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Farmers and ranch owners use split rail fencing to keep their livestock confined. The wood they most commonly use for their fencing is cedar or chestnut which has been proven to be very strong wood for fencing. Split rail fencing is very cost effective and safe for use with livestock and it's easy to install. It rarely needs to be... more »
The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a voluntary program under development to protect livestock during major animal disease outbreaks. It also seeks to uphold consumer confidence in a safe food supply and avoid interruption of international agriculture trade. more »
Keeping livestock, such as goats, sheep or ponies, in a small family farm or rural backyard can be an enjoyable and rewarding hobby. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on an actual barn or a pre-fab livestock run made of metal and plastic, consider building your own livestock run in a shed. more »
Hoof and mouth disease (often called foot and mouth disease) is a highly contagious, fast-spreading virus that affects any animal that has cloven hoofs. The hoofs and mouth blister and peel, and the afflicted animal may not eat. The virus can also attack the heart, killing the animal instantly. Hoof and mouth disease is spread through... more »
One of the biggest reasons people raise llamas is for their wool. Llama wool can be crafted into luxurious clothing and other items, such as blankets and stuffed toys. Llama wool is plentiful, comes in a variety of colors and can be harvested twice a year. more »
Whether you are interested in Pygmy goats as pets or as farm livestock, these friendly little...
The agriculture industry employs an increasing percentage of this nation's workforce every year....
Aluminum fences are durable, light weight and rust resistant. Unlike wrought iron or...
Defining your garden or yard with fences and walls may be necessary for security, but they don’t...
Every person who owns livestock has to know how to safely transport the livestock from one point to another. There are several reasons that... more »
Small livestock, like chickens, rabbits and goats, are great animals to have, but they do require special feeding. The process of feeding small... more »
With feed costs rising every week, many livestock owners are looking to either cut back or get out of animal husbandry altogether. Also, often... more »
Farming and animal experience is not necessary to pursue a career in livestock management. Animal science study is needed and can include dairy... more »
Many livestock owners have a hard time finding ways to protect their livestock herds from natural predators. Methods to do this often don't work... more »
Livestock (also cattle) refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fiber, or labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning of "livestock" is common.
Livestock generally are raised for subsistence or for profit. Raising animals (animal husbandry) is an important component of modern agriculture. It has been practiced in many cultures since the transition to farming from hunter-gather lifestyles.
The global livestock population (cattle and pigs) is around 65 billion.Gilbert N. (2009). The disappearing nutrient. Nature, 461:716-718
History
Animal-rearing has its origins in the transition of cultures to settled farming communities rather than hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Animals are ‘domesticated’ when their breeding and living conditions are controlled by humans. Over time, the collective behaviour, life cycle, and physiology of livestock have changed radically. Many modern farm animals are unsuited to life in the wild. Dogs were domesticated in East Asia about 15,000 years ago, Goats and sheep were domesticated around 8000 BCE in Asia. Swine or pigs were domesticated by 7000 BCE in the Middle East and China. The earliest evidence of horse domestication dates to around 4000 BCEBoL>
Older English sources, such as the King James Version of the Bible, refer to livestock in general as "cattle", as opposed to the word "deer", which then was used for wild animals which were not owned. The word cattle is derived from Middle English chatel, which meant all kinds of movable personal property http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chattel Origin of chattel, accessed August 15, 2009, including of course livestock, which was differentiated from non-movable real-estate. In later English, sometimes smaller livestock was called "small cattle" in that sense of movabl read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock
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