color. Male and female geese look alike, although in some species the male is larger than the female. A male goose is called a gander, a female is called a goose, and a baby goose is called a gosling.

Habitat and Migration of Geese

Geese are found on bodies of fresh water and salt water in the northern hemisphere. Geese live in seas, lakes, bays, marshes, and ponds. The Canada goose, a familiar North American bird, can even be seen in yards, fields, parks, and golf courses. Geese spend more time on land than either ducks or swans because they feed largely by grazing on plants.

Most geese are migratory, and they migrate in spring to nesting grounds in the far north. In fall they fly south to warmer wintering grounds. The Canada goose is a noted long-distance migrant, flying as much as 1,600 km (1,000 mi) from wintering grounds to breeding grounds near the Arctic Circle. Some Canada geese winter as far south as Mexico. Canada geese have been brought to Europe, where they breed in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

Before migration geese fatten up for the long journey ahead. They also shed their feathers and grow a new set. A migrating flock may contain thousands of birds. Geese usually follow the same route, or flyway, year after year. They make several stops along the way to rest and eat, sometimes staying as long as several weeks at a favorite stopover. Family groups stick together within the migrating flock. The young travel with their parents to learn the way. During migration geese travel at speeds of 60 to 100 kilometers per hour (40 to 60 mph).

During the 20th century the Canada goose expanded its breeding territory and lost much of its urge to migrate. Canada geese now nest in every state of the United States and every province of Canada. Wildlife refuges in the Midwestern United States have become popular wintering spots for Canada geese and other species. Some Canada geese have become permanent residents in urban areas where food is plentiful year-round. In some communities these geese are considered a nuisance because they are loud and messy. Because geese eat a lot, they also leave many droppings.

Behavior of Geese

Geese are sociable animals and tend to gather in large groups in open areas during winter. During the day they fly in small groups to feeding grounds nearby. Geese feed on plants, especially grasses, grains, and seeds. They also eat the stems and roots of water plants. Geese are also wary. When they feed, one goose always keeps watch. The watcher honks to warn the others of any intruders. Geese also gather in flocks before migration, and the flock then travels together.

Geese are excellent swimmers. They use their large webbed feet, in which the toes are connected by flaps of skin, and strong legs to propel themselves in water. Water-resistant outer feathers keep geese dry, and soft inner feathers, called down, trap air and keep geese warm and afloat in water. Geese preen often to keep their feathers clean and watertight. During preening they take oil on their bills from a preen gland near the base of their tail feathers. Then they rub the oil on their feathers.

Geese are powerful flyers. Migrating geese fly in a V-formation. By flapping its wings, each goose in the V creates an updraft for the goose behind, thereby reducing the effort of flight. The lead goose in the V lacks this advantage. When the lead goose grows tired, it drops back and another goose takes its place at the front of the V. Some geese travel thousands of kilometers during migration. Flocks may contain thousands of geese. Geese are noisy birds. When flying they call to each other, and people far below on the ground can hear their honking.

Male and female geese usually pair for life. Pairs generally form in winter, before migration. When the geese reach their breeding grounds, the female builds the nest from twigs on which she puts weeds, grass, or moss. She may pluck feathers from her breast to line the nest. The female lays from four to seven eggs, and she incubates the eggs until they hatch about four weeks later. The male defends the nest from predators. The female leaves the nest only briefly during incubation, and when she does, she pulls feathers over the eggs to keep them warm. Both parents look after the young. While the young feed, one parent remains on watch for danger or predators.

Both parents care for the goslings. The young can swim within days after hatching, and they are able to fly in about 40 to 75 days. Goslings spend most of their time eating and gain weight rapidly. They must grow large enough to migrate south with their parents in the fall. While the young feed one parent remains on watch for danger or predators. Animals that prey on geese include small mammals, gulls, and other sea birds. Geese defend themselves against predators by hissing, biting, and striking the predators with their wings.

The young geese migrate south with their parents to learn the route. Family groups usually stay together within the flock. The young remain with their parents for a year, until the next breeding season. Geese do not mate until they are two or three years old.

