Glossary of Sheep Terms

A Abattoir -a facility where farm animals are harvested and processed into meat products. Abomasum - the fourth compartment of the stomach of a ruminant; the one where digestion takes place. Abortion - premature loss of a pregnancy. Accelerated lambing - when a ewe lambs more often than once a year. Afterbirth - the placenta and fetal membranes that are expelled from the uterus after the lambs are born. Amino acid - one of the building blocks of protein. Anemia - a lower than normal number of red blood cells. Animal unit (AU) - a unit represented by one mature cow or horse, or by as many animals as consume an equivalent amount of feed, such as 7 sheep. Animal unit month (AUM) - The quantity of forage required by one mature cow and her calf (or the equivalent, in sheep or horses, for instance) for one month. Annual plant - a plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year. Anthelmintic - a medicine which kills certain types of intestinal worms. Antibiotic - a drug that kills bacteria and other germs. Antibodies - proteins produced by the immune system to fight specific bacteria, viruses, or other antigens. Anti-toxin - an antibody that can neutralize a specific toxin. Artificial Insemination (AI) - process whereby semen is placed within a female's uterus by artificial means i.e. other than sexual intercourse.

B Banding - the process of applying rubber bands to the tail or scrotum for docking and castrating. Bellwether - sheep that leads the herd often wearing a bell . Bloat - excessive accumulation of gases in the rumen of an animal. Bottle jaw - Edema or fluid accumulation, under the jaw. A sign of infection with Haemonchosis in sheep. Breech birth - a birth in which the lamb is presented backwards with its rear legs tucked under and only its tail near the opening. Browse - parts of woody plants, including twigs, shoots, and leaves. Buck - slang term for a male sheep. Bummer - slang term for an orphan lamb. Burdizzo - castration method that uses a large clamp to crush the blood vessels leading into the testicles.

C CAFO - cconfined animal feeding operation having at least 1,000 animal units. Governed by federal and state laws. Carding -process involving the movement of natural fibres between two surfaces covered with wire pins in order to detangle and align the fibres in preparation for spinning. Castrate - removal of testicles or influence of testicles. Cellulose - component of plant cell walls that is not digestible by most animals (lignin) Cervix - the lower section of the uterus which protrudes into the vagina and dilates during

labor to allow the passage of the fetuses. Cryptorchidism - failure of one or both testes to descend Coccidiostat - any of a group of chemical agents mixed in feed or drinking water to control coccidiosis in animals. Colostrum - first milk a ewe gives after birth. High in antibodies, this milk protects newborn lambs against diseases. Composting - process whereby organic wastes decompose naturally. Combing - the straightening or parallelizing of fibers using combs. Also includes the removal of short fibers and other impurities. Concentrate - feed that is high in energy, low in fiber content, and highly digestible. Conception - in reproduction, the point at which a sperm fertilizes an egg. Continuous grazing - livestock remain on a grazing unit the entire time in which grazing is allowed. Cool season plant - a plant that generally makes most of its growth during the late fall, winter, and spring. Corpus Luteum - the mass of cells that form once the egg has been released from the ovary. The corpus luteum produces progesterone. Also called "yellow body." Cost share - a subsidization, by different governmental agencies and some private industries. Crimp - the natural waviness of the wool fiber. Culling - the process that determines which animals in a herd will not be bred. Creep feeding - to provide supplemental feed to nursing lambs. Creep grazing - the practice of allowing young animals to graze areas their dams cannot access at the same time. Crossbreeding - the mating of animals of different breeds. Crutching - the removal of wool from around the tail and between the rear legs of a sheep. Cud - food of a ruminant regurgitated to be chewed again.

D Dags - wool contaminated with feces, which is either adhering to or has been clipped from the posterior of sheep. Dam - mother. DE - digestible energy Diarrhea - increased frequency, fluidity, or volume of fecal excretion. Dock - to remove the tail (v) or the shortened tail of a sheep (n). Drench - a method of giving liquid medicine. Dressing percentage - the percentage of the live animal that ends up as carcass. Dystocia - difficulty in giving birth or being born.

E Eid - annual Islamic festival. There are two major Eids in the Muslim calendar. Elastrator - instrument used to apply heavy rubber bands (elastrator rings/bands) to the tail and scrotum for docking and castration. Embryo - an animal in the early stage of development before birth. Embryo Transfer - implantation of embryos or fertilized eggs into a surrogate mother. EPD (expected progeny difference) - the expected difference between the performance of an animal's progeny and the average progeny performance of all the animals in the breed. Epididymitis - tiny tube where sperm collect after leaving the testis. Estrogen - female sex hormone produced by the ovary. Responsible for the estrus cycle.

Estrus - the period when the female is fertile and receptive to the male. Also called heat. Estrus Cycle - the reproductive cycle of the female. Ewe - female sheep Extra label - use of a drug in a manner for which it was not labeled (FDA-approved). F Fat-soluble vitamins - vitamins that dissolve in liquid fat or fatty oils, in addition to water. They include Vitamin A, D, E and K. They are manufactured in the rumen. Fatten - feed for slaughter. Make fleshy or plump. Fecal egg count (FEC) - number of worm eggs in a gram of feces. Also called EPG (eggs per gram). Feedlot - an area where lambs are confined and fed carefully mixed, high-concentrate feed to fatten them. Fertilizer - any one of a large number of natural and synthetic materials, including manure and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compounds, spread or worked into the soil to increase its fertility. Fleece - the wool from a single sheep in the shorn grease state. Flerd - a mixed group of sheep and cattle. Fodder - crops grown for animal feed. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) - hormone produced by the pituitary gland which stimulates the production of follicles by the ovary. Foot bath - chemical and water mixture that sheep stand in, used for the prevention and/or treatment of foot rot and foot scald. Footrot - contagious disease of sheep caused by specific bacteria Forage - grasses, small shrubs and other plant material that can be used as feed for livestock. Edible parts of plants. Forb - broadleafed herbaceous plant (e.g., dandelion). Forward grazing - one group of animals is allowed access to a paddock ahead of another group.

G Genotype - the genetic constitution of an individual. Gestation - the length of pregnancy. Gimmer - female sheep over one year of age. Grade - a measure of quality (n). Graft - transfer a lamb to a ewe that is not its mother. Grain - the seed part of cereal crops such as corn, oats, barley, and wheat. Grass - a group of plants having narrow leaves with parallel veins, small flowers, and basically hollow stems with joints where the leaves are attached. Grass-based - pasture or grassland play a significant role in the life or diet of the animal. Green chop - freshly cut forage fed to livestock. Ground water - water that does not run off, and is not taken up by plants, but soaks down into an aquifer; a supply of fresh water under the earths surface which forms a natural reservoir. Is frequently used for drinking. Gummer - a sheep so old that it has lost all of its teeth.

H Haemonchosis - infestation with or disease caused by nematode Haemonchus (esp. H. contortus) Halal - a set of Islamic dietary laws which regulate the preparation of food. Hand spinner - a person who spins wool (twists fibers into yarn) by hand. Hay - grass mowed and cured for use as fodder. Haylage - grass silage Heat - estrus. The period when the female is fertile and receptive to the male. Heavy use area - an outdoor area where livestock are primarily sustained by imported feed. Hectare - metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters, or 2.471 acres Heterosis - an increase in the performance of hybrids over that of purebreds, most noticeably in traits such as fertility and survivability. Heritability - the extent to which a trait is influenced by our genetic makeup. Hogget - a British term for a yearling sheep that has not yet been shorn. Hoop house - building with an arched metal frame and fabric cover, used to house livestock. Hormone -a substance that is made by one part of the body but affects another part of the body. Hull - the dry outer cover of a fruit, seed, or nut. Hybrid vigor - an increase in the performance of hybrids over that of purebreds, most noticeably in traits such as fertility and survivability. Hypothermia - a condition of characterized by low body temperature. I Immunity - a natural or acquired resistance to a specific disease. Inbreeding - Mating or crossing of individuals more closely related that average pairs in the population. Intramuscular (IM) - into a muscle. Intraperitoneal (IP) - administered or withdrawn from within the abdominal cavity. Intravenously (IV) - entering through a vein. Islam - the religious faith of Muslims, literally, "submission" (to God) J Jug - a pen where a ewe and her newborn lambs are put to bond. Jugular - vein in the neck that returns blood from the head. K Ked - wingless fly that is an external parasite on sheep. Ketone - acidic substance produced when the body uses fat, instead of sugar for energy. Ketosis - metabolic disorder where ketones build up in the body. Kosher - food prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. L Lactation - the secretion (production) of milk. When the ewe is giving milk. Lamb - a young sheep (n). To give birth to a lamb (v). The meat from an animal less than one year old (n). Lanolin - wool "grease." Also called yolk. Larvae - the immature form of many animals, which hatches from the egg and often differs in appearance from the adult form. Leader-follower grazing - two classes of livestock having distinctly different nutritional needs are grazed successively in a pasture. Legume - a plant whose roots form an association with soilborne bacteria that can capture atmospheric nitrogen. Libido - sexual desire. Lignin - a component of the cell walls of plants that occurs naturally, along with cellulose.

