Abdomen. On a honey bee, the third section of the body, containing the intestine (ventriculus), reproductive and execretory systems, and sting apparatus.
abomasum. Fourth stomach or true stomach of the ruminant animal, in which enzymatic digestion occurs.
abscess. Boil; localized collection of pus.
acidosis. Severe digestive upset from change in rumen bacteria.
acute infection. An infection or disease that has rapid onset and pronounced signs and symptoms.
African honey bee. The highly aggressive southern African honey bee Apis mellifera scutellata, imported by Brazil in 1956.
Africanized honey bee. A hybrid cross between an African honey bee and a European honey bee, resulting in a bee that is more aggressive than the European bee.
afterbirth. Placental tissue attached to the uterus during gestation and expelled after the birth.
air cell. Air space usually found in the large end of an egg.
albumen. The white of the egg.
anemia. A deficiency in the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, possibly caused by loss of blood or by certain disease conditions.
anestrus. The nonbreeding season; the state (for females) of being not in heat.
artificial insemination (AI). The process in which a technician puts semen from a male animal into the uterus of a female animal to create pregnancy.
aviary netting. Fencing woven in a honeycomb pattern with ½-inch (1.25 cm) openings.
Balling gun. A device used to administer a bolus (a large pill).
Bang’s disease. See brucellosis.
bantam. A diminutive chicken about one-fourth the size of a regular chicken, some breeds of which are distinct while others are miniatures of large breeds.
barrow. A castrated male pig. He is the meat animal that is the basis of the pork industry, although gilts do produce leaner carcasses.
beak. The upper and lower mandibles of chickens and turkeys.
bean. A hard protuberance on the upper mandible of waterfowl.
beard. Feathers bunched under the beaks of some chicken breeds, such as the Antwerp Belgian, the Faverolle, and the Houdan; also coarse hairlike bristles growing from a turkey’s chest; also a clump of long hairs growing under a goat’s chin.
bedding. Straw, wood shavings, shredded paper, or any other material used to cover the floor of an animal pen to absorb moisture and manure. Also called litter.
bee space. The ¼- to 3/8-inch (0.7–1 cm) space conserved by the honey bee to provide passageway through the comb, and the basis for development of the moveable-frame hive on which beekeeping is based.
bevy. A flock of ducks.
bill. The upper and lower mandibles of waterfowl.
bleaching. The fading of color from the beak, shanks, and vent of a yellowskinned laying hen.
bloat. An excessive accumulation of gas in a ruminant’s rumen and reticulum, resulting in distension.
blood spot. Blood in an egg caused by a rupture of small blood vessels, usually at the time of ovulation.
bloom. The moist, protective coating on a freshly laid egg that dries so fast you rarely see it; also, peak condition in exhibition poultry.
blowout. Vent damage caused by laying an oversize egg.
boar. An intact male hog kept for breeding.
body capacity. The internal dimensions of an animal’s body.
bolus. A large pill for animals; also, regurgitated food that has been chewed (cud) by a ruminant.
bovine. Pertaining to or derived from cattle.
bovine virus diarrhea (BVD). A viral disease that can cause abortion, diseased calves, or suppression of the immune system.
break up. To discourage a female bird from being broody.
breech. The buttocks; a birth in which the fetus is presented rear first.
breed. A group of animals with the same ancestry and characteristics.
breeder ration. A nutritious feed used to boost the reproductive ability of breeding animals.
brisket. The front of a cow above the legs.
broiler. A young chicken grown for its tender meat. Also called a fryer.
broken. A color pattern in which blotches of color appear on a white background.
broken mouth. Having lost teeth.
brood. In poultry: to set on a nest of eggs until they hatch. Also, the resulting hatchlings, collectively. In bees: collectively, the immature stages of the honey bee, including eggs, larvae, and pupae.
brood chamber. A section of the hive used for brood rearing of honey bees.