Kinds of Geese

Geese that live freely in nature are known as wild geese. Scientists classify wild geese into three genera (plural of genus) of “true geese” based on their physical characteristics. These genera are Branta, Anser, and Chen. Although some birds of the southern hemisphere are called geese, experts do not consider them true geese. They include the magpie goose and the Cape Barren goose of Australia and New Zealand, and the Magellan goose of southern South America and the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). These geese belong to different genera, and unlike the true geese, the male and female of these species may differ in coloration. eggs are called domestic geese. Nearly all domestic geese descend from the greylag goose, a member of the genus Anser.

Life Expectancy:
10-25 years
Weight:
2-6 kg
Height:
2-4 feet
Color:
Usually white.

Horse

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Horse
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Horse, large land mammal notable for its speed, strength, and endurance. Horses are members of the Equidae family, which also includes zebras and asses. Like all equids, the horse is extremely well adapted to traveling long distances with great efficiency and to surviving on a diet of nutrient-poor, high-fiber grasses. The horse is an intensely social animal, forming strong associations with members of its herd and possessing a keen ability to recognize subtle social cues. These instinctive behaviors form the basis of the horse’s ability to bond with and obey a human trainer.

The horse’s influence on human history and civilization make it one of the most important domestic animals. Horses were domesticated in Eurasia around 6,000 years ago. Throughout much of human history, they have provided humans with mobility and have served in agriculture, warfare, and sport. Today domestic horses are found throughout the world, with a total population estimated at 60 million. So-called wild horses, such as those found in the American West, are actually feral animals, free-living descendants of domestic horses that escaped or were turned loose.

The wild ancestors of the modern horse evolved for millions of years in North America. They spread to other parts of the world by traveling southward to South America and by crossing land bridges that connected North America to Europe and Asia during the ice age. Horses vanished from both North and South America in a wave of extinctions that occurred near the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, about 15,000 years ago. They were not seen in the Americas again until 1494, when Italian explorer Christopher Columbus transported them on ships from Spain on his second voyage to the New World.

Przewalski's horse, named after the Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky, is believed to be the only truly wild horse to survive to modern times. Przewalski’s horse probably became extinct in the wild in Mongolia in the 1960s, but a captive breeding program in Europe helped restore the population. About 1,100 horses survive today in captivity in zoos and wildlife parks. Przewalski’s horse was reintroduced to national parks in Mongolia beginning in 1992, and several hundred now live there.

Physical Characteristics

As a result of deliberate breeding by humans, horses display a remarkable variation in size, body shape, and coat color. Traditionally, a horse’s size is measured at the withers—an elevated part of the spine between the neck and the back. The measurement is made in hands; one hand equals about 10 cm (4 in). Typical riding horses stand 14 to 16 hands high and weigh 400 to 500 kg (900 to 1,100 lb). The smallest horse on record, a Falabella miniature horse, stood 48 cm (19 in), or just under 5 hands, and weighed 14 kg (30 lb). The largest horse on record was a Belgian that stood 1.8 m (6 ft) tall, or 18 hands, and weighed 1,450 kg (3,200 lb).

The horse has a hairy coat and a long mane and tail. A heavy winter coat grows in the fall and sheds in the spring. Typical coat colors include black, brown, gray, cream, gold, and white. The mane and tail can be the same or different from the body color, and many variations in color can result from inherited traits that cause spotting, dilution of the basic coat colors, or a sprinkling of white hairs in the coat. Many color patterns have specific names, such as bay (brown with black mane and tail), chestnut (reddish brown with mane and tail of the same or lighter color), and palomino (gold with a creamy white mane and tail).

A horse’s head is composed of the cranium, which encloses the animal’s large, complex brain, and the face, distinguished by a long muzzle consisting of the nose and lips. The muzzle provides enough distance between the horse’s mouth and its eyes so that it can graze and watch for danger at the same time.

Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal. The large eyes protrude from the sides of the head, enabling horses to see almost directly behind themselves, even while facing forward. Their night vision is excellent. Horses have limited color vision, which appears to be similar to one of the less common forms of color blindness in humans—they perceive red and blue, but they cannot distinguish between green and shades of gray.

Horses have powerful teeth and jaws to grind and break down plant fibers. Their teeth grow continuously as their surfaces wear down. Male horses usually have 40 teeth and females have 36. Between the front incisors and the rear molars is a gap called the diastema, where the bit is placed. Horses can close their wide nostrils against dusty winds, and they can move their large ears to detect sounds from various directions.