Linebreeding - the mating of individuals within a particular line. Live vaccine - a vaccine in which live virus is weakened through chemical or physical processes in order to produce an immune response without causing the severe effects of the disease. Lutenizing hormone (LH) - The hormone that normally triggers ovulation and stimulates the corpus luteum to secrete progesterone. In the male, it stimulates testosterone production. M Macromineral - an element essential in large quantities. Includes Ca, Mg, P, Na, Cl, and K. Mastitis - Inflammation of the mammary glands. ME - metabolizable energy Meat and bone meal - the rendered production from animal tissues, including bone. Microminerals - an element needed in very small quantities. Also called trace minerals. Includes Fe, Co, Cr, Cu, I, Mn, Se, Zn, and Mo. Micron - one millionth of a meter. Measurement unit for wool fiber diameter. Milliliter (ml) - a unit of liquid volume in the metric system equivalent to one thousandth of a liter or approximately .03381 fluid ounces in the English system. Mixed grazing - grazing by two or more species of grazing animals on the same unit of land . Also called multi-species grazing. Mob - a group of sheep that have been run under exactly the same conditions for the entire growing season. Moorit - brown. Morphology - the size and shape of sperm. Motility -the ability of sperm to move by themselves. Mottled-faced - having spots or patches of color on the face. Muslim/Moslem - a member of the Islamic faith. Mutton - the meat from an older sheep. N NE - net energy Necropsy - a postmortem examination. Nematode - roundworm. Nutrient management - identifying how the major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) are to be annually managed for expected crop production and for the protection of water quality. O Omasum - the third part of the ruminant stomach located between the reticulum and the abomasum. Orf - a viral skin disease affecting sheep and goats. People can contact this disease. Organic matter - the part of the soil that includes the decomposing remains of plants and animals, as well as the product of complete decomposition, known as humus. Orthodox - referring to the Eastern Church. Ova - female sex egg. Also called ovum, oocyte. Ovine - of, pertaining to, resembling, or being a sheep Ovis - a taxonomic genus wthin the sub family caprinae -- the sheep Ovulation - the release of mature eggs from the ovary. Oxytocin - a naturally secreted hormone that is important in milk letdown and the contraction of the smooth uterine muscles during the birthing process. P Paddock - an enclosed area for grazing animals. Parturition - the act of giving birth. Pedigree - line of descent of a purebred animal. Pelt - the skin of a sheep with the wool on.

Perennial plant - plant that lasts three seasons or more. Periparturient - around the time of giving birth. pH - a value that indicates the acidity of something (e.g. rumen, soil). Phenotype - the observable characteristics of an individual. Photoperiod - the relationship between the length of light and dark in a 24-hour period. Pinkeye - condition in which the conjunctiva (membranes lining the eyelids and covering the white part of the eye) become inflamed or infected. Also called conjunctivitis. Pizzle - the penis of an animal. Placenta - the organ that nourishes the fetus(es) in the uterus. Pneumonia - an infection in the lungs. Polled - the abscence of horns. Predator - an animal that lives by killing and eating other animals. Probiotic - living organisms used to manipulate fermentation in the rumen. Progeny - the offspring of an individual. Progesterone - a female hormone secreted by the ovary. Produced in large quantities by the placenta during pregnancy. Prolific - producing offspring in abundance. Protozoa - the first animals; the lowliest forms of life, all single-celled. Purebred - wholly of one breed or line (as opposed to crossbred). Q R Raddle - color pigment that is applied to the ram's brisket to mark females he mates. Ram - uncastrated adult male sheep Ram effect - stimulating non-cycling ewes to ovulate by the sudden introduction of a ram or teaser ram. Refugia - worms that have not been exposed to anthelmintics and therefore are susceptible to drug treatment. Reticulum - the second chamber of the ruminant digestive tract, used for sorting out fine plant particles for further fermentation. RFID - radio frequency identification. Refers to the technology that uses devices attached to objects that transmit data to an RFID receiver. Ringwomb - failure of the cervix of a ewe to dilate during parturition. Rotational grazing - a grazing scheme where animals are moved from one grazing unit (paddock) to another. Roughage - feed that is high in fiber, low in digestible nutrients, and low in energy (e.g., hay, straw, silage, and pasture). Roundworm -unsegmented worms with elongated rounded body pointed at both ends. Rumen - the first compartment of the stomach of a ruminant animal. Tts bacteria and protozoa break down cellulose. Ruminant - an animal with a multiple stomach that is able to digest cellulose.

S Safe pasture - pasture that is not infected with worm larvae. Scouring - the actual separation of dirt, grease, and foreign matter from grease wool. Scours - diarrhea in livestock. Scrapie - the TSE of sheep and goats. A fatal brain disease. Scrotum - pouch in which the male's testicles are suspended outside the body. Scurs - little horns that have broken the skin, but not grown. Second cuts - short tufts of wool cut at least twice by the shearing. Selection - choosing of favorable offspring as parents for future generations. Selection differential - the difference between the mean of the individuals selected to be

parents and the mean of the overall population. Selection index - a linear combination of phenotypic information and weighting factors used for genetic prediction. Semen - the combination of sperm, seminal fluid, and other male reproductive secretions. Sharps - needles, syringes, scalpel blades, slides, pipettes,and anything else that can puncture the skin. Shear - the act of cutting wool. Sheath - an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal organ or part. Shed lambing - Housing ewes and newborn lambs in pens or sheds to provide food, shelter, and medical care during and immediately after birth. Silage - fodder (livestock feed) prepared by storing and fermenting green forage plants in a silo. Sire - father. Skirting - removing the stained, unusable, or undesirable portions of a fleece. Slime graft - rubbing the fetal fluids and membrane of a ewe's lamb onto a lamb that you wish to graft onto her. Smut-faced - blackface x whiteface Somatic cell count - the number of white blood cells per milliliter of milk or measurement of the number of somatic cells present in a sample of milk. Sperm - male reproductive cells. Spermatogenesis - sperm production Spin - work natural fibers into thread or yarn. Staple - refers to the length of a lock of shorn wool; in the trade, "staple" refers to the longer length wools within a grade. STAR System - accelerating lambing system in which ewes produce five lamb crops in a three year period. Stillborn - showing no signs of life at birth. Stocking density - the relationship between the number of animals and area of land at any given time. Stocking rate - the number of specific kinds and classes of animals grazing a unit of land for a specified period of time. Stockpiled forage - forage that is allowed to accumulate for later grazing. Straw - the stems of wheat, barlely, or oat plants which are cut and baled and often used for animal bedding. Sometimes, straw is fed to animals. Strip grazing - confining animals to an area of grazing land to be grazed in a relatively short period of time. Stun - make senseless. Subcutaneous (sub-Q, SQ) - under the skin. Sustainable agriculture - an approach to growing food and fiber which is profitable, uses onfarm resources efficiently to minimize adverse effects on the environment and people, preserves the natural productivity and quality of land and water, and sustains vibrant rural communities. T Tapeworm - ribbonlike flatworm that is parasitic in the intestines of vertebrates. Teaser - ram that have been surgically altered in a way that prevents him from reproducing. Testosterone - a hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics. Top - a strand of longer fibers that have been straightened, made parallel and separated from the shorter fibers by combing. Top dress - a process that means apply to the top. Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) - standard system for expressing the energy value of

feeds. Tup - British term for an uncastrated adult male sheep. U Udder - the milk secreting organ of a cow or sheep. Ultrasound -a procedure in which high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) are bounced off internal tissues or organs and make echoes. Urea - chief end product of mammalian protein metabolism. Uterus - the organ in the female in which the fetuses develop. The womb. V Vaccine - injection given to animals to prevent or cure diseases. Vagina - the canal that forms the passageway from the uterus to the outside of the body. The birth canal. Vegetable matter - any material of plant origin found in the fleece, such as burrs, stickers, chaff and seed heads. Vegetative - in developmental stages of plant growth. Non-reproductive plant parts, i.e. leaf and stem; in contrast to reproductive plant parts, i.e. flower and seed. VFA - volatile fatty acid W Warm season plant - a plant that makes most of its growth during late spring, summer, or early fall and is usually dormant in winter. Weaning - removal of young mammals from their source of milk. Weed - a plant that is growing where it is unwanted. Wet graft - immersing the lamb to be grafted, along with the ewe's own lamb, into a saturated salt solution. Wether - a castrated male sheep. Withdrawal period - the time when a drug must not be administered prior to marketing to insure that no drug residues remain in the meat or milk. Wool pool - a collection point for many producers to sell their wool. Woolen - yarn made from fibers that are one to three inches in length and that have been carded only. Fabrics of woolen yarn are characterized as being fuzzy, thick, and bulky. Worsted - wool yarn of long staple with fibers that have been combed prior to spinning. Combing produces more parallel fibers than carding. Y Yearling - an animal between 1 and 2 years of age. Yeast - single-cell fungi that improve food digestion by stimulating microbial activity. Yoe - slang term for an adult female sheep. Z Zero grazing - a method of raising livestock in pens or small corrals where most of their fodder is grown elsewhere and carried to the pen. Zoonoses - a disease that is transmissible between humans and animals. Cattle Terms
Accuracy (of selection): Correlation between an animal's unknown actual breeding value and a calculated estimated breeding value for a trait. Across-breed EPDs: Procedures and adjustment factors that allow direct comparison of EPDs from animals of different breeds. They are based upon across-breed EPD adjustment factors that are added to EPDs provided by the separate genetic evaluation of each breed.