brooder. A mechanical device used to imitate the warmth and protection a mother bird gives her chicks.
broody hen. A setting hen.
browse. Bushy or woody plants; to eat such plants.
brucellosis. A bacterial disease that causes abortion.
buck. A mature male goat or rabbit.
buck rag. A cloth rubbed onto a male goat and imbued with his odor and kept in a closed container until it is exposed to a doe to observe her reaction to help determine if she’s in heat.
buckling. A young male goat or rabbit.
bull. An uncastrated male bovine of any age.
bummer. A lamb that has to be bottlefed because it is either an orphan or a lamb whose mother doesn’t produce enough milk for multiple lambs.
bunny. A affectionate term for rabbit. Also a baby rabbit; also called a kit.
burdizzo. A castrating device that crushes the spermatic cords to render a male animal sterile.
butcher hog. A hog being readied for or sold on the slaughter market. Also called a market hog.
Calf. A young bovine of either sex, less than a year old.
California Mastitis Test (CMT). A doit-yourself kit to determine if a female milking animal has mastitis.
calve. To give birth to a calf.
candle. To determine the interior quality of an egg by shining a light through it.
cannibalism. The bad habit some chickens and turkeys have of eating one another’s flesh or feathers.
capped brood. The portion of the honey bee brood that has been covered with wax and houses the pupae.
caprine. Pertaining to or derived from a goat.
caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE). A serious and widespread type of viral arthritis.
carrier. An animal that carries a disease but doesn’t show signs of it.
caruncle. A fleshy nonfeathered outgrowth around the eyes and head, and sometimes neck, of certain species of fowl.
castrate. To remove the testicles of a male animal to make him permanently incapable of breeding.
cervix. The opening (usually sealed) between the uterus and the vagina, which widens to allow an animal to give birth.
chalazae. White, twisted, ropelike structures that anchor the egg yolk in the center of the egg by their attachment to the layers of thick albumen.
chevon. Goat meat.
chicken wire. Fencing woven in a honeycomb pattern with 1-inch (2.5 cm) openings.
clean legged. Description of a chicken having no feathers growing down the shanks.
cloaca. The cavity just inside a fowl’s vent, into which the intestinal and genitourinary tracts empty.
closed face. In sheep, having heavy wool about the eyes and cheeks.
clostridial diseases. Diseases caused by Clostridia bacteria (including tetanus and enterotoxemia) that produce powerful toxins causing sudden illness.
clutch. A batch of eggs that are hatched together, either in a nest or in an incubator.
coccidiosis. An intestinal disease, caused by protozoa, that usually causes diarrhea.
coccidiostat. A drug used to prevent coccidiosis.
cock. A male chicken; also called a rooster.
cockerel. A male bird under 12 months of age.
colic. An abdominal condition of mammals generally characterized by severe pain.
colostrum. The first milk from a female animal that has just given birth, which contains antibodies that give the newborn animal temporary protection against certain diseases.
comb. The fleshy prominence on the top of the head of fowl. Also, to remove short fibers from wool and leave long fibers laid out straight and parallel. Also, collectively the wax cells of a honey bee’s nest, which are constructed back to back into a solid slab and usually surrounded by a wooden frame.
concentrate. Feed—consisting of grains and oil meals—that is low in fiber and high in food value.
condition. Degree of health.
conformation. An animal’s overall shape and other physical attributes.
congenital. A birth defect.
coop. The house or cage in which poultry live.
cover. The fat a meat animal lays on beneath the skin as it approaches market weight.
cow. A bovine female that has had one or more calves.
creep feeder. An enclosed feeder for supplementing the ration of young animals that excludes larger animals.
creep-feeding. Providing extra feed (such as grain) to young animals that are still nursing their mothers.
crest. The elongated feathers on the head of some breeds of duck and chicken.
crop. An enlargement of the gullet of fowl where food is stored and prepared for digestion.
crossbred. The offspring of two different breeds.
cross-fencing. A fence used to subdivide a pasture into smaller paddocks.
crotch. To trim wool or hair from around a sheep’s tail and udder.
cryptosporidiosis. Diarrhea in young animals caused by protozoa; may also cause diarrhea in humans.
cud. In ruminant animals, a wad of food burped up from the rumen to be rechewed.
cull. To remove a substandard animal from the herd.
cycling. Heat cycles in a nonpregnant female.
