Livestock

A sheep dog is guarding a flock of sheep. Sheep are commonly kept as livestock.

Livestock are domestic animals that are kept by people. Their uses are for meat, milking, wool, leather, or labor. Taking care of livestock is animal husbandry. Some types of livestock are: cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Chickens produce eggs; pigs produce meat; cattle, goats and sheep create milk, and sheep also create wool.^[1] Horses, cattle, camels, llamas, water buffalo, and other large animals do work for people, such as pulling wagons and other vehicles.

The breeding, keeping alive, and killing of livestock is called animal husbandry. Animal husbandry have been practiced by humans for a long time. There are different animal husbandry practices used by different cultures. It is an important part of the economy and culture of many countries.

Intensive animal farming, which is sometimes called "factory farming" is mostly used today. 99% of livestock in the US are now raised with intensive animal farming.^[2] Intensive animal farming increases the amount of things we can get from the livestock but it has also led to bad effects on animal welfare, the environment, and public health.^[3]

Etymology

This Australian road sign uses "stock" for livestock.

Livestock as a word was first used between 1650 and 1660.^[4] Today, cattle means domesticated bovines, while livestock now means domesticated animals.^[5]

History

Animal husbandry started when humans stopped hunting and gathering and settled in farming communities. Animals are domesticated when the way they breed and live are controlled by humans. After a long time, the way they act and the way they look changes. Today, many farm animals cannot live in the wild.

The dog was domesticated in Europe and the Far East from about 15,000 years ago.^[6] Goats and sheep were domesticated between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia.^[7] Pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China.^[8]^[9] Domestication of the horse dates to around 4000 BC.^[10] Cattle have been domesticated since approximately 10,500 years ago.^[11] Chickens and other poultry may have been domesticated around 7000 BC.^[12]

Some common livestock

Animal	Wild ancestor	Where it was domesticated	Uses
Horse	Tarpan	Mongolia	For meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racing
Donkey	African wild ass	Africa	For meat, milk, hide, work, and riding
Cattle	Aurochs	Eurasia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Zebu	Indian aurochs	Eurasia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Bali cattle	Banteng	Southeast Asia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Domestic yak	Wild yak	Tibet	For meat, milk, hide, work
Water buffalo	Wild water buffalo	India and Southeast Asia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Gayal	Gaur	India and Malaysia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Domestic sheep	Mouflon	Iran and Asia minor	For meat, milk, and fleece
Domestic goat	Wild goat	Greece and Pakistan	For meat, milk, and fleece
Reindeer	Reindeer	Eurasia	For meat, milk, hide, work
Bactrian camel	Wild Bactrian camel	Central Asia	For meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racing
Arabian camel	Thomas's camel	North Africa and Southwest Asia	For meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racing
Llama	Guanaco	Andes	For meat, milk, hide, and work
Alpaca	Guanaco	Andes	For meat, milk, hide, and work
Domestic pig	Wild boar	Eurasia	For meat, hide
Rabbit	European rabbit	Europe	For meat, skins, Angora wool, and as a pet
Guinea pig	Montane guinea pig	Andes	For meat and as a pet
Domestic pigeon	Rock dove	Old World	For meat, eggs, and as homing pigeons
Barbary dove	African collared dove	Africa	For meat and eggs
Chicken	Red junglefowl	Southeast Asia	For meat, eggs, and cockfighting
Domestic turkey	Wild turkey	Central America	For meat and eggs
Domestic duck	Mallard	Southeast Asia	For meat and eggs
Domestic Muscovy duck	Muscovy duck	Americas	For meat and eggs
Domestic goose	Greylag goose	North Africa, Southern Europe, or Western Asia	For meat and eggs
Chinese goose African goose	Swan goose	China	For meat and eggs
Domestic guineafowl	Helmeted guineafowl	Africa	For meat and eggs

Livestock Media

Cattle on a pasture in Austria
Sheep in Écrins National Park (France)
This Australian road sign uses the less common term "stock" for livestock.
Two young Nokota mares
Donkey in Clovelly, North Devon, England
Holstein-Friesian milk cow*Because much of the cost of a cow is the feed and labor needed to maintain her, fewer but higher yielding cows mean lower priced milk. Dairy herd improvement ultimately benefits consumers.*That's why it's just as important to keep complete and accurate records as it is to keep the cows contented.
A zebu bull.
Balinese cow grazing in Seminyak
Bos grunniens - Syracuse Zoo