FARM ANIMALS

Fauna of the Earth is very rich. Since early days of civilization people began to domesticate wild animals. Animals were domesticated for labour, skin, fur, meat, milk, etc. Farm animals include cattle, swine, sheep, horses, poultry, and rabbits.

Cattle include cow, heifer, calf, bull. Modern cattle are usually divided into three types: beef, dairy, and dual purpose. Cattle can be fed hay, grain, pasture grass, silage. They are bred for milk, beef, hide.

Swine (hogs) are the most typical meat animals. They comprise sow, pig, and boar. Swine are omnivorous and can scavenge a wide range of foods: barley, wheat, beans, potatoes, by-products of the farm. There are two types of swine: the lard type and the bacon type. They provide pork, lard, skin, bristle.

Sheep came from Asia. They include ewe, lamb, ram. They are fed hay, pasture grass. Sheep are valued for wool, hide, milk, mutton.

Horses were domesticated in Eurasia. They comprise mare, foal, and stallion. Horses can be divided into draft, coach, and light horses. These farm animals consume hay, grass, and oats.

Poultry include hen, cock, chicken; duck, drake, duckling; goose, gosling; turkey. Scientists estimate that they were domesticated roughly 8000 years ago in what is now Thailand and Vietnam. The types of poultry have been developed into egg type, meat type and general purpose type. Eggs, meat, feathers, down are useful products obtained from poultry. Poultry consume grain mixture.