Dam. The female parent.
dehorn. To remove the horns of an animal that was not disbudded soon after birth.
dewclaw. A horny structure on the lower leg above the hoof.
dewlap. Loose skin under the neck.
diphtheria. A bacterial disease in the mouth or the throat.
disbud. To remove the horn buds from a young animal to prevent horn growth.
disbudding iron. A tool, usually electric, that is heated to burn the horn buds from young animals.
dished face. Having a concave nose, such as that of the Saanen goat.
dock. To cut off the tail; also the remaining portion of the tail that has been docked.
doe. A female goat or rabbit.
doeling. A young female goat or rabbit.
down. The furlike covering of newly hatched poultry. Also the fluffy bottom part of a chicken or turkey feather. Also, the inner layer of soft, light feathers on waterfowl.
drake. A male duck.
drake feather. One of three curly feathers on a drake’s tail.
drakelet. A young male duck.
drench. To give liquid medication.
dress. To clean meat in preparation for cooking.
drove. A herd or group of pigs.
dry. Not producing milk.
dry period. The time when a female animal is not producing milk.
drylot. A large lot used to maintain animals that is devoid of vegetation due to foot traffic and numbers present.
duck. Any member of the family Anatidae and specifically a female.
ducklet. A young female duck.
duckling. A baby duck.
Ear canker. A scabby condition inside a rabbit’s ear caused by mites.
edema. Swelling due to excess accumulation of fluid in tissue spaces.
egg tooth. A small, horny protuberance attached to upper mandible of a hatching bird’s break or bill that it uses to help break open the shell, then falls off several days after hatching.
elastrator. The tool used to apply elastrator rings.
elastrator rings. Castrating rings, resembling rubber bands, applied to the scrotum so it will atrophy and fall off.
electrolytes. Important body salts, including sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, that must be replaced as a result of dehydration.
endotoxic shock. Shock caused by body systems shutting down in reaction to bacterial poisons.
endotoxin. The poison created when bacteria multiply in the body.
enteritis. Inflammation of the intestine.
enterotoxemia. A bacterial gut infection caused by Clostridium perfringens, usually resulting in death; also called pulpy kidney disease and overeating disease.
Escherichia coli. A type of bacterium that has more than 100 strains, some of which cause serious infection.
esophageal feeder. A tube put down an animal’s throat to force-feed fluids from a feeder bag.
estrous cycle. The time and physiological events that take place in one heat period.
estrus. The period when a female animal is in heat and will willingly mate with a male animal.
ewe. A mature female sheep.
Face. To trim wool from around the face of closed-face sheep.
feather legged. Having feathers growing down the shanks.
feather out. To grow a full set of plumage.
feed additive. Anything added to a ration, including preservatives, growth promotants, and medications.
feeder pig. A young pig—most often between 40 and 70 pounds (18.1 and 31.8 kg)—produced by one farmer and sold to another for feeding out to market weight.
fetus. An animal in the uterus or within an eggshell prior to its birth.
finish. To mature and fatten enough to butcher (to reach butchering condition).
flight feathers. The primary feathers on the wing of fowl; sometimes used to denote the primaries and secondaries.
flight zone. The proximity you can get to an animal before it flees.
flock. A group of chickens, turkeys, or sheep.
flush. To feed a female more generously than usual two to three weeks before breeding in order to stimulate the onset of heat and improve the chances of conception.
foot rot. An infection in the foot of a hooved animal, causing severe lameness.
forage. The hay and/or grassy portion of an animal’s diet.