Adjusted weaning weight (WW): An unshrunk, off-the-cow calf weight adjusted to 205 days of age and to a mature dam age equivalence. Adjusted yearling weight (YW): An unshrunk weight adjusted to either 365, 452, or 550 days of age. Alleles: Alternate forms of genes. Because genes occur in pairs in body cells, one gene of a pair may have one effect and another gene of that same pair (allele) may have a different effect on the same trait. Alliance: A cooperative business arrangement in which a cattle producer, sometimes in cooperation with other producers, arranges for the retained ownership and/or contract sale of his/her animals before they actually are produced. The agreement typically defines the breeding system, selection methods, management conditions, and product specifications for the cattle. Animal model: A genetic prediction procedure in which EPDs are directly computed for all animals in the population. See reduced animal model and sire model. Artificial insemination (AI): The technique of placing semen from the male into the reproductive tract of the female by means other than natural service. Average daily gain (ADG): Measurement of the average daily body weight change over a specified period of time of an animal on a feed test. ADG: average daily gain AHA: American Hereford Association AI: artificial insemination AHW: American Hereford Women ANCW: American National CattleWomen APHIS: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service AVMA: American Veterinary Medical Association return to top

B
Backcross: The mating of a two-breed crossbred individual back to one of its parental breeds. Example: A HerefordAngus crossbred cow bred back to an Angus bull. Balance: The harmonious relationship of all body parts, blended or symmetry and pleasing appearance. Barren: Sterile female. Base pair: The complementary bases found within a DNA molecule. There are four different bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). A always pairs with T, and C always pairs with G. The base sequence ultimately determines the effect of the gene. Beef Improvement Federation (BIF): A federation of organizations, businesses, and individuals interested or involved in performance evaluation of beef cattle. It seeks to build confidence of the beef industry in the principles and potentials of performance testing. Biological type: A group of cattle breeds having similar geographic origin and past selection history and with similar genetic potential for traits of economic importance. British general purpose beef cattle breeds, for example, have genetic potential for moderate growth, muscling, and milk yield; whereas continental European dual-purpose breeds have genetic potential for high milk yield and rapid growth. Birth weight (BW): The weight of a calf taken within 24 hours after birth. Heavy birth weights tend to be correlated with calving problems, along with other factors. Bloom: An inclusive term used to describe the general look of a healthy, clean, lustrous hair coat. Body capacity: A subjective assessment of the feed intake capacity of an individual or breed, typically assessed by visually evaluating body length, body depth, and spring of ribs. Body condition score: A score on a scale of 1 to 9, reflecting the amount of fat reserves in a cow's body, where 1 = very thin and 9 = extremely fat. Bos indicus: A subspecies of cattle of south Asian origin. Often known as Zebu, they have prominent humps forward of the shoulder. The Brahman breed is one example in the U.S..

Bos taurus: A subspecies of cattle of western Asian origin but often referred to as European. Most breeds commonly found in the U.S. and Canada, and their European ancestors, belong to this group. Brand: A permanent mark applied to an animal. Branding iron: The tool used to apply a brand. Bred: Applies to the pregnant female definitely safe in calf, or pregnant; also used to refer to the mating process. Breed: Animals with a common origin and selection history. Animals within a breed have physical characteristics that distinguish them from other breeds or groups of animals within that same species. Breeding objective: The goal of a breeder's selection program, for example to produce high quality, lean meat at lowest cost. It may also include a listing of the traits to be used as selection criteria to achieve the overall goal. Objectives may vary among breeders due to their genetic and physical resources and their markets. Breeding soundness examination: Inspection of a bull, including evaluation of physical conformation and soundness through genital palpation, scrotal circumference assessment, and testing of semen for motility and morphological abnormalities. Breeding value: Transmissible genetic merit of an individual, or the value of that individual as a parent. In the U.S. and Canada, genetic predictions are expressed as progeny differences rather than as breeding values. Because any parent contributes only half the genes in any one offspring, the progeny difference of an individual is half its breeding value. British breeds: Breeds of cattle such as Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn originating in Great Britain. Bull: A male (un-castrated) bovine animal.

C
Caesarean section: A process in which the calf is surgically removed from the cow during parturition by making a large incision in the right side of the cow just above the flank. Calf: A baby bovine animal. Calving ease: The opposite of calving difficulty. An easy calving is one that does not require assistance and does not impose undue strain on the calf or dam. Calving ease score: A numerical score quantifying calving ease, ranging from 1 for an easy, unassisted calving through 5 for an abnormal presentation. Calving season: The season(s) of the year when the calves are born. Limiting calving seasons is the first step to performance testing the whole herd, accurate records, and consolidated management practices. Carcass evaluation: Techniques for measuring components of quality and quantity in carcasses and using the information for genetic prediction of carcass merit. Carcass merit: Desirability of a carcass relative to quantity of components (muscle, fat, and bone), USDA quality grade, and potential eating quality. Carcass quality grade: An estimate of palatability based primarily on marbling and maturity and generally to a lesser extent on color, texture, and firmness of lean. Carrier: An individual that is heterozygous, having one dominant and one recessive allele at a given locus. For example, an animal with one gene for polledness and one gene for horns will be polled but can produce horned offspring when mated to another animal carrying the gene for horns. Castrate: To remove the testes of male cattle. Central test: A comparison conducted at a single location where animals are assembled from several herds to evaluate differences in performance traits under uniform management conditions. Chromosome: Chromosomes are paired strands of DNA, with accompanying structural proteins, on which genes are located. Domestic cattle have 30 pairs of chromosomes, one chromosome of each pair having been inherited form each parent. One random chromosome of each pair is transmitted to each egg or sperm cell produced by a parent. Closed herd: A herd in which no outside breeding stock (cattle) are introduced. Commercial producers: Producers whose primary goal is to produce animals for herd replacement, feeding, and harvest rather than breeding stock for sale to other producers. Progressive commercial producers seek bulls or

semen from seedstock breeders that have comprehensive programs designed to produce animals with optimum genetic merit for the combination of traits that increase efficiency and profit of their production system. Compensatory gain: Rapid, subsequent gain of cattle that have been nutritionally deprived for some portion of their life. Complementarity: The combining of breeds or individual animals that have characteristics that complement each other, thereby obtaining optimum progeny. Composite breed: A breed made up of combinations of other breeds. Concentrate: Feed grains and other processed feed materials that contain a high proportion of nutrients and are low in fiber, such as corn, oats or soybean meal. Conformation: A description of the shape of body parts of an animal. Congenital: A condition that was acquired during prenatal life and therefore exists at or dates from birth. The term is often used in the context of defects present at birth. Contemporary group: A group of cattle that are of the same breed and sex, are similar in age, and have been raised in the same management group (same location on the same feed and pasture). Contemporary groups should include as many cattle as can be accurately compared. Continental (European) breed: Breeds originally developed on the continent of Europe. Examples include Simmental, Limousin and Charolais. Correlation: A numerical measure, ranging between -1.00 and +1.00, describing how two traits are related. A high positive correlation means that as one trait increases, the other one usually does as well. For example, cattle with higher than average yearling weight generally will have larger mature size as well. When traits are negatively correlated, if one is above average, the other is likely to be below average. Cow: A female bovine animal that has had one or more calves. Crossbreeding: The mating of animals of different breeds or subspecies, frequently resulting in heterosis (hybrid vigor) for many economically important traits. Cryptorchid: Male cattle with undescended testes. Culling: The process of eliminating less productive or less desirable individuals from a herd. Cutability: An estimate of the percentage of salable meat (muscle) from a carcass versus percentage of waste fat. Percentage retail yield of carcass weight can be estimated by a USDA prediction equation that includes measured or estimated values for hot carcass weight, rib eye area, fat thickness, and estimated percent of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat. CP: crude protein

D
Dehorning: The process of removing the horns from an animal when they are young. This is often done to help minimize injury to other cattle and handlers. Deviation: The difference between an individual record and the average for that trait in the individual's contemporary group. For all animals within a contemporary group, these differences sum to zero when the correct average is used. A ratio deviation is an individual's ratio minus the group average ratio or 100. Direct effect: For weaning weight that portion of preweaning growth that is due to the calf's genetics (see Maternal Effect). Direct EPD: An EPD representing the effect of the individual's own genes on the trait of interest. A calving ease direct EPD, for example, represents calving ease of an individual's progeny. See also Maternal EPD. Disposition (temperament): A measure of an animal's docility, wildness, or aggression toward unfamiliar situations, human handlers, or management interventions. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid): The chemical compound that stores within each cell genetic information unique to an individual. A DNA molecule is composed of two strands of nucleotides bound to one another by chemical bonds between each complementary (A-T and G-C) base pair. The molecule has the appearance of a twisted ladder. The sequence of bases within DNA molecules determine amino acid sequences of proteins, control development, and establish the genetic potential for production of the individual.

Dominant: An allele is dominant when its presence prevents a recessive allele from affecting the phenotype of an individual heterozygous at the locus in question. For example, the allele for polledness (P) is dominant to the allele allowing growth of horns (p), so an animal with the genotype Pp shows the polled form of the trait. Double muscling: A simply inherited trait evidenced by an enlargement of the muscles with large grooves between the muscle systems especially noticeable in the hind leg. Dystocia (calving difficulty): Abnormal or difficult labor causing difficulty in delivering the fetus and/or placenta. Difficult births lead to increased calf and cow mortality and to more difficult rebreeding of the cow.

E
Ear tag: Method of identification by attaching a tag to the ear. Economically relevant trait (ERT): Traits that are of direct economic importance to cattle producers. Embryo transfer: Removing fertilized ova (embryos) from one cow (the donor), generally in response to hormoneinduced superovulation, and placing these embryos into other cows (the recipients). More calves can be obtained from cows of superior breeding value by this technique Environment: All external (nongenetic) conditions that influence the reproduction, production, and carcass merit of cattle. When environmental influences on phenotypic merit are not properly be accounted for in genetic evaluations, they reduce the accuracy of breeding value estimation and of subsequent selection. Environment interaction: When the difference in performance among genetic groups depends upon the environment in which they are compared. For example, the most profitable breed in the Great Plains is probably not the same as the most profitable breed on the Gulf Coast. Also, different breeds and crosses will be optimum for producing beef for different market specifications and requirements. Estimated breeding value (EBV): An estimate of an individual's true breeding value for a trait based on the performance of the individual and close relatives for the trait itself and sometimes performance of genetically correlated traits. EBV is a systematic way of combining available performance information on the individual and sibs and the progeny of the individual. EPDs have replaced EBVs in most breed association programs. Estrous synchronization: Using synthetic hormones to make a group of females come in heat at the same time. They can then be bred at the same time and all the calves will be born in a short period, ensuring uniform ages in calf crop and lower labor requirements. Expected Progeny Difference (EPD): The difference in expected performance of future progeny of an individual, compared with expected performance of future progeny of an individual of average genetic merit in the base time frame for the genetic evaluation. EPDs are estimated from phenotypic merit of an individual and all of its relatives and are estimates of one-half the breeding values. EPDs are generally reported in units of measurement for the trait (e.g., lb., cm., etc.).

