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Animal husbandry, also called animal science
Animal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind" . Historically the animals studied were farm animals but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals for example dogs, cats, horses and captive animals....
, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 practice of breeding
Animal breeding

Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation of the genetic value of domestic livestock. Selecting animals for breeding with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or have other desirable traits has revolutionized agricultural livestock production throughout the world....
 and raising livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
. It has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals.

The science of animal husbandry is taught in many universities
University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education....
 and college
College

File:Government college for Women Dhoke Kala Khan.JPGCollege is a term most often used today to denote an education institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of collegialitys, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals....
s around the world. Students of animal science
Animal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind" . Historically the animals studied were farm animals but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals for example dogs, cats, horses and captive animals....
 may pursue degrees in veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is that branch of medical science,which deals with the study of diagnosis,treatment and prevention of diseases in companion,domestic, exotic, wildlife and production animals....
 following graduation, or go on to pursue master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition
Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
, genetics
Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
 and animal breeding
Animal breeding

Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation of the genetic value of domestic livestock. Selecting animals for breeding with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or have other desirable traits has revolutionized agricultural livestock production throughout the world....
, or reproductive physiology.






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Animal husbandry, also called animal science
Animal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind" . Historically the animals studied were farm animals but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals for example dogs, cats, horses and captive animals....
, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 practice of breeding
Animal breeding

Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation of the genetic value of domestic livestock. Selecting animals for breeding with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or have other desirable traits has revolutionized agricultural livestock production throughout the world....
 and raising livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
. It has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals.

The science of animal husbandry is taught in many universities
University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education....
 and college
College

File:Government college for Women Dhoke Kala Khan.JPGCollege is a term most often used today to denote an education institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of collegialitys, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals....
s around the world. Students of animal science
Animal science

Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind" . Historically the animals studied were farm animals but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals for example dogs, cats, horses and captive animals....
 may pursue degrees in veterinary medicine
Veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine is that branch of medical science,which deals with the study of diagnosis,treatment and prevention of diseases in companion,domestic, exotic, wildlife and production animals....
 following graduation, or go on to pursue master's degrees or doctorates in disciplines such as nutrition
Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
, genetics
Genetics

Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and Genetic variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding....
 and animal breeding
Animal breeding

Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation of the genetic value of domestic livestock. Selecting animals for breeding with superior EBV in growth rate, egg, meat, milk, or wool production, or have other desirable traits has revolutionized agricultural livestock production throughout the world....
, or reproductive physiology. Graduates of these programs may be found working in the veterinary and human pharmaceutical industries, the livestock and pet supply and feed industries, farming or in academia.

Historically, certain sub-professions within the field of animal husbandry are specifically named according to the animals that are cared for.

Different types of animal husbandry


A swineherd
Swineherd

A swineherd is a person who looks after domestic pig. The term has fallen out of popular use in favour of pig farmer.Pig farming today is still carried out in a manner that can be compared to that practiced in Roman times....
 is a person who cares for hogs and pigs (older English term: swine). A shepherd
Shepherd

A shepherd is a person who tends to, feeds or guards sheep, especially in flocks. The word may also refer to one who provides religious guidance, as a pastor....
 is a person who cares for sheep. A goatherd
Goatherd

A goatherd or a goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. Similar to a fisherman who catches fish for a living, the drover here herds goats....
 cares for goats. A cowherd cares for cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
. In previous years, it was common to have herds which were made up of sheep and goats. In his case, the person tending them was called a shepherd. Camel
Camel

Camels are even-toed ungulates within the genus Camelus. The dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and is well known for its healthy low fat milk, and the Bactrian camel has two humps....
s are also cared for in herds. In Tibet
Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
 yaks
Yak

The yak is a long-haired bovine found throughout the Himalayan region of south Central Asia, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and as far north as Mongolia....
 are herded. In Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
, llama
Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a pack animal by the Incas and other natives of the Andes mountains. In South America llamas are still used as beasts of burden, as well as for the production of fiber and meat....
s and alpaca
Alpaca

The Alpaca is a Domestication species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of to meters above sea-level, throughout the year....
s are herded.