forced-air incubator. A mechanical device for hatching fertile eggs that has a fan to circulate warm air.
foundation. Thin sheets of beeswax (sometimes plastic) embossed with hexagonal cells, and the template used by honey bees to construct the cells that becomes the comb.
founder. Inflammation of the hooves.
fowl. A term applied collectively to chickens, ducks, geese, and the like, or the market class designation for old laying birds.
frame size. The measure of hip height, used to determine skeletal size.
free choice. Feed that is available to be eaten at all times.
free range. Poultry allowed to range and forage at will.
freshen. To give birth and begin to produce milk.
frizzle. Having feathers that curl rather than lie flat.
fryer. See broiler.
full feeding. Allowing an animal to consume all the feed it desires daily; also called free choice.
Gaggle. A flock of geese.
gander. A male goose.
germinal disc. In an egg, the fertility spot from which an embryo grows.
gestation. The time between breeding and birth.
gilt. A female hog that has yet to bear young.
gizzard. The muscular stomach of fowl that contains grit for grinding food.
goose. The female goose, as distinguished from the gander.
gosling. A young goose of either sex.
grade. Unregistered; not purebred.
graft. To have an adult female accept and mother a young animal that isn’t her own.
green. Young waterfowl that have gone into the first molt.
grit. The hard, insoluble materials eaten by fowl and used by the gizzard to grind up food.
grow-out period. The time it takes for an animal to grow from weaning to harvest.
gut. The digestive tract.
Hackle. The long feathers on a rooster’s neck and saddle.
halter. A rope or leather headgear used to control or lead an animal.
hardware disease. Peritonitis (infection in the abdomen) caused by a sharp foreign object penetrating the gut wall.
hatch. To come out of the egg; also, a group of birds that come out of their shells at roughly the same time.
hatchability. The percentage of fertilized eggs that hatch under incubation.
hatchling. A bird that has just hatched.
hay. Dried forage.
heat. See estrus.
heifer. A young female bovine that has not calved.
hemoglobin. The compound in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
hen. A female chicken more than 12 months of age.
hen feathered. In a cock, having round feathers on the hackle and saddle.
herd. A group of goats or cattle.
hock. The large joint halfway up the hind leg.
hog. A swine weighing more than 120 pounds (54.4 kg).
hog forty. A 40 percent crude-protein supplement used widely to formulate swine rations.
hoof rot. See foot rot.
hopper. A food container that is filled from the top and dispenses from the bottom and is used for free-choice feeding of grain, grit, and other supplements.
horn bud. A small bump from which a horn grows.
hurdle. A short, solid gate used when handling and herding hogs and sheep.
hutch. A rabbit cage.
Incubate. To keep eggs warm and properly humid until they hatch.
incubation period. The number of days required for eggs to hatch once they are warmed to incubation temperature.
incubator. A mechanical device for hatching fertile eggs.
infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). A respiratory disease caused by a virus; also called red nose.
international unit (IU). A standard unit of potency of a biologic agent such as a vitamin or antibiotic.
intramuscular (IM). Into a muscle.
intravenous (IV). Into a vein.
iodine. A chemical used for disinfecting.
J-clip. A J-shaped metal clip used in hutch construction. Special pliers are required for application.
Johne’s disease. A wasting, often fatal form of enteritis.
jug. A small pen large enough for just one ewe and her offspring.
junior. See green.
Ked. An external parasite that affects sheep.
keel. The breastbone or sternum of fowl.
kemp. Straight, brittle, chalky white mohair fiber.
ketosis. An overaccumulation of ketones in the body as a result of abnormal fat metabolism.
kid. A goat under 1 year of age; also, in goats, to give birth.
kindle. To give birth to a litter of rabbits.
kit. A baby rabbit.
knob. A rounded protuberance appearing at the base of the bill (between the eyes) of some species of goose.