F
F1: Offspring resulting from the mating of a purebred (straight-bred) bull to purebred (straight-bred) females of another breed. Fat thickness: Depth of fat in tenths of inches over the rib eye muscle at the 12th rib. It consists of a single measurement at a point three-fourths of the lateral length of the rib eye muscle from the split chine bone. Feed conversion (feed efficiency): Units of feed consumed per unit of weight gained. Fertilization: The union of the male and female gametes to form a new, genetically unique individual. In cattle, sperm and egg cells with 30 chromosomes each combine to form a zygote with the 60 chromosomes normal to the species. Finish: The degree of fatness. Founder: A nutritional ailment from overeating; foundered animals become lame with sore front feet and excessive hoof growth. Frame score: A score based on subjective evaluation or actual measurement of hip height. Freemartin: Female born twin to a bull calf (approximately 9 out of10 will be infertile). F1: progeny resulting from the cross of two purebreds

F2: progeny resulting from the cross of an F1 with a purebred FAT: backfat EPD FE: feed efficiency F:G: feed-to-gain (usually expressed as a ratio) FMD: foot-and-mouth disease FMI: Food Marketing Institute FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone

G
Gene: A gene is a discrete segment of the DNA molecule, located at a specific site (its locus) on a specific chromosome pair. Two copies of each gene exist in each nucleated diploid cell in an animal. Only one gene of each pair is randomly transmitted to the offspring through the gamete. The unique nucleotide sequence of each gene determines its specific biological role. Gene marker: A specific sequence of nucleotides that is easily detectable and can be used to differentiate among alleles at a locus. General-purpose breed: A breed with acceptable genetic merit in reproductive, maternal, growth, and carcass traits, but not specialized in either terminal or maternal characteristics. Such breeds frequently are used in rotational crossbreeding programs. Generation interval: Average age of parents when the offspring destined to replace them are born. It should be computed separately for male and female parents and then represents the average turnover rate of bulls and cows in the herd. When other factors are held constant, generation interval is inversely related to the rate of response to selection. That is, rapid generation turnover enhances rate of selection response. Genetic antagonism: A genetic correlation in which desirable genetic change in one of the traits is accompanied by an undesirable change in the other. For example, because of the positive genetic correlation between milk yield potential and cow maintenance requirement, selection for increased milk would lead also to increased feed cost for maintenance. Genetic correlations: Correlations between breeding values for two traits that arise because some of the same genes affect both of them. When two traits (weaning and yearling weight for example) are positively genetically correlated, successful selection for one trait will result in an increase in the other trait as well. When two traits are negatively genetically correlated (birth weight and calving ease, for example), successful selection for one trait will result in a decrease in the other. Genetic linkage map: A diagram showing where genes and markers are located on a chromosome and their relationship to one another. Genome: The entire complement of DNA characteristic to individuals of a species. Genotype: The two alleles present at a locus in an individual. For a locus with only two alleles, three genotypes are possible. For example, at the polled/horned locus in cattle, two common alleles are P (the dominant allele preventing growth of horns) and p (the recessive allele allowing horn growth). The three possible genotypes are PP (homozygous dominant), Pp (heterozygous or carrier), and pp (homozygous recessive). Gestation: The period of pregnancy or the period of time from conception until young are born, averaging about 285 days in cattle. Get: Calves sired by the same bull. Get-of-sire: A show division in which all animals shown are sired by the same bull. GnRH: gonadotropin-releasing hormone

H
Half-sibs: Individuals having the same sire but different dams (or less commonly the same dam but different sires). Half-brothers, half-sisters, or half brother/sister. Harvest: To slaughter an animal. Heat: The recurrent period of sexual receptiveness in cows, when the cow will stand for the bull to breeder her. Also known as estrus.

Heifer: A young female bovine that has not had a calf. Heritability: The proportion of the differences among cattle, measured or observed, that is transmitted, on average, to their offspring. Heritability of different traits may vary from zero to one. The higher the heritability of a trait, the more accurately individual performance predicts breeding value and the more rapid should be the response to selection for that trait. Heritability estimate: An estimate of the proportion of the total phenotypic variation between individuals for a certain trait that is due to transmissible genetic merit. It is the proportion of total variation for a trait caused by differences among individuals in breeding value. Heterosis (hybrid vigor): Amount by which the average performance for a trait in crossbred calves exceeds the average performance of the two or more purebreds that were mated in that particular cross. Heterozygote: A genotype in which the two alleles at a locus are different, e.g. Pp. Homozygote: A genotype in which the two alleles at a locus are the same, e.g. PP or pp. Hot carcass weight: Weight of a carcass just prior to chilling.

I
Inbreeding: The mating together of parents more closely related than average in the population. Inbreeding decreases the proportion of heterozygous gene pairs in the offspring and increases the proportion of homozygous gene pairs. It increases the frequency of expression of genetic defects caused by recessive genes. Inbreeding may increase prepotency for simply inherited and highly heritable traits. Inbreeding coefficient: A numerical measure, ranging from zero to 1.0, of the intensity of inbreeding of an individual. It represents the proportion of gene loci in the individual at which both genes are identical copies of the same ancestral gene. Inbreeding depression: The reduction in performance level for many economically important traits that accompanies, on average, the increase in inbreeding coefficient. Indicator traits: Traits that do not have direct economic importance, but aid in the prediction of economically important traits. Integrated resource management (IRM): Producing beef cattle in a manner that efficiently, profitably, and sustainably uses available human and physical resources. Interim EPD: An EPD computed from an individual's own performance information and/or the EPDs of its parents. Interim EPDs may be used to support selection and merchandizing decisions before EPDs from regularly scheduled national cattle evaluation runs become available.

J
JNHE: Junior National Hereford Expo

K
Kidney, pelvic and heart fat (KPH): The internal carcass fat associated with the kidney, pelvic cavity, and heart. It is expressed as a percentage of chilled carcass weight.

L
Lactation: The period of calf nursing between birth and weaning. Lethal gene: A gene or genes that cause the death of any individual in which they are expressed. Libido: Sex drive. In bulls, the propensity to detect and mate estrous females. Linebreeding: A form of inbreeding in which an attempt is made to concentrate the inheritance of some favored ancestor in descendants within a herd. The average relationship of the individuals in the herd to this ancestor is increased by linebreeding, but at the cost of an increased level of inbreeding. Linecross: Offspring produced by crossing two or more inbred lines. Locus: The specific location of a gene on a chromosome. LH: luteinizing hormone

Maintenance energy requirement: The amount of feed energy required per day by an animal to maintain its body weight and support necessary metabolic functions. Marbling: The specks of fat (intramuscular fat) distributed in muscular tissue. Marbling is usually evaluated in the rib eye between the 12th and 13th rib. It is a major factor in assigning USDA quality grade of a beef carcass. Marker Assisted Selection (MAS): The use of genetic markers to select for specific alleles at linked QTLs and therefore specific traits. Maternal EPD: An EPD representing the effect of the genes of an individual's daughters on the trait of interest. A calving ease maternal EPD, for example, represents the ease with which an individual's daughters calves are born. Maternal heterosis: Amount by which the average performance for a trait in the progeny of crossbred cows exceeds the average performance of progeny of purebred cows of the two or more breed ancestors of the crossbred cows. Maternal sires: Sires whose major function is to sire daughters (often crossbreds) with outstanding genetic merit for reproductive and maternal traits, adaptability to prevailing environmental conditions, and longevity. Such females would ideally be crossed to sires of a terminal breed with all offspring marketed. Maturity: An estimation of the physiological age of the animal or carcass. It is assigned by assessing muscle characteristics and the stage of bone maturity. Metabolic body size: The weight of the animal raised to the 3/4 power (W0.75); a value indicative of the feed required to meet metabolic needs and maintain current body weight. Microsatellite: A type of genetic marker. It is composed of repeating nucleotide sequences within DNA that are locus specific and variable in the number of times the sequence is repeated. Minisatellite: A type of genetic marker widely used in DNA fingerprinting that consists of repeating subsets of nucleotides that are highly polymorphic and widely distributed throughout the genome. Morphology: A parameter recorded during microscopic examination of semen in the standardized breeding soundness evaluation quantifying the visual characteristics of spermatozoa, expressed as the percentage that appear normal. Motility: A parameter recorded during microscopic examination of semen in the standardized breeding soundness evaluation quantifying spermatozoa movement, expressed as the percentage demonstrating forward progressive motility.

N
National Hereford Feedout: Formerly the Genetic Outreach Program the National Hereford Feedout is open to producers from across the country to consign whiteface cattle. The Kansas Hereford Association organizes the program in such a way that Hereford and Hereford-English cross pens can be entered in the test with just a minimum of five head. Number of contemporaries: The number of animals of similar breed, sex, and age against which an animal was compared in performance tests. The greater the number of contemporaries, the greater the accuracy of comparisons.

O
Outbreeding (outcrossing): Mating together of animals that are not closely related. Mild outbreeding is illustrated by mating cows to a sire of their own breed but who is not closely related to them. Such outcrossing may widen the genetic base in a herd and reduce inbreeding accumulation. A higher level of outcrossing is illustrated by crossing two Bos taurus breeds. This generally would result in beneficial heterosis for economically important traits. Ovulation: Release of the female germ cell (egg or ovum) by the ovary. Cows usually ovulate several hours (up to 15 hours) after the end of estrus or standing heat.

