Livestock

Livestock are domesticated animals that people raise on farms. They help give us food and other things we use, like meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. Common livestock include cattle, sheep, and goats.

Raising livestock is called animal husbandry. People have been doing it for thousands of years. It started when people began farming instead of just hunting and gathering.

Today, many farms use intensive animal farming to get more food. This can affect animal welfare, the environment, and public health. For example, some kinds of livestock farming can add to greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Etymology

The word livestock started being used between 1650 and 1660. It combines the words "live" and "stock." Today, "cattle" usually means farm animals like cows, but livestock includes many types of farm animals.

In the United States, laws define livestock in different ways. For example, the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 includes only cattle, pigs, and sheep. Horses are also considered livestock in the United States. The USDA counts pork, veal, beef, and lamb as livestock, but poultry and fish are not included.

History

Further information: History of agriculture

Animal-rearing started when people settled in one place and began farming. Animals became livestock when people began to care for them and help them have babies. Over many years, these animals changed a lot and look very different from their wild ancestors.

Dogs were the first animals that people kept as friends, appearing in Europe and the Far East about 15,000 years ago. After that, goats and sheep were tamed in Southwest Asia between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago. Pigs were first brought home in the Near East around 8,500 BC and later in China around 6,000 BC. Horses were tamed around 4,000 BC, and cattle have been with us since about 10,500 years ago. Chickens and other birds were also tamed around 7,000 BC.

Types

The word "livestock" means different things. It usually talks about animals that people keep to help them or to sell.

Micro-livestock

Main articles: Rodent farming and Rabbit farming

See also: Animal husbandry § Range of species

Micro-livestock are tiny animals that people raise too. This group includes rodents and rabbits, plus even smaller animals like crickets and honey bees. Micro-livestock does not usually include fish or chickens.

Farming practices

Main article: Animal husbandry

Traditionally, raising animals was a key part of farming life. It provided food, materials like wool, fuel, fertilizer, clothing, and even help with transportation.

There are different ways to care for animals. In some places, animals roam freely or are watched over by a person to keep them safe from predators. In the Western United States, for example, large groups of cattle graze over big areas of land. Similar practices exist in South America, Australia, and other places with lots of open land. In other areas, like the United Kingdom, sheep graze on hillsides during the spring and move to lower areas in the winter.

In some rural areas, animals like pigs and chickens can find much of their own food by scavenging. In contrast, in many parts of the world, animals are kept in controlled environments. For example, dairy cows might stay inside with all their food brought to them, or pigs might live in buildings and never go outside. There are also farms that mix these methods, allowing animals to graze outside while storing extra food for times when grass doesn’t grow.

Predation

Livestock farmers sometimes have to deal with wild animals that try to take their animals. In North America, this can happen with gray wolves, grizzly bears, cougars, and coyotes. Other places have their own predators too. Eurasia and Africa have wolves, leopards, tigers, lions, and more wild animals. South America has jaguars and feral dogs. Australia deals with dingoes, foxes, and even some large birds like wedge-tailed eagles. These animals can sometimes cause trouble for farmers and their livestock.

Disease

Good care, clean food, and a clean place to live help keep farm animals healthy and happy. When animals get sick, farmers and animal doctors use special medicines to help them, following rules set by groups like the European Union.

Animals can get sick in different ways. Some sicknesses affect only certain animals, like classical swine fever or scrapie. Other sicknesses, like foot-and-mouth disease, can affect many kinds of animals. Governments may put rules in place to keep animals safe.

Vaccines and antibiotics are important for stopping and treating diseases. But, using antibiotics to help animals grow is not encouraged because it can cause problems with antibiotic resistance. As the world’s weather changes, experts think it will become harder to keep animals healthy.

Transportation and marketing

Further information: Agricultural show

In the past, animals were walked to markets. Now, trucks are often used in many places. Livestock auctions and markets let farmers buy and sell animals. In Canada, big buildings handle many cattle each day. In places like Central Asia, animals are sold in markets or bazaars. Having access to markets helps farmers improve their lives and care better for their animals. Stock shows are events where farmers show off and compete with their best animals.

Biomass

Humans and livestock make up more than 90% of the biomass of all land vertebrates. This means that most of the weight of land animals is from people and farm animals. In fact, this is almost as much as all insects together.

Economic and social benefits

Livestock are very important for the world's economy. They help many industries, like food processing, transportation, and manufacturing.

Livestock give us products such as meat, milk, wool, leather, and medicines. Their manure keeps soil healthy, and in some places, it is used for fuel. Livestock can also provide energy for farming and transportation. They offer economic security for families and help support rural communities and traditions.

Environmental impact

Farming animals affects our planet a lot. It uses lots of fresh water and takes up space on land. Raising animals for food can hurt plants and animals and damage their homes. It also helps make the Earth warmer.

Animals like cows release gases that warm the planet. Farming can also add to these gases, like nitrous oxide. Using better farming ways can help reduce these gases.

Impacts of climate change

Climate change affects livestock in many ways. Warmer temperatures can change where animals can live and how much food they need. Extreme weather, like heavy rains or long droughts, can damage farms and reduce the food available for animals.

These changes can also affect the health of livestock. Some diseases may spread more easily in warmer climates, impacting both animals and the people who depend on them. Farmers must adapt their practices to protect their animals and keep food supplies safe.

Animal ethics

Further information: Animal ethics

Animal ethics is a part of philosophy that thinks about how humans should treat animals. It asks important questions about whether it is right to use animals for food and what our responsibilities are to farm animals.

Today, many animals are raised on places called factory farms where they live in very small spaces. Some people choose not to eat animal products because they think farming animals is not kind.