Lactation. The period in which an animal is producing milk; the secretion or formation of milk.
lamb. A newborn or immature sheep, typically under 1 year of age.
lay ration. Feed that is formulated to stimulate egg production.
legume. A plant belonging to the pea family (such as alfalfa and clover).
leptospirosis. A bacterial disease that can cause abortion.
letdown. A physiological process that allows milk to be removed from the udder.
lice. Tiny external parasites on the skin that cause discomfort by either biting or sucking.
limit feeding. Restricting of the amount of energy feedstuffs an animal receives daily, often done to keep broilers from growing too fast or to keep brood sows from becoming excessively fat and having farrowing difficulties.
listeriosis. A bacterial disease that can cause abortion.
litter. Collectively, the offspring of a rabbit from a single birth. See also bedding.
liver flukes. Parasites that infest snails and spend part of their life cycle in cattle, damaging the liver and making the host more susceptible to red water.
lumpy jaw. An abscess in the mouth caused by infection.
Maintenance ration. A feed used for adult animals that are not in production.
malocclusion. An abnormal coming together of teeth.
mammary tissue. Milk-producing tissue in the udder.
mandible. The upper or lower bony portion of a bird’s beak or bill.
mange. A skin disease caused by mites that feed on the skin.
marbled. Having flecks of fat interspersed in muscle.
mash. A mixture of finely ground grains.
mastitis. Infection and inflammation in the udder.
mature. Old enough to reproduce.
meconium. The dark, sticky first bowel movement of a newborn animal.
milking bench (or stand). A raised platform, usually with a seat for the milker and a stanchion for the goat’s neck, that a goat stands upon to be milked.
mites. Tiny parasites that feed on skin, causing mange or scabies.
molt. To shed old feathers, fur, or hair and grow a new coat.
mount. To rear up over the back of an animal, as a bull does a cow when breeding.
mutton. Meat from a mature or aged sheep over 1 year old.
Nectar. Sweet sugar solution secreted by flowers that is the raw material for honey.
needle teeth. Also called wolf teeth, these are the two large teeth on each side of the upper nad lower jaw that are present at birth. If not clipped off, they can cut the sow’s udder or other pigs, and infection will result.
nematode. Roundworm.
nest box. A place for fowl to lay eggs or rabbits to give birth.
Nolvasan. An all-purpose disinfectant.
nucleus hive (nuc). A starter unit consisting of a nucleus colony (three to five frames of bees), usually installed into a standard ten-frame hive, that becomes the foundation for a new fullsize colony.
Off feed. Not eating as much as normal.
omasum. One of the four stomach compartments in the ruminant animal.
open. Not pregnant.
open brood. Brood of honey bees that has yet to be capped with wax, containing eggs and larvae.
open face. In sheep, not having much wool around the eyes and cheeks.
overconditioned. Overfed or fat.
oviduct. The long, glandular tube of female fowl, leading from the ovary to the cloaca, in which egg formation takes place.
Package bees. A screened container holding a specific number of adult honey bees, a caged queen, and a can of sugar syrup sold to start new colonies.
parainfluenza (P13). A viral respiratory agent that by itself causes a mild disease but in combination with bacterial infection can be severe.
parasite. An organism that lives in or on an animal.
parturition. The birth process.
pastern. The area between the hoof and the fetlock joint, corresponding to the human ankle.
pasting. Loose droppings sticking to the anal area.
pathogen. A harmful invasive microorganism, such as a bacterium or virus.
peck order. The heirarchy of status or social ranking.
pedigree. The list of an animal’s forebears.
peritonitis. An infection in the abdominal cavity.
pH. The measure of acidity or alkalinity; on a scale of 1 to 14, 7 is neutral, 1 is most acid, and 14 is most alkaline.
pheromone. A chemical substance secreted by organisms that elicits specific behavior in others of its species, such as queen pheromones in honey bees that keep worker bees from laying eggs.
pig. A young swine.
pigeon-toed. Having toes turning inward instead of pointing straight ahead.
