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170px Sheep are commonly bred as livestock.Livestock refers to domesticated animals, that may be kept or raised in pens, houses, pastures, or on farms as part of an agricultural or farming operation, whether for commerce or private use. In many countries the legal definition of livestock is any animal that has value to a farmer or other person. Such animals may include goats, sheep, beef or dairy cattle, horses, dogs, hogs or pigs, donkeys or mules, bees, rabbits or 'exotic' animals (those raised outside their indigenous environs) such as camels, llamas, emuDromaius novaehollandiae ''Dromaius baudinianus (extinct) Dromaius ater (extinct) The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae which, in Latin, means "fast-footed New Hollander", referring to Australia, whose old name was New Holland) is the largest bird native to Aus, ostrichThe Ostrich Struthio camelus Greek "sparrow camel") is the largest living bird, reaching a height of up to 2. 5 metres (8 feet). It has a long neck and legs, is flightless, and is capable of running at about 65 km/h (40 mph). Living in the wild in Africa,es, or any animal, including reptileCrocodilia Crocodilians Rhynchocephalia Tuataras Squamata Suborder Sauria Lizards Suborder Serpentes Snakes Testudines Turtles Superorder Dinosauria Saurischia Ornithischia The reptiles are a group of vertebrate animals. Most reptiles are tetrapods, and ts, kept in an inventory that may be used for food, fiber or pleasure.
In a few countries there is some disagreement that the term may not appropriately apply to wild animals such as deer, elk, quail or other game animals that are raised for release on hunting preserves or for slaughter, or to poultryPoultry Poultry is the class of domesticated fowl ( birds) used for food or for their eggs. These most typically are members of the orders Galliformes (such as chickens and turkeys), and Anseriformes ( waterfowl such as ducks and geese). The word poultry. However, those same animals are raised as domesticated animals by farmers in many countries. In a broad sense the term may also include catFor alternative meanings see cat (disambiguation). The cat (also called domestic cat or house cat is a small feline carnivorous mammal. Its scientific name is Felis silvestris catus or Felis silvestris domesticus but the species is sometimes referred to as, members of the weaselAlternate uses: Weasel (disambiguation Mustela africana ''Mustela altaica Mustela erminea ''Mustela eversmannii ''Mustela felipei ''Mustela frenata ''Mustela kathiah ''Mustela lutreola ''Mustela lutreolina ''Mustela nigripes ''Mustela nivalis ''Mustela nu family or even butterfliesFor other uses of the term "butterfly", see butterfly (disambiguation). Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae Libytheidae Lyceanidae A butterfly is a flying insect of the o. [1] As well, while honey bees or bee keeping have not been classically thought of as livestock, their importance to the agricultural community in the United States was recognized by being included in the definition of livestock for crop insurance purposes in H.R. 2559, the "Risk Management for the 21st Century Act," which was passed in 2000. [2] [3][4] [5][6] [7]
Generally, aquaculture (the raising of fish, mollusks, shrimp or other water-borne invertebrates) is not included within the term livestock.
The process of breeding, raising and caring for livestock is known as animal husbandry and is an important component of modern agriculture. The raising of livestock can be traced to the beginnings of human civilisation, when instead of hunting wild animals, humans began to capture animals for breeding.
Throughout history, livestock have been considered to be a form of wealth. Livestock are mentioned in many parts of the Bible and were used as forms of trade and given as gifts. 1 . In many cultures, livestock have historically been offered as animal sacrifices to atone for sin and appease the gods.
Many forms of livestock are herbivorous mammals. Various types of livestock are reared depending on the local conditions: climate, consumer demand, land type, native animals, and tradition all influence the predominant type of livestock in any given area. Given that there are over a hundred large land-based mammals it may be surprising that so few types are domesticated in some countries. The reason for this relative paucity is that a lot of mammals do not meet the basic prerequisites necessary for domestication, such as having a readily available food source that can be controlled or supplied by humans, a rapid rate of reproduction, a moderate temperament 2 , and a social structure that meshes well with human intervention. However, some farmers overcome all of those difficulties if the animal produces something that is demanded by consumers. Such products can include pizzles and deer horn, used in eastern medicine, and condoms.
In developed countries the question of the welfare of livestock animals has resulted in animal welfare laws which specify the minimum conditions of care, housing, and transportation. The animal rights lobby argue that these are inadequate and seek tighter controls, and in extreme cases seeks the banning of the ownership of animals and the making the consumption of meat, dairy and other animal products illegal. In countries that rely a great deal on livestock farming the farmers have enlightened and progressive management techniques that overcome most of the concerns of lobbyists.