A horse’s head is held up by its long, flexible neck, which lets the horse reach down to the ground to feed, rise to a high vantage point to sight danger, and bite itches on the front part of its body. The horse’s body has a wide chest, which holds its enormous lungs and heart; and a muscular back, beneath which lie the horse’s internal organs for digesting food and reproducing. A horse’s long, flowing tail helps keep its hindquarters warm and is used to swish away insects.

The specialized structures of the horse’s legs make the animal a very efficient runner. What we think of as the horse’s knee is actually the equivalent of a human’s ankle, so from the knee down the leg is really a highly elongated foot. The lowest part of the foot is the tip of a single toe, which corresponds to the tip of a person’s middle toe. This large, strong toe tip is well protected by a tough, curved hoof.

By “standing on its toes,” the horse has a very long leg for an animal of its size, but also a very light leg, since toes are lightweight structures, carrying a minimum of bone and tendon and no muscle at all. Like a person’s foot, a horse’s foot has a sole. In the horse, the sole includes a rubbery, V-shaped structure called the frog, which helps absorb the impact of the foot against the ground.

Many of the joints in horses’ legs are comparable to hinges that permit forward and backward motion only. This type of joint requires fewer muscles than are needed for the kind of ball-and-socket joint that occurs in the human hip, which can rotate in any direction. This yields a further savings in weight. Long, light legs allow a horse to move very efficiently. A long leg produces a long stride, and a light leg allows the horse to swing its limbs back and forth quickly with a minimal expenditure of energy. The top speed of the horse is about 70 km/h (45 mph).

Life Expectancy:
15-20 years
Weight:
1,450 kg
Height:
1.8 m
Color:
Typical coat colors include black, brown, gray, cream, gold, and white.

Llama

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Llama
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Llama, common name for a long-eared South American ruminant that is domesticated from the guanaco. The llama stands 0.9 to 1.3 m (3 to 4.3 ft) high at the shoulder and is usually white, blotched with black and brown; sometimes it is pure white or pure black. The female llama gives birth to one or rarely two offspring once every two years.

Male llamas have been used as beasts of burden in the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes Mountains for more than 4000 years. The surefooted animals can carry as much as 91 kg (200 lb) for 12 hours a day, but they are not ridden. When weary or overloaded, llamas lie down and refuse to move, often spitting at their driver. The females are raised for their flesh, which tastes somewhat like mutton, and for their milk, which is used extensively in western South America. The meat of the males is tough and rarely eaten. The long, coarse wool of both sexes is used in the weaving of textiles, and the skins are tanned for leather. Llama tallow is used for making candles. The long hair is braided and used for rope, and the dried excrement is used as fuel.

Life Expectancy:
20 -25 years
Weight:
91 kg
Height:
0.9 -1.3 m
Color:
Typically white or brown.

Ostrich

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Ostrich
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Ostrich, common name for the biggest living bird. Ostriches cannot fly but have long, powerful legs and can run up to 65 km/h (about 40 mph). They lay the largest eggs of all birds. Ostriches live in parts of central and southern Africa in mainly grassland or sandy areas with dry climates.

Ostriches grow as tall as 2.4 m (about 8 ft) and weigh up to 136 kg (300 lb). Males are somewhat larger than females. Ostriches have long necks and small heads, with large brown eyes and short, broad beaks. They walk on two broad toes with large claws (most birds walk on three forward-facing toes). Their feathers have a shaggy appearance and are not waterproof—ostriches lack the special preen gland many other birds use to oil their feathers. Mature male ostriches are black, with white wings and tail. Females and immature young are a dull grayish brown. Hairlike feathers cover their necks and form large black lashes around their eyes. Their upper legs are bare, with scales on their lower legs and toes. Their short wings are sometimes spread when running and in mating displays.

Ostriches have the largest eyes of all land animals and have excellent eyesight. A special membrane protects the eye from dust and sand. They can deliver powerful kicks for defense against predators. Ostriches sometimes sit with their necks extended on the ground. This posture may have given rise to the myth that ostriches hide their heads in the sand. They usually sleep with their neck and head tucked under a wing. They can live for 20 to 30 years in the wild, and up to 40 years in captivity.

Ostriches primarily feed on plant material such as fruits, seeds, leaves, and shoots, but sometimes eat insects and lizards. They swallow stones to help grind food in their gizzards. Adapted to dry areas, they can go with drinking water for long periods, getting moisture from vegetation.