In more modern times, the cowboy
Cowboy

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks....
s or vaqueros of North and South America ride horses and participate in cattle drives to watch over cows and bulls raised primarily for food. In Australia many herds are managed by farmers on motorbikes and in helicopter
Helicopter

A helicopter is an aircraft that is Lift and propelled by one or more horizontal plane Helicopter rotors, each rotor consisting of two or more rotor blades....
s. Today, herd managers often oversee thousands of animals and many staff. Farms and ranches may employ breeders, herd health specialists, feeders, and milkers to help care for the animals. Techniques such as artificial insemination
Artificial insemination

Artificial insemination is the process by which spermatozoon is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse....
 and embryo transfer
Embryo transfer

Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of in vitro fertilisation whereby one or several embryos are placed into the uterus of the female with the intent to establish a pregnancy....
 are frequently used, not only as methods to guarantee that females are bred, but to help improve herd genetics. This may be done by transplanting embryos from stud-quality females, into flock-quality surrogate mothers - freeing up the stud-quality mother to be reimpregnated. This practice vastly increases the number of offspring which may be produced by a small selection of stud-quality parent animals. This in turn improves the ability of the animals to convert feed to meat, milk, or fiber more efficiently and improve the quality of the final

See also

  • Domestication of animals
  • Animal keeping
  • Aquaculture
    Aquaculture

    Aquaculture is the farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms including molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions....
  • Beekeeping
    Beekeeping

    Beekeeping is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in beehives, by humans. A beekeeper keeps bees in order to collect honey and beeswax, for the purpose of pollination agriculture, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers....
  • Breeder
    Breeder

    A breeder is a person who practices the vocation of mating carefully selected specimens of the same breed to reproduce specific, consistently replicable qualities and characteristics....
  • Breeding in the wild
    Breeding in the wild

    Breeding in the wild is the natural process of animal reproduction occurring in the natural habitat of a given species. This terminology is distinct from animal husbandry or breeding of species in captivity....
  • Cattle
    Cattle

    Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
  • Cuniculture
    Cuniculture

    Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of Selective breeding and raising domestic rabbits, usually for their meat, fur, or wool. Some people, called rabbit animal fancys, practice cuniculture predominantly for show or hobby....
  • Dog breeding
    Dog breeding

    Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected specimens with the intent to maintain or produce specific qualities and characteristics.Dogs reproduce without human interference, so their offsprings' characteristics are determined by natural selection....
  • Environmental effects of meat production
    Environmental effects of meat production

    Environmental effects of meat production include pollution and the use of resources such as fossil fuels, water, and land.According to a 2006 report by the Livestock, Environment And Development Initiative, the livestock industry is one of the largest contributors to environmental degradation worldwide, and modern practices of raising anima...
  • Feed conversion rate
  • Food industry
    Food industry

    The food industry is the complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population....
  • Horse breeding
    Horse breeding

    Horse breeding refers to reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given list of horse breeds....
  • Herpetoculture
    Herpetoculture

    Herpetoculture is the keeping of live reptiles and amphibians in captivity, whether as a hobby or as a commercial biological reproduction operation....
  • Poultry
    Poultry

    Poultry is the category of domesticated birds which some people keep for the purpose of collecting their egg , or kill for their meat and/or feathers....
  • Pastoral nomads
  • Sheep husbandry
    Sheep husbandry

    Sheep husbandry is the raising and Selective breeding of domestic sheep, and a subcategory of animal husbandry. Sheep farming is primarily based on raising domestic sheeps for meat, or raising sheep for wool....
  • Shepherd
    Shepherd

    A shepherd is a person who tends to, feeds or guards sheep, especially in flocks. The word may also refer to one who provides religious guidance, as a pastor....
    ing
  • Stockman
    Stockman

    In the Australian lexicon, stockman is the traditional name given to a person who looks after the livestock on a large property known as a station and owned by a wikt:grazier or a grazing company....
  • Transhumance
    Transhumance

    Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock over relatively short distances, typically to higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter....
  • Block & Bridle
    Block & Bridle

    The National Block and Bridle Club is a college club founded on December 2, 1919, in Chicago by Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Missouri, and University of Nebraska....


Sources and notes

  • Saltini Antonio, Storia delle scienze agrarie, 4 vols, Bologna 1984-89, ISBN 88-206-2412-5, ISBN 88-206-2413-3, ISBN 88-206-2414-1, ISBN 88-206-2414-X
  • Clutton Brock Juliet, The walking larder. Patterns of domestication, pastoralism and predation, Unwin Hyman, London 1988
  • Clutton Brock Juliet, Horse power: a history of the horse and donkey in human societies, National history Museum publications, London 1992
  • Fleming G., Guzzoni M., Storia cronologica delle epizoozie dal 1409 av. Cristo sino al 1800, in Gazzetta medico-veterinaria, I-II, Milano 1871-72
  • Hall S, Clutton Brock Juliet, Two hundred years of British farm livestock, Natural History Museum Publications, London 1988
  • Janick Jules, Noller Carl H., Rhykerd Charles L., The Cycles of Plant and Animal Nutrition, in Food and Agriculture, Scientific American Books, San Francisco 1976
  • Manger Louis N., A History of the Life Sciences, M. Dekker, New York, Basel 2002

External links

  • Livestock Behaviour, Design of Facilities and Humane Slaughter