P
Palatability: Acceptable to the taste or sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten. Parturition: The act of giving birth; calving. Pedigree: A tabulation of names of an individual's ancestors, usually only those of the three to five closest generations. Pedigree information is used to establish genetic relationships among individuals to use in genetic evaluations.

Percent calf crop: The percentage cows and heifers exposed to breeding within a herd and year that produce calves. Performance data: The record of the individual animal for reproduction, production, or carcass merit. The most useful performance records for management, selection, and promotion decisions will vary among purebred breeders and for purebred breeders compared with commercial cattle producers. Performance pedigree: A pedigree that includes performance records of the individual, ancestors, relatives, and progeny in addition to the usual pedigree information. EPDs may also be included. Performance testing: Measure of individual performance; specifically, rate and efficienc of growth and carcass traits. Phenotype: The visible or measurable expression of a character; weaning weight, postweaning gain, or reproduction for example. For most traits, phenotype is influenced by both genotype and environment. Polled: Naturally hornless cattle. Having no horns or scurs. Possible change: The amount by which an individual's current EPD might reasonably be expected to change (either upwards or downwards) as more information becomes available in subsequent national cattle evaluations. This measurement of error in prediction decreases as the number of offspring per sire increases. Postpartum: After the birth of an individual. Postpartum interval: The number of days between parturition and the first postpartum estrus. Prepotency: The ability of a parent to transmit its characteristics to its offspring so that they resemble that parent, and one another, more than usual. An individual that is homozygous for a dominant allele will show prepotency for the trait controlled by that gene, but not necessarily for any other trait. Inbred cattle, having a higher than average degree of homozygosity, may be more prepotent than outbred cattle but only for simply inherited or highly heritable traits. Preweaning gain: Weight gained between birth and weaning. Progeny: The young, or offspring, of the parents. Progeny testing: Evaluating the genotype or estimating the breeding value of an individual by evaluating the comparative phenotypic merit of its progeny. Puberty: The age at which the reproductive organs become functionally operative and secondary sex characteristics begin to develop. Purebred: An animal of known ancestry within a recognized breed that is eligible for registry in the official herd book of that breed. PACE: Pan-American Cattle Evaluation PI: persistently infected PI3: parainfluenza-3 virus PRIDE: Program for Reaching Individuals Determined to Excel Convention

Q
Qualitative (categorical) traits: Those traits in which there is a sharp distinction between phenotypes, such as black vs. red or polled vs. horned. Only one or a few pairs of genes are involved in the expression of many qualitative traits. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): A gene locus that has an effect on a quantitative trait. Often the actual nucleotide sequence is unknown, so selection is based upon genotype at a linked gene marker. Quantitative traits: Those traits, such as weaning weight, in which there is no sharp distinction in the range of phenotypes, with a gradual variation from one extreme to the other. Usually, many gene pairs are involved as well as environmental influences affect variation for such traits. QSA: Quality System Assessment

R
Rate of genetic improvement: The amount of improvement per unit of time (year). The rate of improvement is dependent on: (1) heritability of traits considered, (2) selection differentials, (3) genetic correlations among traits considered, (4) generation interval in the herd, and (5) the number of traits for which selections are made.

Ratio: An expression of an animal's performance for a particular trait relative to the herd or contemporary group average. Average is 100. Ratios greater than 100 are above average, and less than 100 are below average. Recessive: Recessive alleles are expressed only when homozygous. They must have been inherited from both parents before the phenotype with which they are associated can be expressed. At the locus affected the growth or absence of horns, for example, homozygous recessive pp individuals are horned whereas PP and Pp individuals are polled. Reference sire: A bull that has previously been progeny tested and subjected to national cattle evaluation that is used concurrently with a test sire or sires in a new progeny test program. Reference sires provide genetic linkages among herds and/or existing databases, allowing indirect comparison of the test sire with bulls evaluated at other places and times. Regression: A measure of the relationship between two variables expressing the expected change in one of them per unit change in the other. Using regression methods, the value of one trait can be predicted by knowing the value of others. For example, easily obtained carcass traits (hot carcass weight, fat thickness, rib eye area, and percentage of internal fat) are used to predict percent cutability. Relationship matrix: A table that stores numerical values for the genetic relationships among all pairs of animals in a population. It is used in genetic prediction technology to properly predict the genetic merit of each animal from its own phenotypic merit and that of all of its relatives. Relative economic value: The amount by which net income to the cattle enterprise will change, per unit change in genetic merit for a trait. Rib eye area: Area in square inches of the longissimus muscle measured at the 12th rib interface on the beef forequarter. Ribonucleic acid (RNA): A single-stranded molecule composed of ribonucleotides. RNA differs from DNA in that it contains the base uracil (U) instead of thymine (T). RNA is formed from DNA through transcription. It is involved in transferring and translating the genetic message from a gene into a protein product with a specific physiological function. Rotational crossbreeding: Systems of crossing two or more breeds where the crossbred females are bred to bulls of the breed contributing the lowest proportion of genes to those females. Rotational crossbreeding systems maintain relatively high levels of heterosis and allow for replacement heifers to be produced from within the system. Roughage: High fiber plant materials that contain a low proportion of nutrients and are usually bulky and coarse, such as hay, silage and forages. Roundup: Times when ranchers will gather cattle for vaccinations, wean calves and prepare them to be sold. REA: ribeye area, also refers to EPD RFI: residual feed intake RFID: radio frequency identification

S
Scrotal circumference: A measure of testes size obtained by measuring the distance around the testicles in the scrotum with a circular tape. Related to semen producing capacity and age at puberty of female sibs and progeny. Scurs: Horny tissue or rudimentary horns that are attached to the skin rather than the bony parts of the head Seedstock breeders: Producers whose primary goal is to produce breeding stock rather than animals for feeding and harvest. Progressive seedstock breeders have comprehensive programs designed to produce animals with optimum genetic merit for the combination of traits that will increase downstream profit of commercial beef production. Selection: Choosing some individuals and rejecting others as parents of the next generation of offspring. Selection index: A formula that combines performance records from several traits or different measurements of the same trait into a single value for each animal. Selection indexes assign relative emphasis to different traits according to their relative net economic importance, their heritabilities, and the genetic associations among them. Serving capacity: A measure of the motivation, willingness, and ability of a bull to detect and service females in estrus.

Sibs: Brothers and sisters of an individual. Sire model: A genetic prediction procedure in which EPDs are directly computed for all sires with progeny in the population. Sire summary: Published genetic predictions (EPDs) of sires for economically important traits from national cattle evaluation programs. Sperm: A mature male germ cell. Springer: Heifer or cow showing signs of advanced pregnancy; near calving. Standardized performance analysis (SPA): A set of programs that allow producers to collect, process, and interpret information on biological efficiency and economic returns to a seedstock or commercial beef production enterprise. Steer: Castrated male bovine. Super ovulation: Process by which a cow is treated with reproductive hormones to induce her to produce more eggs than normal. Supplement: Nutritional additive intended to remedy deficiencies of the diet, such as salt, minerals, protein. Systems approach: An approach to evaluating alternative individuals, breeding programs, and selection schemes that involves assessment of alternatives in terms of their net impact on all inputs and output in the production system. This approach specifically recognizes that intermediate levels of performance in several traits may be more profitable than maximum performance for any single trait.

T
Tandem selection: Selection for one trait at a time. When the desired level is reached in one trait, then selection is practiced for a second trait. Tattoo number: Numbers, and sometimes letters, tattooed in the ear or ears to permanently identify the animal. Temperament (disposition): A measure of the relative docility, wildness, or aggression of an animal toward unfamiliar situations, human handlers, or management interventions. Terminal sires: Sires used in a crossbreeding system in which all of the progeny, both male and female, are marketed. For example F, crossbred dams could be bred to terminal sires of a third breed and all calves marketed. Although this system allows maximum heterosis and complementary of breeds, replacement females must come from other herds. Threshold model: Statistical procedures for analyzing traits that are expressed in an all-or-none fashion (alive vs dead or pregnant vs open, for example) but that probably are affected by environmental factors and by genes at many loci. When genetic predictions are conducted for such traits using the threshold model, resultant EPDs reflect the expected proportion of an individual's progeny that will vs will not express the trait. Transcription: The process by which an RNA copy is made from a gene. Translation: The process by which ribosomes use the nucleotide sequence in RNA to synthesize proteins. TPR: Total Performance Records

U
Ultrasonic measurements: A non-invasive method used to estimate carcass characteristics and reproductive events. It operates off the principle that sound waves echo differently with different densities of tissue. USDA yield grade: Measurements of carcass cutability categorized into numerical categories with 1 being the leanest and 5 being the fattest. Yield grade and cutability are predicted from the same four carcass traits.

V
Variance: Variance is a statistic that numerically describes the differences among individuals for a trait in a population. Without variation, no genetic progress would be possible, since genetically superior animals would not be distinguishable from genetically inferior ones.

W
Weight per day of age (WDA): Weight of an individual divided by its age in days.