Life Expectancy:
20-40 years
Weight:
136 kg
Height:
2.4 m
Color:
black.

Pig

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Pig
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Hog (animal), domesticated mammal, of the swine family, extensively raised in almost every part of the world as a food animal. Hogs belong to the order of even-toed hoofed animals. They are further classified into the suborder of animals with 44 teeth, including two enlarged canines in each jaw that grow upward and outward to form tusks. The terms hog, swine, and pig are often used interchangeably for these animals.

Hogs are probably descended from two wild swine, one species from Europe and the other species from Southeast Asia; they were perhaps first domesticated in China about 9000 years ago, and later in Europe. They were introduced into the Americas by Christopher Columbus and the Spanish explorers, and present-day feral razorbacks are probably descended from those animals.

Characteristics

The adult domestic swine has a heavy, rounded body; a comparatively long, flexible snout; short legs with cloven hooves; and a short tail. The thick but sensitive skin is partly covered with coarse bristles and exhibits a wide range of color patterns. Like all swine, domestic hogs are quick-footed, intelligent animals.

Well adapted for the production of meat because they grow and mature rapidly, hogs have a short gestation period of about 114 days, and they produce large numbers of young each time they give birth. They are omnivorous and can scavenge a wide range of foods—perhaps one of the reasons they were first domesticated. As food sources, they convert cereal grains and legumes such as soybeans into meat. Other than meat, products from swine include leather (pigskin) for luggage and gloves, and bristles for brushes. For centuries they have also been used as a primary source of edible fat. In the United States until the mid-1920s, they were bred for the production of large amounts of lard. Swine in other countries such as England, however, were bred for the production of lean meat and were called bacon-type hogs. Modern swine are intermediate between these two types and are known as meat-type hogs. As the demand for fats has decreased, the meat-type hogs have been developed to resemble the bacon type more closely.

The types of hogs that have been bred reflect their major use. An estimated 90 breeds are recognized today, in addition to more than 200 varieties.

Eight major hog breeds are raised in the United States. The Berkshire (black with white points) and the Yorkshire (also called Large White) originated in England. The Chester White, Duroc (red), Hampshire (black with a white belt), Poland China (black with white points), and Spotted (black with white spots) originated in the United States. The Landrace, a large, long, white pig, was imported from Denmark. The major breeds also differ in growth rate, the number of young produced, mature body size, and ability to graze.

Most commercial hog production in the United States is based on crossbred animals, because crossbreeding results in hybrid vigor. The most used systems are two-breed and three-breed rotational crossing. In two-breed crossing, the sire of one breed is bred to the dam of another breed. The offspring of this cross is bred to a sire of the same breed as the dam in the first cross, and the offspring of this cross is then bred back to a sire of the same breed as the sire in the first cross.

Life Expectancy:
10-15 years
Weight:
40.8-118 kg
Height:
70-75cm
Color:
Typically pink.

Potbellied Pig

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Potbellied Pig
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Since being introduced to this country from Asia 15 years ago, potbellied pigs, with their easy trainability, alert curiosity and affectionate nature, have won the hearts of people, giving rise to legions of porcinophiles. They're smarter than the smartest dogs, and just as appreciative of a good belly-scratch. They're quick to house-train, are quite clean and odor-free animals, they don't bark, don't chew and shed very little. Their eyesight is poor but they have a keenly developed sense of smell.

Yet depending on how you train your pet, all that brainpower can make a pig either a cherished companion, or turn him into a four-footed, house-wrecking menace. They are not a maintenance-free pet and they'll figure out how to open cabinet drawers or the refrigerator.

Housing

Pigs can live indoors or outdoors, but they need shelter if kept outdoors in cold weather, and they should have a small wading pool during hot weather. They also require a patch of soft dirt or soil in which to root. If housed indoors, make sure your cabinets have baby locks and do not allow your pig unsupervised access to the refrigerator. Confining them to one room of the house when you are not home will prevent serious damage to your home. Unfortunately, many potbellied pigs have been banished to the outdoors after rummaging through the kitchen.

Feeding

Commercially-prepared foods for potbellied pigs are available, but they appreciate additional fresh fruits and vegetables.

