Livestock facts for kids

Cattle like these are a common type of livestock in Germany.

Livestock are tamed animals that people keep for many reasons. They provide us with food, milk, leather, or wool. Some common types of livestock include cattle (cows and bulls), pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Chickens give us eggs, pigs give us ham, and cows give us milk and leather. Sheep provide wool for clothing.

In recent times, some groups also raise livestock to help save rare animal breeds from disappearing. The way we raise, care for, and use these animals is called animal husbandry. This practice is a big part of modern agriculture. People have been doing this for a very long time, ever since humans started farming instead of just hunting and gathering.

How people raise animals has changed a lot over time. Long ago, livestock roamed freely without fences. But now, most animals are raised in what is called intensive animal farming, or "factory farming." Today, more than 99% of livestock live on these factory farms. This method helps produce more food and other products. However, it can also affect animal welfare and the environment. Still, raising livestock is very important for the economy and culture in many rural areas.

What Does the Word Livestock Mean?

This road sign in Australia uses the word "stock" for livestock.

The word livestock was first used around the years 1650 to 1660. It combines the words "live" and "stock." Sometimes, people used "cattle" and "livestock" to mean the same thing. But today, cattle usually means just domesticated cows and bulls. The word livestock now means a wider range of animals.

How Livestock Farming Started

Raising animals began when people started living in settled farming communities. Before that, humans were hunter-gatherers. Animals become "domesticated" when humans control how they live and breed. Over many years, the way these farm animals behave and grow has changed a lot. Many modern farm animals would find it hard to live in the wild on their own.

Here are some examples of when animals were first tamed:

• Dogs were tamed very early, about 15,000 years ago.
• Goats and sheep were tamed between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia.
• Pigs were tamed by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China.
• Horses were tamed around 4000 BC.
• Cattle have been tamed for about 10,500 years.
• Chickens and other poultry might have been tamed around 7000 BC.

Different Types of Livestock

The word "livestock" can mean different things. It can be used in a narrow or broad way. Generally, livestock means any animal that humans keep for a useful or business purpose. This can include domesticated animals, animals that are only partly tamed, or wild animals kept in captivity.