Whole Herd Reporting (WHR): An inventory based performance recording system in which the production of all animals in a breeding herd and the performance of all progeny are accounted for annually. In calf-based systems, by contrast, progeny performance data may be recorded selectively and production information is not gathered on females who do not produce live calves. An inventory based Whole Herd Reporting system is necessary to acquire the data for genetic evaluation of some reproductive traits. WDA: weight per day of age WW: weaning weight, also refers to EPD

Y
Yield grade (see cutability): A numerical score ranging from 1 (high yield) to 5 (low yield) reflecting the expected proportion of boneless, closely-trimmed cuts from the beef carcass. It is estimated from a USDA prediction equation that includes measured or estimated values for hot carcass weight, rib eye area, fat thickness, and estimated percentage of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat. YG: yield grade YW: yearling weight, also refers to EPD

Goats Terms

Goat Glossary of Terms

Last Updated: February 08, 2011 A ABOMASUM: The fourth or true stomach of a ruminant where enzymatic digestion occurs. ABSCESS: Boil; a localized collection of pus. ACIDOSIS (Grain Overload): A condition in which the pH of the rumen is abnormally low (<5.5). ACUTE: Any process occurring over a short period of time. ADJUSTED WEIGHT: Weight of the animal that has been adjusted using a correction formula to a standard age, sex, type of birth/rearing, and/or age of dam. These weights increase the accuracy of comparisons between animals for selection as it accounts for known differences in environment. Adjusted weights are often used when doing performance testing. AFTERBIRTH: The placenta and associated membranes expelled from the uterus after parturition. ANEMIA: An inadequate number of red blood cells in the body. ANESTROUS PERIOD: The time when the female does not exhibit estrus (heat); the non-breeding season. ANTHELMINTIC: A drug that expels or kills internal parasites. ANTIBODY: A protein produced by the body's immune system that recognizes and helps fight infections and other foreign substances in the body.

ANTIBOTIC: A pharmaceutical product injected or fed to the animal that helps it fight off a bacterial infection. ARTIFICAL INSEMINATION: The injection of semen into the female reproductive tract through the use of an instrument (example: French gun) in order for the animal to become pregnant. AVERAGE DAILY GAIN (ADG): The amount of weight gained each day during a period of time. B BACK CROSS: Breeding a first cross offspring back to one of the parental breeds. This is often the first step in establishing a grading up program or composite breed. BALANCED RATION: A ration containing nutrients in the correct proportion to meet the nutritional needs of the animal. BALANCE/SYMMETRY: Describes how the parts of the body blend together and result in good eye appeal and proper confirmation. BLIND TEAT: A non functional teat on the udder of the goat. It can be an additional teat that is not connected to a milk duct or one that is nonfunctional due to mastitis. BLOAT: An excessive accumulation of gas in the rumen and reticulum, resulting in distension of the abdomen. BODY CONDTION SCORE: A numeric value assigned to an animal that estimates the degree of fatness or condition that covers the animals body. This score is assessed by palpating the spine, (spinal and transverse processes) and ribs. See body condition scores for goats under goat nutrition Community of Practice. BOER: One of the breeds of meat goats used in the U.S. This breed originated in South Africa and was imported into this country during the early 90s. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. BOLUS: A rounded mass of medicine used in cattle, goats and sheep. BREED: A group of animals with similar characteristics (color, markings, size, etc.) that distinguishes it from other animals. The characteristics are passed from the parents to the offspring. BREEDING SEASON: The period when goats will breed naturally. This season usually begins in the fall. BRUSH GOAT: This was the term used to describe any goat that was of unknown breeding for many years in the U.S. These goats were generally provided very little maintenance and kept to clear brush on property. Many showed traits associated with dairy, Spanish, and Angora breeds depending on the location they were found. BUCK (Billy): A sexually mature intact male goat used for breeding. BUCKLING: A sexually immature young male.

BUCK RAG: A cloth rubbed on a buck and imbued with his odor. The rag is kept in a closed container and can be used to assist in stimulating estrus (heat) in does. BULL DOG or UNDERSHOT or MONKEY MOUTH: The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, and the teeth extend forward past the dental pad on the upper jaw. This is disqualifying feature for confirmation. BROWSE: Bushy or woody plants that goats consume. BURDIZZO: A tool used to castrate goats, sheep or cattle that crush the spermatic cords to render the male sterile. This leaves the scrotum intact; however, the testicles will shrink away. BUTT HEAD: Goats born without horns. BUTTING: A method of fighting by which one animal strikes the head and horns of its opponent. C CAPRINE: The scientific name for the goat species. CAPRINE ARTHRITIS ENCEPHALITIS (CAE): An infectious disease that causes arthritis and progressive inflammation in one or more organs or tissue systems such as the joints, bursae, brain, spinal cord, lungs and udder. This disease affects goats and is currently incurable. CALIFORNIA MASTITIS TEST (CMT): A kit that can be used to test mastitis in cows and does. CHEVON: Chevon is the French word for goat. These are animals that are slaughtered near or shortly after weaning. CARCASS: The dressed body of a slaughtered animal. CASTRATION: Removal of the testicles. CUBIC CENTIMETER (cc): A volume measurement identical to milliliter (ml). CISTERN: The final temporary storage area of milk in the udder. CLEATS (Clays, Claws, Clees): The two halves of the goats hoof. CLOSED HERD or FLOCK: No new animals are introduced into the herd or flock. CLOSTRIDIAL INFECTION: A bacterial infection that can occur in sheep and goats. Some goat diseases that are caused by this infection are: Blackleg, Enterotoxaemia (Overeating disease) and Tetanus. COCCIDIOSIS: A disease that is commonly exhibited in younger animals caused by a protozoa parasite infection. It is characterized by diarrhea, dehydration, weight loss, lack of thriftiness, and weakness. COLOSTRUM: The first milk the doe or ewe produces after given birth to their offspring. The milk is thick and golden yellow in color and contains rich antibodies. If the newborn does not consume the milk within the first 24 hours of life, there is very little chance the animal will survive.

CONCENTRATE: The non-forage part of an animals diet, principally grain and including oil seed meal and other feed supplements that are high in energy and/or protein, but low in crude fiber. CONFORMATION: The combination of structural correctness and muscling of the animal including the frame and shape of the animal. CREEP FEEDER: An enclosed feeder meant to keep larger (older) animals out for supplementing the ration of young animals. CROSS BREED: An animal whose parents are of two different breeds. CROWN ROAST: Made by adjoining two Frenched eight-rib racks with twine and bending them to form a circle. The ends are secured by twine. CRYPTORCHID: A condition where one or both testicles fail to descend into the scrotum sac. CULL: To remove a substandard animal from the herd or flock. D DAIRY GOATS: Goats that are used primarily for milk production. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. DOE (Nanny): A sexually-mature female goat. DOELING: A young female that is not yet sexually mature. DRENCHING: To administer an oral dose of liquid. DRESSING PERCENTAGE: The dressing percentage is calculated by dividing the carcass weight by the live weight. DRY PERIOD: The time when the female is not producing milk. DRYLOT: An area with no vegetation generally an outside pen area. DYSTOCIA: Difficulty in delivering the fetuses. E EAR TAG: A method of identifying animals by using a plastic or metal tag placed in the ear of the animal. The ID information is printed or written on the tag and then it is applied to the ear. This is not considered a permanent method of ID. EMBRYO: Unborn offspring that does not yet have developed organ systems and is in the very early stages of development in the uterus. ENVIRONMENT: The sum of all the conditions the animal is exposed to including: climate, housing, feed sources, disease, etc.

ESTROGEN: The hormone that primarily causes behavioral estrus. ESTROUS (adjective): An adjective describing anything having to do with the female reproductive cycle, including estrus. ESTROUS CYCLE: The beginning of one estrus (heat) to the beginning of the next estrus (heat). ESTRUS ((noun, a.k.a Heat): The period in which the female is receptive to breeding. EXTERNAL PARASITE. These parasites feed on body tissue such as blood, skin, and hair. The wounds and skin irritation produced by these parasites result in discomfort and irritation to the animal. Some examples of external parasites are: fleas, keds, lice, mites, nose-blot flies, and ticks. F FAMACHA : It is an acronym for Faffa Malan Chart; he is the person who developed a method of using the color of the inner eye lid to determine the level of parasite infection in sheep and goats in South Africa. The method is used to implement selective treatment programs for parasites in goats. To use the system properly producers need to attend training course and obtain an official chart. This system is only good for control of H. Contortus (also known as the barber pole worm). FECAL EGG COUNT (FEC): Using a fecal flotation method to determine the level of parasite load in goats based on the number and type of parasite eggs found in the feces. FECAL FLOTATION: A microscopic procedure used to identify various parasite eggs in a fecal sample. There are two basic methods used: Modified McMasters and Wisconsin methods. FECES: The manure or excrement produced by an animal. FEED ADDITIVE: Anything added to a feed, including preservatives, growth promoters and medications. FETUS: Unborn offspring that has developed organ systems. This term applies to the baby after embryonic development and until birth. FIBER (in diet): The portion of a feed that is indigestible or slowly digested by ruminants. It may be expressed as crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber, acid fiber or effective fiber. FIBER GOAT: type of goat used for fiber production. The hair is harvested and used for textile production. Angora and Cashmere are two common fiber breeds of goats in the U.S. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. FINISH/CONDITION: Refers to the amount of external fat that covers the body. FLUSHING: The process of increasing the quality of the diet of the doe before breeding season starts. The practice is used to increase the number of ovulations to try to increase the number of offspring. It is generally achieved by increasing the energy in the diet by either using high quality forage or increasing or starting feeding a concentrate. FORAGE: The hay and/or grassy portion of the diet of goats, sheep and cattle.