Special Concerns

• Do not adopt a pig under 6 weeks old or who was weaned before 5 weeks of age. Pigs can develop behavioral problems if weaned too early.

• Make sure your pig is spayed or neutered. Intact females have cycles every 21 days and exhibit symptoms of heat cycle. Intact boars are smelly and can be aggressive.

• Avoid buying pigs at swap meets or pet stores. Adopt from a reputable breeder. Ask your veterinarian to recommend one in your area. Once you locate a breeder, visit the facility. Are the surroundings clean and neat? Are the pigs in large enough pens and free of feces, with shelter, shade and water? Can you meet the parents of the piglet you are considering? Has the piglet been socialized to live in a human house?

While potbellied pigs will never challenge their larger farm-pig cousins for size, they can grow to a substantial size averaging 50 to 150 pounds. Pigs need daily brushing and regular hoof trimming. Males will require occasional tusk-trimming.

Once considered a trendy exotic pet, thousands of the animals were adopted in the past decade, only to be abandoned or turned over to shelters when the trend became passe and the little piglets got big. Potbellieds live 12 to 30 years, but since theyâ've only been in this country since 1985, at this point it's difficult to determine their average life span.

The key to living happily with a pet pig is training and establishing yourself at the top of the pecking order. As top pig, you'll set the rules your pig will willingly live by.

Life Expectancy:
12-30 years
Weight:
27-136 kg
Height:
40-66 cm
Color:
Mostly black.

Sheep

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Sheep
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Sheep, common name for a collection of grazing mammals that may be either wild or domesticated; the domesticated varieties are the most widely distributed kind of domestic animal, found in nearly all countries. Wild species are found in some areas of the world: the bighorn in western North America; Dall sheep in northern Canada and Alaska; the mouflon in Mediterranean countries; the Asian mouflon in western Asia; the urial Afghanistan and Pakistan; and the argali in eastern Asia.

Sheep were probably domesticated about 11,000 years ago in what is now northern Iraq, and they are thought to have descended primarily from the mouflon, although recent evidence suggests that species such as the Asian mouflon contributed to some of the modern breeds.

Characteristics

Sheep are even-toed, hoofed animals. They are cud-chewing animals with the upper incisor teeth missing and with a four-compartmented stomach (see Artiodactyl). They have paired, hollow, unbranched horns that are not shed. The horns of the adult male, or ram, are massive and spirally curved. The horns of the adult female, or ewe, are short and only slightly curved.

Sheep typically have a long, fairly narrow muzzle and pointed ears. The length of the head and body averages about 1.5 m (about 5 ft), with a short tail, and an adult may weigh 75 to 200 kg (165 to 440 lb). In the wild, the animals are nimble runners and climbers. The female bears up to three young after a gestation period of about 150 days. Sheep live as long as 20 years.

Besides providing pelts and wool for clothing and carpets, meat in the form of lamb and mutton, and milk for drinking and cheesemaking, sheep are used to a limited extent as pack animals, and the wild species are hunted as game. Several distinct types and more than 800 breeds of domesticated sheep have been developed. The breeds are adapted to environments that range from desert to tropical conditions.

Life Expectancy:
20 years
Weight:
75-200 kg
Height:
1.5 m
Color:
Typically white.

Quail

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Quail
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Quail, common name for two groups of bird species within the galliform family: the odontophorine quails of the Americas, and a group comprising the smallest members of a Eurasian subfamily. Species of the latter group are widely distributed, with representatives on all continents and such islands as Madagascar, Japan, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The common quail of Europe, the similar Japanese quail of eastern Asia, and the rain quail of southern Asia, are all migratory.

The Japanese quail, a plump 20-cm (8-in) bird, is widely used in laboratory studies, as it breeds readily and rapidly in captivity. Migrating flocks of the common quail are reported in the Book of Exodus as having supplied food to the Israelites in the wilderness. The handsome blue-breasted quail of Asia and Australia, 13 to 15 cm (5.2 to 6 in) long, is often sold as a cage bird under the names painted quail or button quail; the latter name properly belongs only to the members of an unrelated family.

The odontophorine quails, about 30 species, are different enough from Eurasian quails to have been placed by some authorities in their own family. They are larger, more heavyset birds, with stouter bills that have serrations on the cutting edge of the mandible. They are nonmigratory, and live in habitats ranging from hot deserts to humid montane forests. The few species that reach North America are mostly birds of open country, whereas the tropical species are primarily forest birds.

