Livestock
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What does the term "livestock" mean?
Livestock refers to farm animals raised for use or pleasure. In Western countries, livestock primarily includes cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, and mules. In other regions, livestock may include animals such as buffalo, oxen, llamas, or camels. An efficient animal agriculture system allows a nation to store grains and foodstuffs that can be used to raise animals for human consumption during emergencies. Meat from livestock has high nutritive value, which produces stronger, healthier people.
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What are some common types of livestock animals?
Livestock animals are farm animals raised for various purposes, excluding poultry. Common types include:
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Cattle: The largest livestock group, raised for beef and dairy. Popular breeds include Hereford, Angus, and Holstein-Friesian.
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Sheep: Raised for fleece (wool), meat (mutton and lamb), and milk. There are approximately 200 recognized breeds.
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Pigs: Raised for meat (pork). There are over 300 breeds worldwide.
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Goats: Raised for milk, meat, hides, and wool. Major groups include prick-eared, eastern, and wool breeds.
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Horses: Used for farm work, riding, and recreation. Breeds are classified by origin, use, or appearance.
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Donkeys and Mules: Used as work animals on farms due to their strength and sure-footedness.
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How are livestock different from pets or wild animals?
Livestock are farm animals raised for use and profit, like cattle, sheep, and pigs, while pets are kept for companionship and pleasure. Wild animals live independently of humans. Livestock are domesticated through hereditary reorganization to suit human needs, providing resources such as meat, milk, and wool. Pets offer companionship and can sometimes assist with hunting or guarding. Unlike wild animals, livestock and pets rely on humans for care, food, and shelter.
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Why do people raise livestock?
People raise livestock for various reasons, including their use as a food source and for other products. Livestock farming allows for the efficient storage of grains and foodstuffs, which can be utilized during emergencies. Meat from livestock has high nutritive value, which helps produce stronger, healthier people.
Ruminant animals like cattle, sheep, and goats can convert pasture forage, roughage, and by-product feeds into meat, milk, and wool. Chickens are efficient at converting feed into protein for meat and egg production. Milk is also one of the oldest known animal foods. In India, livestock are a key source of milk and draft power.
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What are some basic needs of livestock animals?
Livestock animals require basic nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, and water for maintenance, growth, reproduction, and overall health. They also need a source of energy for life processes and muscular activity, with surplus energy stored as body fat for later use.
Essential minerals include salt (sodium chloride), calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, cobalt, iodine, zinc, molybdenum, and selenium. Additionally, farm animals need appropriate shelter, which can range from simple open-front sheds to more complex, climate-controlled barns, depending on the climate and type of animal.
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How does raising livestock affect the environment and society?
Raising livestock significantly impacts the environment and society. Intensive animal farming can lead to air and water pollution from animal waste, contributing to respiratory problems in nearby communities and creating "dead zones" in waterways.
Livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change, with diets including meat causing up to 54% more emissions than vegetarian diets. The destruction of wild land for farming to support meat production is a major cause of biodiversity loss, and meat production requires significantly more water and land resources than fresh produce. Additionally, concerns exist regarding cruelty and inhumane slaughtering methods in confined animal feeding operations.
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Livestock, farm animals, with the exception of poultry. In Western countries the category encompasses primarily cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, and mules; other animals, such as buffalo, oxen, llamas, or camels, may predominate in the agriculture of other areas. By the 21st century, livestock made up slightly more than 1/9 of all vertebrate biomass. Estimates suggest that the mass of Earthβs livestock, some 100 million metric tons (about 110 million tons), is more than that of human beings, wild birds, and wild mammals put together.
A brief treatment of livestock follows. For information on individual species, see alpaca, buffalo, camel, cattle, cow, donkey, goat, horse, llama, ox, pig, reindeer, sheep, water buffalo, and yak.
Cattle (genus Bos) make up the largest livestock group worldwide. Among those prominent in beef production are Hereford, Shorthorn, and Angus. The chief dairy cattle breeds are Holstein-Friesian, Brown Swiss, Ayrshire, Jersey, and Guernsey. Cattle feed primarily on pasture by grazing, but in modern farming their diet is ordinarily supplemented with prepared animal feeds. Cattle are sometimes used as draft animals, particularly in small-scale farming and in less developed regions.
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Sheep (genus Ovis) were among the first animals to be domesticated, perhaps as early as 10,000 bce. Some 200 breeds are recognized. Closely related to goats, sheep are raised primarily for the fleece or wool of their coats, for meat (mutton and lamb), and, to a lesser degree, for milk. Like cattle, sheep graze for their food, eating both short, fine grasses and coarse, brushy weeds.
Pigs, or domestic swine (family Suidae), have been raised for their meat (pork) since ancient times. There are more than 300 breeds worldwide. In the United States the term hog is used for swine weighing more than 54 kg (120 pounds), and the animals, regardless of breed, are classified for marketing purposes as lard, bacon, or pork types, the lard types being the heaviest. Corn is usually the basic feed for pigs, although wheat, sorghum, oats, and barley are often included in their diet.
Goats (genus Capra) are raised for their milk and its by-products and for meat, hides, and wool. The numerous breeds constitute three major groups: the prick-eared (e.g., Swiss); the eastern (e.g., Nubian); and the wool (e.g., Angora [mohair] and Cashmere). Goats eat pasture grass, alfalfa or other hays, and feeds made from grain.
Horses (Equus caballus), first intensively domesticated in Central Asia, are bred not only as livestock but also for riding, show, and racing. As livestock, horses are used for farm work or for riding, the latter especially on large cattle ranches. The numerous breeds may be classified according to place of origin (e.g., Clydesdale, Arabian), by their principal use (e.g., riding, draft), or by outward appearance (light, heavy, pony). Horses feed on grass and other pasture growths, and their diets are usually supplemented with hays, grain (primarily oats), and other nutritive feeds.
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Donkeys (Equus asinus), also called asses, and mules, the hybrids formed by crossbreeding a male donkey and a female horse, are used as work animals on many farms. Sure-footed and strong, they are often employed as saddle mounts as well.