pinfeathers. New feathers just emerging from the skin.
pinion. The tip of a wing. Also, to cut off the tip of a wing to prevent flight.
pinkeye. A contagious eye infection spread by face flies.
pip. The hole a chick makes in its egg’s shell when it is ready to hatch; also, the act of making the hole.
placenta. The afterbirth, which is attached to the uterus during pregnancy as a buffer and lifeline for the developing animal.
plumage. All of a bird’s feathers, collectively.
poll. The top of the head.
polled. Born without horns; naturally hornless.
pollen. Dustlike grains produced in the anthers of flowers as the male element of their reproductive system, collected and stored by honey bees as the protein part of their diet.
post legged. Having hind legs that are too straight, with not enough angle in the hocks and stifles.
poult. A young turkey of either gender.
preen. To clean and organize feathers with the beak or bill.
primary feather. One of the long feathers at the end of a wing.
prolapse. Protrusion of an inverted organ such as rectum, vagina, or uterus.
propolis. A resin collected by honey bees from certain trees and used for filling cracks and crevices in the comb, as a comb reinforcement, and to cover and isolate objectionable materials bees cannot physically remove from the hive.
protozoa. One-celled animals, some of which cause disease.
puberty. The age at which an animal matures sexually and can reproduce.
pullet. A female chicken less than 1 year of age.
purebred. An animal whose ancestry can be traced back to the establishment of a breed through the records of a registry association.
Quarantine. To keep an animal isolated from other animals to prevent the spread of infections.
quarter. One of a cow’s four teats.
Ram. A mature male sheep.
ram lamb. An immature male sheep.
ration. The combination of all feed consumed in a day.
raw milk. Milk as it comes from an animal; unpasteurized milk.
red water. A deadly bacterial disease of cattle caused by Clostridium haemolyticum.
registered. Description of an animal with birth and ancestry recorded by a registry association.
relative humidity. The percentage of moisture saturation in the air.
rennet. An enzyme used to curdle milk and make cheese.
reticulum. The second of the four stomach compartments in the ruminant animal.
ringworm. A fungal infection causing scaly patches of skin.
roaster. A young chicken of either sex, usually 3 to 5 months of age, that has tender meat, soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin, and a breastbone cartilage somewhat less flexible than that of the broiler-fryer.
roost. A perch on which fowl rest or sleep. Also, to rest on a roost.
rooster. A male chicken; also called a cock.
rotational grazing. The use of various pastures in sequence to give each one a chance to regrow before grazing it again.
roughage. Feed that is high in fiber and low in energy, such as hay or pasture.
royal jelly. A nutritious food produced by worker bees and fed exclusively to larvae that will develop into queens. Also called bee milk.
rumen. The largest stomach compartment in the ruminant animal, in which roughage is digested with the aid of microorganisms in a fermentation process.
ruminant. An animal that chews its cud and has four stomach compartments.
Saltpeter. Sodium nitrate; a curing product.
Satin. A breed of rabbit with transparent hair shafts that create an extremely lustrous coat.
scabies. A skin disease caused by a certain type of mite.
scales. The small, hard, overlapping plates covering the shanks and toes of fowl.
scours. Persistent diarrhea in a young animal.
scrapie. A usually fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep and goats.
scratch. The habit chickens have of scraping their claws against the ground to dig up tasty things to eat; also, any grain fed to chickens.
scurs. Horny tissue or rudimentary horns attached to the skin rather than to the skull.
selenium. A mineral needed in small amounts in the diet (too much is poisonous).
self-feeding. Allowing an animal to meet its own nutritional needs from a feeder that stores large amounts of feedstuffs so the animal has unlimited access to them. Also called free-choice feeding or full feed.
set. To keep eggs warm so they will hatch.
settle. To become pregnant.
sex. To sort by gender.
shank. The part of a fowl’s leg between the claw and the first joint.
