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Pen (enclosure)
 
 
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A pen is an enclosure for holding 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....
. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition. "Pen" or "penning" as a verb refers to the act of confining animals in an enclosure.

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 a pen is a small enclosure for 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....
 (especially sheep or cattle), which is part of a larger construction, eg.






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Encyclopedia


A pen is an enclosure for holding 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....
. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition. "Pen" or "penning" as a verb refers to the act of confining animals in an enclosure.

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 a pen is a small enclosure for 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....
 (especially sheep or cattle), which is part of a larger construction, eg. calf
Calf

File:New Forest calf.jpgA calf is the young of various species of mammal. The term is most commonly used to refer to the young of cattle. The young of bison, camels, dolphins, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses, moose, rhinoceroses, whales, seals and yaks are also called calves....
 pen, forcing pen (or yard) in sheep or cattle yard
Yard

A yard is a Units of measurement of length in several different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units....
s, or a sweating pen or catching pen in a shearing shed
Shearing shed

Shearing sheds are large sheds located on sheep stations to accommodate large scale sheep shearing activities.In countries where large numbers of sheep are kept for wool, sometimes many thousands in a flock, shearing sheds are vital to house the necessary shearing equipment, and to ensure that the shearers and /or crutchers have a ready s...
. In Australia, a "paddock" may encompass a large, fenced grazing area of many acres, not to be confused with the American English use of "paddock" as interchangable with "corral" or "pen," describing smaller, confined areas.

In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, the term "pen" usually describes small enclosures for holding sheep, goats, and pigs. A pen for cattle is also sometimes called a corral. Pens may be named by their purpose, such as a "holding pen," used for short-term confinement. Groups of pens that are part of a larger complex may be called a "stockyard," where a series of pens hold a large number of animals, or a "feedlot," which is type of stockyard used to confine animals that are being fattened. A large pen for horses is called a paddock (Eastern USA) or a corral (Western USA), a borrowing from the Spanish language
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
. In some places an exhibition arena may be called a "show pen." A small pen for horses (no more than 15-20 feet on any side) is a "pen" if it lacks any roof or shelter, otherwise it is called a "stall" and is part of a stable
Stable

File:H?ststall Elfviks g?rd dec 2008.jpgA stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stall s for individual animals....
. A large fenced grazing area of many acres is called a "pasture," or, in some cases, "rangeland."

In British English
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
, a sheep pen is also called a folding, sheepfold or sheepcote. Modern 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....
s more commonly use terms such as closing or confinement pen for small sheep pens. Most structures today referred to as sheepfolds are ancient dry stone
Dry stone

Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from Rock without any Mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their unique construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a Structural load facade of carefully-selected interlocking stones....
 semicircles. Primitive pens in South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
 are called kraal
Kraal

Kraal is an Afrikaans and South African English word for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within an African homestead or village surrounded by a palisade, sod defensive wall, or other fencing, roughly circular in form....
.

See also

  • Pound (village)
    Pound (village)

    The Village pound was a feature of most Great Britain medieval villages.A high walled and lockable structure it served several purposes. The most common use was to hold stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by the owners, usually for the payment of a fine or levy....
  • Pinfold
    Pinfold

    Pinfold, in Medieval Great Britain, is an area where stray animals were rounded up if their owners failed to properly supervise their use of common grazing land....


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