Farm Fact Friday ~ Boy or Girl ~ Sheep

Alright! Time to continue our Farm Fact Friday naming system with the next species: sheep.

As I mentioned before, like cats (feline) and dogs (canine), farm animals have specific/proper names as well: sheep are considered: ovine.

Alright, so when born, babies are called: lambs.

Babies will be divided into two groups, obviously, the females are called ewe lambs.
Note: ewe is pronounced "you", it's confusing, I know.

They will stay ewes all of their life, even when they have a baby, only they will just be called "ewes" instead of "ewe lambs".

The male sheep however are called ram lambs.

They will be rams all of their life, even when they are older. Sometimes rams are also called bucks.

Only if they are castrated will their 'title' change, they will then become: a wether.

Sheep are pretty simple, definitely the easiest to remember! Have a wonderful weekend.

Farm Fact Friday ~ Boy or Girl ~ Cattle

Today's Farm Fact Friday edition is all about the naming system! Of course cattle can be boys or girls and it's important to call them the correct title. So, off we go!

First off, just like a dog would be a "canine", farm animals have scientific names as well.
Cattle are termed: bovine.

Let's start with cattle: a baby is called a "calf".

A baby is either a female: heifer....meaning she has not had her first calf....

....or the baby is a male: bull.

As they grow, their 'titles' will change. A female will no longer be a heifer after she has her first calf, she will then become: a cow.

A male, however, will stay a bull all of his life. Unless he is castrated, meaning he is unable to be used for breeding purposes. If castrated, he will become: a steer.

And, that's pretty much it for cattle! Stay tuned for next week's Farm Fact Friday edition: naming sheep!