FOREQUARTERS: The area on the animals body that includes the withers, front legs, feet, shoulder, chest and brisket area. FREE CHOICE (Ad Libitum): Feed made available to an animal at all times so that the animal can eat whenever and as much as it chooses. FRENCHING: Frenching is the process of removing one and a half inches of meat from the end opposite the loin eye of the roast or rib chops. FRESHEN: When a does gives birth (kid) and starts to produce milk. G GAMBREL RESTRAINER: A restraining device that is made of plastic placed over the top of the animals neck, with slots on either side to hold both front legs of the animal. GENOTYPE: The specific genes that the animal has on its chromosomes. The genotype of an animal is set at conception and controls the potential performance, color, size, and fertility of the animal. The genotype and environment combine to produce the phenotype of the animal. GESTATION: The period in which the doe is pregnant (average 150 days). H HAND MATING: A breeding scheme in which a female and male are isolated by the producer in a confined area for individual breeding. HEAT (Estrus): The period in which the doe is receptive to mating. HERMAPHRODITE: A sterile animal with reproductive organs of both sexes. HORMONE: A chemical secreted into the bloodstream by an endocrine gland, bringing about a physiological response in another part of the body. HOT CARCASS WEIGHT: The weight of a dressed carcass immediately after slaughter prior to the shrinkage that occurs in the cooler. HOTWEIGHT BASIS: generally used in marketing where price is based on the hot carcass weight of the animal rather than the live weight taken just prior to processing. HYPOTHERMIA: When body temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and body functions. Inability to keep warm often caused by cold or wet weather. I IMMUNITY: Protection from disease that comes as a result of the bodys normal immune system response.

INBREEDING: The mating of closely related individuals. INTERNAL PARASITES: Parasites located in the gastrointestinal system in animals. INTRADERMAL: Within the dermis, this is the layer of skin below the epidermis (outermost layer). INTRAMUSCULAR (IM): The route of administering medications by inserting the needle straight into the skin and deep into the muscle. The recommended site for this injection is usually given in the neck of the animal. INTRANASAL (IN): The spraying or administering of a solution into the nostrils. INTRAVENOUS (IV): Medication injected into the vein, usually the jugular vein. J JOHNES DISEASE (Mycobacterium paratuberculosis): A bacterial disease causing severe weight loss and some diarrhea. Not currently curable. K KEDS: They are large, flattened, usually wingless parasitic flies. KETONE: Compounds found in the blood of pregnant does suffering from pregnancy toxemia. KETOSIS: The accumulation of ketones in the body, responsible for pregnancy diseases, acetonemia, twin lambing disease and others that occur at the end of pregnancy or within a month of kidding. KID: A goat less than one year old. KIKO: Breed of meat goats that originated in New Zealand and are known for hardiness. They have been imported in the U.S. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. L LACTATION: The period in which a doe produces milk; the secretion or formation of milk. LARVAE: The immature stage of an adult parasite. The term applies to insects, ticks and worms.

LEGUMES: A family of plants that has nodules on the roots to enable them to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. Legumes are high in protein and bear their seeds in a pod (i.e., clover, alfalfa, cowpea). LETHARGY: An animal that is slow to react lacks energy and is often sick. LIBIDO: Sex drive. LINE BREEDING: A form of inbreeding that attempts to concentrate the genetic makeup of some ancestor. LIVER FLUKES: A small leaf-shaped organism that rolls up like a scroll in the bile ducts or liver tissue. LOIN: A muscle that lies between the last rib and the hip bones of the back. Is commonly used to describe the part of the body between the last rib and the hip. LUNGWORMS: Roundworms found in the respiratory tract and lung tissue. LUTALYSE (PGF2@ or Prostaglandin): A hormone used for synchronizing estrus. M MARBELING: The fat within the muscle. MASCULINITY: Term used to describe the secondary male characteristics which are exhibited in the head, neck shoulders and chest. MASTITIS: Inflammation of the udder usually caused by a bacterial infection. MATERNAL: Pertaining to the mother or dam. MEAT GOAT (type): A breed of goat that is primarily used for meat production. METABOLIC DISEASE: Those diseases that involve the lack of or unusual breakdown of physical and chemical processes in the body. Often associated with nutrition and feeding. METRITIS: Inflammation of the uterus. MILLILITTER (ml): A metric volume measurement that is identical to cubic centimeter (cc). MICROORGANISM: Any living creature of microscopic size, especially bacteria and protozoa.

MONKEY or BULL DOG or UNDERSHOT MOUTH: The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, and the teeth extend forward past the dental pad on the upper jaw. This is disqualifying feature for confirmation. MUMMIFIED FETUS: a dead, shrunken fetus usually carried to term or later by the doe. The fetus usually died at an early stage of development, but after was too large to be reabsorbed by the doe. N NECROPSY: To examine an animal after death to determine the cause of death. NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN (NPN): Feed ingredient that is not a protein, but contains nitrogen (urea) that can be converted by the animal into protein (with enough energy). O OMASUM: The omasum is the third compartment of a ruminants stomach located between the reticulum and the abomasum. Known as manyplies. OPEN: A female that is not pregnant. OPEN SHOULDERS (Loose shoulders): The shoulder blades are structurally too far apart at the top which makes it difficult for the animal to stand for long periods or to move around freely. OVER-CONDITIONED: An animal that is excessively fat often due to over feeding. OVERSHOT or PARROT MOUTH: An animal that has the lower jaw shorter than the upper jaw and the lower teeth hit the back of the dental pad. This is disqualifying feature for confirmation. P PALATABLE or PALATABILITY: The taste and texture of forage and feed. A forage that is highly palatable has a pleasant taste and texture to livestock. PARASITE: An organism which lives on or in another living organism (host) at the expense of the latter. PARROT or OVERSHOT MOUTH: An animal that has the lower jaw shorter than the upper jaw and the lower teeth hit the back of the dental pad. This is disqualifying feature for confirmation. PARTURITION: The process of giving birth.

PASSIVE IMMUNITY: Acquiring the protection against infectious disease from another animal. This commonly occurs when a newborn consumes antibody-rich colostrum from its mother. Failure to consume sufficient colostrum increases the animals risk of contracting a disease. PATERNAL: Pertaining to the father or sire. PEDIGREE: A listing of the ancestors of an animal that generally goes back 4 to 8 generations. It is often used to prove parentage for registration in a breed association. A shorter list can be used by producers to trace parentage of animals on their farm. PELT: The skin of a goat. PENCIL SHRINK: A percentage adjustment in live weight, generally between 2 and 4 percent, which is subtracted to ensure that responsibility for weight loss during transport is shared by the buyer and seller. PERFORMANCE DATA: Information related to the growth rate of the goat. This often will include birth to weaning data and adjusted weaning weights. It correctly refers to any weight and animal gain data available on an animal. PERITONITIS: Inflammation of the internal surface of the abdomen. This condition is often the result of infections and certain diseases. pH: How much acid or how much base is in a sample. The lower the pH of a substance, the more acidic the sample. Conversely, the higher the pH, the more basic the sample. A pH of 7 is considered neutral. Normal rumen pH should be around 6-7, depending on the ration being fed. PHENOTYPE: The visible or measurable result of genotype and environment. The phenotype includes an animal's external appearance, measures of its productivity and its physiological characteristics. PHOTOPERIOD: Length of day (or length of period that that artificial light is provided). This also can be expressed as a ratio of daylight to darkness. PLACENTA: the membranes that surround the fetus while it is in the uterus. This is also referred to as the afterbirth at parturition. PLACENTITIS: Abnormal inflammation of the placenta, usually due to infectious disease. POLLED: Naturally hornless.

POSTPARTUM: Occurring after birth. ppm: Parts per million. PREPARTUM: Occurring before birth. PRIMAL CUTS: Also called wholesale cuts the original cuts resulting from the first division of the fore and hind saddle of lamb or mutton. PROGENY: Offspring. PROLAPSE: An interior organ pushing outside of the body cavity. PROGNOSIS: The chances of an animal having a normal quality of life following a disease or problem. This is reported using the words poor, fair, good, or excellent. PROLIFIC: Tendency to produce many offspring. PROTEIN: A nutrient required for growth and the repair of body tissue. PROTEIN SUPPLEMENT: A feed that contains a high density of protein and is used to supply additional protein in the ration. PROXIMAL: A structure that is nearer the main body. For example, the three bones in the foot are designated by the terms proximal, middle, and distal depending on their location relative to the main body. PUBERTY: When an animal becomes sexually mature. This occurs around 4 months of age in most goat breeds. PUREBRED: An individual whose parents are of the same breed and can be traced back to the establishment of that particular breed through the records of a registry association. PURULENT: A term describing pus-like discharge or infection. PYELONEPHRITIS: Inflammation of the kidney, beginning at the "pelvis." Generally due to a bacterial infection. Q

QUARANTINE: To confine and keep an animal away from the rest of the herd or flock to prevent the spread of disease. R RACK (meat term): refers to the rib section of the carcass along the back. This is one of the highest value cuts on a goat and is often used as a roast. RADDLE (Marker): Paint or crayon applied to the males chest to mark the females he mates. RATION: The total feed given to an animal during a 24-hour period. RECESSIVE GENE: A gene which must be present on both chromosomes in a pair to show outward signs of a certain characteristic. RECTAL PROLAPSE: When a portion of the rectum protrudes from the anus. REGISTERED: A goat whose birth and ancestry has been recorded by a registry association. RETICULUM: The second compartment of the ruminants stomach. The reticulum has a honey-combed appearance and is the receptacle for metal foreign objects that is swallowed. ROTATIONAL GRAZING: A system by which livestock are allotted to a certain grazing or browsing area for a certain period of time before they are moved to another area. ROUGHAGE: A high fiber, low total digestible nutrient feed consisting of coarse bulky plants or plant parts; dry or green feed with over 18% crude fiber. RUGGED: Big and strong. RUMP: The area between the hip bones and the tail head. RUMEN: The large first compartment of a ruminant's stomach containing a microbial population that is capable of breaking down forages and roughages. RUMENOCENTESIS (rumen tap): When the rumen contents are collected by inserting a needle into the rumen. RUMINANT: Animals that have a four-compartment stomach (rumen or paunch, reticulum or honeycomb, omasum or manyplies, and abomasum or true stomach).