shoat. A hog from the time of weaning until it reaches 120 pounds (54.4 kg).
sickle hocked. Having too much angle in the hind legs (weak construction).
silage. Feed cut and stored green and preserved by fermentation.
sire. The male parent; also to father.
snood. The fleshy appendage on the head of a turkey.
snuffles. A highly contagious respiratory disease of rabbits marked by nasal discharge.
sore hocks. Ulcerated footpads in rabbits.
sow. A female hog that has borne young.
splayfooted. Having toes that turn out.
spurs. The sharp points on the shanks of roosters and tom turkeys.
stag. A late-castrated steer or hog, or improperly castrated steer that still shows masculine characteristics; also a mature rooster.
stanchion. A framework consisting of vertical bars used to secure an animal in a stall or at a feed trough.
standard. The description of an ideal specimen for its breed.
standing heat. The time during heat when the female animal allows the male animal to mount and breed.
started. Having survived the first few critical days or weeks of life and begun to develop.
starter. A ration formulated for newly hatched fowl. Also a second-stage feed for young pigs, given from the age of 14 days until they reach 40 to 50 pounds (18.1 to 22.7 kg) in weight.
steer. A male bovine after castration.
stifle. The large joint high on an animal’s hind leg by the flank, equivalent to the human knee.
straight run. Description of newly hatched fowl that have not been sorted by gender. Also called unsexed or as hatched.
straw. Dried plant matter (usually oat, wheat, or barley leaves and stems) used as bedding; also, the glass tube semen is stored in for artificial insemination.
strip. To remove the last of the milk from an udder.
subcutaneous (SQ). Under the skin.
supplement. A feed additive that supplies something missing in the diet, such as additional protein, vitamins, minerals. Also to feed such an additive.
swarm. A portion of a honey bee colony, including the queen, that leaves its home to establish a new one elsewhere. Also the act of such a group leaving the colony.
swine. A generic term roughly equal to (but a little fancier than) hog.
Tag. A lock of wool contaminated by dung and dirt. Also to cut away such dung locks.
tallow. The extracted fat from sheep and cattle.
tattoo. The permanent identification of animals produced by placing indelible ink under the skin; to apply a tattoo.
tom. A male turkey.
top-dress. To place an additive or treatment on top of an animal’s regular ration for consumption at the same time.
topline. The top of an animal running along the back.
toxemia. A condition in which bacterial toxins invade the bloodstream and poison the body.
trace minerals. Minerals needed in the diet in tiny amounts.
trichomoniasis. A disease caused by protozoa.
trio. Two females and one male of the same breed and variety.
tuft. A puff of feathers on top of a goose’s head.
Udder. Mammary glands and teats.
udder wash. A dilute chemical solution, usually an iodine compound, for washing udders before milking.
Vaccine. A fluid containing killed or modified live germs, injected into the body to stimulate production of antibodies and immunity.
vent. The external opening from the cloaca of fowl, through which it emits eggs and droppings.
vermifuge. Any chemical substance administered to an animal to kill internal parasitic worms.
vibriosis. A venereal disease of cattle that causes early abortion.
vulva. The external opening of the vagina.
Warts. Skin growths caused by a virus.
wattle. A small, fleshy appendage that dangles under the chin of some fowl species.
wean. To separate a young animal from its mother or stop feeding it milk.
wether. A castrated male sheep or goat.
whey. The liquid remaining when curd is removed from curdled milk as part of the process of making cheese.
white muscle disease. Nutritional muscular distrophy, a fatal condition in calves and goats, caused by selenium deficiency, in which heart muscle fibers are replaced with connective tissue.
withdrawal period. The amount of time that must elapse for a drug to be eliminated from an animal’s body before it is butchered so the meat or milk contains no residue.
wolf teeth. See needle teeth.
wool block. An illness in rabbits caused by swallowed fur forming a blockage in the digestive tract.
Yearling. A male or female cow between 1 and 2 years of age.