The best-known species in the United States is the northern bobwhite, named from the loud call of the male. A popular game bird, it was originally resident east of the Rockies and north to southern Ontario and New England; it has been successfully introduced in parts of western North America, the West Indies, and New Zealand. It is 21 to 26 cm (8.5 to 10.5 in) long, with a slight crest. Males of the northern populations are reddish brown above and white, barred with black, on the belly. The throat and a line above the eye are white; a broad black line extends from the eye backward and around the throat. This white area is replaced by buff in the otherwise similar females. In subspecies from the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, the face, throat, and variable amounts of the rest of the underparts are black.

Monogamous, after the breeding season, bobwhites gather into coveys—groups that may number over 100 birds—dispersing during the day for feeding and reassembling at night or in adverse weather. The members of the covey seek warmth and protection by huddling in a circle, with their heads turned outward. If frightened, bobwhites (like most quail) prefer to run from danger; when flushed, they fly rapidly with a loud whirring sound, but quickly drop to earth.

In the western United States, the most familiar species is the California quail, a handsome bird with a recurved black topknot. Its raucous call can be heard in the soundtrack of many Hollywood productions. A closely similar species, Gambel's quail, inhabits the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

A tropical genus, with 15 species, contains mostly dark-colored, solitary birds of the forest floor. The two species of the southwestern United States south to Nicaragua, are birds of mountain pine-oak forests. The colorful mountain quail of western North America, is also confined to higher altitudes.

Life Expectancy:
3 - 5 years
Weight:
170 g
Height:
18 cm
Color:
Usually brown.

Turkey

Breed Details

Breed Name:
Turkey
Breed Category:
Farm

Description:
Turkey, common name for a large ground-living bird native to North America. Best known for its raised tail feather display and gobbling call, the wild turkey is hunted as a game bird and is the ancestor of the heavier domestic turkey raised for meat. The wild turkey has been reintroduced in many parts of the United States after nearly disappearing from overhunting and habitat loss.

Habitat and Range

The wild turkey mainly lives in forested areas and marshlands, and it is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States. Overhunting and habitat loss greatly reduced its numbers in many regions of the United States by 1900. Efforts to restore the wild turkey population began in the 1930s, but introducing turkeys raised in pens back into the wild was not very successful. The birds lacked needed survival skills. A more effective approach was to capture members of existing wild populations and relocate them to other areas. Wild turkeys are now found in all states except Alaska. They have also been introduced as game birds in New Zealand and Germany.

Physical Description

Males (called gobblers or toms) are larger than females (called hens). In adult wild turkeys the head and neck are essentially naked, the feathers being reduced to hairlike bristles. The heads of males can be red, blue, or white according to the season. The male has a long fleshy growth called a snood at the base of the bill and wattles on the neck, as well as a prominent red-pink growth on the head called a carbuncle. The heads of females are grayish, with some feathers on the neck. The birds have buff-colored feathers on the tips of the wings and on the tail. Males are more colorful and ornamented than females.

The ocellated turkey is a separate species native to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and adjacent Guatemala and Belize. The tail feathers have green-blue eyespots and an iridescent purple appearance. The body feathers have a metallic golden, bronze-green sheen. The skin of the head and neck is blue and covered with red, wartlike growths.

Behavior

Wild turkeys are active during the day time and spend most of their time on the ground. They are swift runners, reaching 32 km/h (20 mph), and can fly at low altitude for distances under a mile at speeds up to 88.5 km/h (50 mph), getting air-borne with hops and leaps. They roost in trees at night. They do not migrate and may form larger social groups in the winter (winter flocks), sometimes defending territories against other bands of turkeys. They disperse into smaller groups in the spring.

Wild turkeys eat a wide variety of plant material in season such as acorns, nuts, seeds, grains, fruit, leaves, roots, tubers, buds, and fern fronds. A smaller part of their diet is made up of insects, worms, snails, and even small salamanders. They mainly forage for a few hours after dawn and before dusk.

Many types of animals eat wild turkey eggs, including raccoons, skunks, snakes, and other birds. Adult and young turkeys are prey for coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, and large eagles and owls.

Life Expectancy:
10 years
Weight:
3.2-8.2 kg
Height:
1.09 m
Color:
Mostly black.