RUMINATION: The process of regurgitating food to be re-chewed. S SAVANNA: Breed of meat goats that originated from South Africa. This breed states that the goats are hardier than some other breeds and have good muscle traits. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. SCALE: A device used to weigh animals, feed etc. SCOURS: Diarrhea. SCRAPIE: Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system, one of the class of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). SCROTUM: The skin sac or bag containing the testicles of a male animal. SCURS: A rudimentary horn. A small rounded portion of horn tissue attached to the skin of the horn pit of a polled animal. SECOND CROSS: Progeny resulting from the mating of true half-breeds and a distinct breed. SEPTICAEMIA: A serious infection in which the bloodstream is invaded by large numbers of causal bacteria which multiply there. SERVICE: Mating. SETTLED: A female that is pregnant. SICKLE-HOCKED: Condition when an animal has too much angle or set to the hock. This condition, when viewed from the side is identified as the animal having their feet too far under the animal while the hock is in the correct position behind the animal. SIRE: Male parent. SKIN TENT: When the skin of an animal is gently pinched and pulled outward. A dehydrated animal's skin will not rapidly return to its normal position or shape. SMOOTH-MOUTH: An animal that has lost all of its permanent incisors, usually at 7 or more years of age. SOUNDNESS: When an animal is free from disease and lacks structural defects that affect its usefulness.

SOREMOUTH: A highly contagious, (also to humans), viral infection that causes scabs around the mouth, nostrils, and eyes and may affect the udders of lactating does. SPANISH: A breed of goat that was identified in the South West part of the country and is believed to have originated from goats brought over by the Spanish explorers in the 1700s. Efforts are underway to better categorize this breed and establish breed registry. For more information please see the breeds section in the goat Community of Practice area. STANCHION: A device for restraining a goat by the neck for the purpose of feeding, milking, hoof trimming or artificial insemination. STANDING HEAT: The period in which the doe or ewe will stand still and accept the male for breeding. STILLBIRTH: A fetus born dead. There can be many possible causes some related to disease others due to nutrition or conditions in the uterus at or before the birth process starts. STOCKING RATE (per acre): The number of animals that can be pastured on one acre, or the number of acres required to pasture one animal. STRUCTURAL CORRECTNESS: Free from any conformational abnormalities which includes the skeleton, feet, and legs of the animal. STYLISH (Tracking): An animal possessing an attractive, pleasing conformation or way of movement. SUBCUTANEOUS (SQ) INJECTIONS: Insertion of the needle just under the skin and not into the muscle. This is important because SQ injectables are designed for a slower rate of absorption. T TAPEWORMS: Long, ribbon-like segmented flatworms that can inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of animals. TATTOO: Permanent identification of animals produced by placing ink under the skin, generally in the ear, or in the tail web (of the LaMancha goat) using a tattoo gun with digital (sharp needle-like) numbers. TEASER: A male that has been vasectomized and is used to indicate which females are in estrus. TETANUS: Also called Lock Jaw is a condition caused by poisons produced by Clostridium tetani which is a bacterium found in the soil. Symptoms usually appear within 7 to 14 days of exposure and include

stiffness and soreness that progresses through the body until the whole body is paralyzed within 48 hrs of first appearance. TOTAL DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS (TDN): A measure used to indicate the energy in a feed or of how much energy an animal requires. TOXEMIA: Generalized poisoning, due to soluble (usually bacterial) toxins entering the bloodstream. TOXIN: Any poisonous substance of biological origin. TOXOID: An immunizing agent against toxins produced by bacteria. Most often form of immunity to tetanus. TRACE MINERALS(TM): Minerals that are required in very small amounts. U UDDER: The mammary gland of sheep and goats that secretes-milk. UMBILICUS: The area where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. This is commonly known as the "belly button." UNDERSHOT or BULL DOG MOUTH or MONKEY MOUTH: The lower jaw is longer than the upper jaw, and the teeth extend forward past the dental pad on the upper jaw. UPGRADE: The process of grading up from a commercial animal to a specific breed through the use of backcrossing. This results in animals that are often referred to as percentage or full blood animals by breed associations. URINARY CALCULI: A metabolic disease of males characterized by the formation of stones within the urinary tract. It is caused primarily by an imbalance of dietary calcium and phosphorus. URETHROSCOPY: An examination of the urethra using an endoscope. UROLITHS or UROLITHIASIS: Describing a variety of stones that are found in the urinary system. These include kidney and bladder stones. V VACCINE: A biological product that is injected into an animal to stimulate an immunity to a particular disease.

VAGINAL PROLAPSE: The protrusion of the vagina in ewes or does during late pregnancy. VEIN: Blood vessels in the body that carry blood towards the heart. VIRULENCE: The ability a microorganism has to cause an infection or disease. Microorganisms which have the ability to cause more severe disease are said to be highly virulent. W WASTY: a:) Too much fat on the carcass; b:) An animal that has a paunchy-middle. WATTLE: A small fleshy appendage attached on or near the throat area of the goat and which serves no known function. WEAN: To separate nursing offspring from their mothers so that they no longer receive milk. WEANER or WEANLING: An animal that has been weaned from its mother or has stopped suckling its mother. WETHER: A male sheep or goat that has been castrated. WHITE MUSCLE DISEASE: Problem in young goats caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. It causes kids to be weak at birth and shortly after birth. The condition impairs the animals ability to transport oxygen properly and if not treated can result in death within 48 hrs of birth. Y YEARLING: A male or female sheep or goat that is between 1 and 2 years of age. Z ZOONOSIS or ZOONOTIC: Any animal disease that can be spread to humans.

Poultry Terms

Poultry Breeders Glossary of Terms

Admitted : accepted by the American Poultry Association as having conformed to its requirements, and placed in its Standard.

American : a class containing certain breeds originating in America (all general-purpose birds). Beard : a tuft of feathers on throat or breast. In turkeys a tuft of hairs on the breast of males. Bird : any domestic fowl. Brassy : showing yellowish tinge on white plumage. Breed : a distinct group of fowls which perpetuates its own special characteristics. "Shape makes the breed" is a common fancier's maxim. Breeds include " varieties." Brood : any lot of young fowls hatched or brooded together. Carriage : the attitude of a bird, in standing or moving. The way of holding wings, tail, and head and the balance of the bird help to make up carriage. Class : in the " Standard " sense, a group comprising certain breeds, placed together because of origin, likeness in some traits, etc. The Standard of Perfection groups breeds into fourteen classes. Cock : a male bird one year old or older. Cockerel: a male bird not yet one year old. Colony House : A detached house, carrying only a few birds, used without yards. Condition : the state of the fowl as to (a) health ; (b) plumpness; (r) plumage. Conditioning : giving especial care to put into the best condition, especially for showing. Coverts : half-long feathers, covering others and filling out the form in various sections ; as, "tail coverts." Cultures : fluids in which germs have been artificially developed, for study, or other specific purposes. Disqualified : judged unworthy to compete for prizes, because of undue defects. Ear lobes : somewhat circular areas of bare skin, red, white, etc., below the ears proper. Egg duct : the soft tube in which the egg is conveyed from the ovary, toward the point of exclusion.

Exclusion : expulsion from the egg duct. Face : the bare skin about the eyes of a fowl. Faking : preparing a bird for exhibition with an effort to deceive the judges as to its real quality. (Example, artificial coloring of feathers.) The dividing line between "grooming" and faking should come at the point where improvements in appearance deceive as to the breeding quality of the specimen. Fancy, The : the people interested in breeding and exhibiting fancy fowls. Flights : the outer, long quill feathers of the wing, used in flying. Fluff : short, soft feathers, appearing like down, on the posterior parts of any fowl's body. Gapes : an affection of the windpipe caused by threadlike worms, which choke the birds, especially the young. Gosling : the young of the goose family. Hackle : the half-long feathers depending from the head and about the neck, above the "cape," which is formed by the first feathers of the back. Hen : a female bird one year or more old. Knock-kneed : having crooked legs, approaching each other at the joint at upper end of shank. Laced : having the feathers edged with a contrasting color. Mandibles : the upper and lower parts of the beak. Penciled : marked in contrasting lines, often concentric. Said of feathers. Pea Comb : triple combs, joined into one at the base. Points : arbitrary values given to various parts of the fancy fowl TOO points indicating perfection. Each class has its own " Scale of Points." Primaries : see "Flights." Pullet : a female fowl not yet one year old. Purple Barring : cross lines of purple sheen, often appearing on black where full greenish sheen is demanded.

Recognized : acknowledged as a Standard breed. Rose Comb : a low, broad, solid comb, usually covered with blunt beaded points. Roup : a contagious disease of the head and eyes, akin to diphtheria. Scale of Points : an arbitrary allowance of the number of points belonging to each of fifteen sections. Scaly leg : an affection producing roughness of the legs, from the presence of mites beneath the smooth scales of the shank. Section : a division of the body of a bird, especially for the purposes of judging at exhibitions. Judges are instructed to consider carefully every section of any bird to be judged. They " must" do so. Shank : that section of the leg just above the foot, covered with scales. Sickles : the pair of long feathers floating above the true or main tail. Silver-laced : Laced with silvery white, as the hackles in Silver Wyandottes. Spangled : blotched at the end of the feather with contrasting color. Squirrel Tail : a tail carried forward of the line perpendicular to the back at its junction with tail. Standard of Perfection : the book containing the authorized descriptions of all recognized breeds, according to the American Poultry Association's demands. Tom: the male turkey. Variety : a division of a breed, usually differentiated by color only. Wattles: fleshy, pendent growths from the throat, near the bill. Weaning coop : the larger coop which receives a brood when weaned from the hen, or brooder. Web : the flat, plumy surface portion of the feather, with barbs interlocked. Wing Bar : a bar of contrasting or especially brilliant color extending across the wing made by markings on the wingcovert feathers.

Wry tail : a tail turned to one side by accidental or other deformity.