Animal / Type	Tamed Status	Wild Relative	When First Kept	Where First Kept	Current Uses	Picture	Ref
Alpaca Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Vicuña	Between 5000 BC and 4000 BC	Andes	Alpaca fiber, meat
Addax Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Addax	2500 BCE	Egypt	Meat, hides
Bali cattle Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Banteng	Unknown	Southeast Asia, Bali	Meat, milk, draught
Bison Mammal, herbivore	captive (see also Beefalo)	N/A	Late 19th century	North America	Meat, leather
Camel Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild dromedary and Bactrian camel	Between 4000 BC and 1400 BC	Asia	Mount, pack animal, meat, milk, camel hair
Cattle Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Aurochs	6000 BC	Southwest Asia, South Asia, North Africa	Meat (beef, veal), milk, leather, draught
Capybara Mammal, herbivore	captive	Capybara	Unknown	South America	Meat, skins, pet
Collared peccary Mammal, omnivore	captive	Collared peccary	Unknown	Brazil	Meat, tusks, skins, pet
Deer Mammal, herbivore	captive	N/A	First century AD	UK	Meat (venison), leather, antlers, antler velvet
Donkey Mammal, herbivore	domestic	African wild ass	4000 BC	Egypt	Mount, pack animal, draught, meat, milk
Eland Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Common eland, Giant eland	Unknown	South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, West Africa	Meat, milk, leather, hides, horns
Elk Mammal, herbivore	captive	Elk	1990s	North America	Meat, antlers, leather, hides
Fallow deer Mammal, herbivore	semidomestic	Fallow deer	9th century BC	Mediterranean Basin	Meat, antlers, hides, ornamentation
Gayal Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Gaur	Unknown	Southeast Asia	Meat, draught
Goat Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild goat	8000 BC	Southwest Asia	Milk, meat, wool, leather, light draught
Guinea pig Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Cavia tschudii	5000 BC	South America	Meat, pet
Greater cane rat Mammal, herbivore	captive	Greater cane rat	Unknown	West Africa	Meat
Greater kudu Mammal, herbivore	captive	Greater kudu	Unknown	South Africa	Meat, hides, horns, leather, pet
Horse Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild horse	4000 BC	Eurasian Steppes	Mount, draught, milk, meat, pet, pack animal
Llama Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Guanaco	3500 BC	Andes	Pack animal, draught, meat, fiber
Mule Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Sterile Hybrid offspring of Jack donkey x mare (female horse)			Mount, pack animal, draught
Moose Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Moose	1940s	Russia, Sweden, Finland, Alaska	Meat, milk, antlers, research, draft
Muskox Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Muskox	1960s	Alaska	Meat, wool, milk
Pig Mammal, omnivore	domestic	Wild boar	7000 BC	Eastern Anatolia	Meat (pork), leather, pet, mount, research
Rabbit Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild rabbit	AD 400-900	France	Meat, fur, leather, pet, research
Reindeer Mammal, herbivore	semidomestic	Reindeer	3000 BC	Northern Russia	Meat, leather, antlers, milk, draught
Sika deer Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Sika deer	Unknown	Japan, China	Meat, antlers, hides, leather, pet, tourism
Scimitar oryx Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Scimitar oryx	2320-2150 BC	Egypt	Meat, sacrifice, horns, hides, leather
Sheep Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Asiatic mouflon sheep	Between 11000 and 9000 BC	Southwest Asia	Wool, milk, leather, meat (lamb and mutton)
Thorold's deer Mammal, herbivore	captive	Thorold's deer	Unknown	China	Meat, antlers
White-tailed deer Mammal, herbivore	captive	White-tailed deer	Unknown	West Virginia, Florida, Colombia	Meat, antlers, hides, pet
Water buffalo Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild Asian water buffalo (Arni)	4000 BC	South Asia	Mount, draught, meat, milk
Yak Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Wild yak	2500 BC	Tibet, Nepal	Meat, milk, fiber, mount, pack animal, draught
Zebu Mammal, herbivore	domestic	Aurochs	8000 BC	India	Meat, milk, draught, hides

How Farmers Raise Livestock

A goat family with a young kid.

A place where pigs give birth in a natural cave in northern Spain.

Raising animals, also known as animal husbandry, used to be a way for farmers to get everything their family needed. This included food, fuel, fertilizer, clothes, and even help with transport and farm work. Killing the animal for food was not always the main goal. Farmers would often collect products like wool, eggs, milk, and even blood (like the Maasai do) while the animal was still alive.

In a traditional system called transhumance, people and their animals would move between different pastures depending on the season. For example, in mountain areas, they would go to high pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter.

Animals can be kept in two main ways: extensively or intensively.

• Extensive systems mean animals roam freely or are watched by a herdsman. This often protects them from predators. For example, in the Western United States, large groups of cattle graze over huge areas of land. Similar systems are used for sheep, deer, ostrich, emu, llama, and alpaca. In some rural places, pigs and poultry (like chickens) can find much of their own food.
• Intensive systems mean animals are managed very closely. Dairy cows might stay in barns all the time, with food brought to them. Beef cattle might live in crowded feedlots. Pigs might live indoors in special buildings with controlled temperatures. Chickens might be kept in barns or cages for laying eggs.

Between these two ways are semi-intensive farms. These are often family-run farms where animals graze outside for most of the year. Farmers might make hay or silage (stored feed) for when grass doesn't grow. They also buy fertilizer, feed, and other things for the farm.

Protecting Livestock from Predators

Livestock farmers sometimes face problems from wild animals that hunt their livestock. They also have to deal with theft by rustlers.

• In North America, animals like the gray wolf, grizzly bear, cougar, and coyote can be a threat to livestock.
• In Europe, Asia, and Africa, predators include the wolf, leopard, tiger, lion, dhole, Asiatic black bear, crocodile, and spotted hyena.
• In South America, feral dogs, jaguar, anacondas, and spectacled bears can harm livestock.
• In Australia, the dingo, fox, and wedge-tailed eagle are common predators. Sometimes, even domestic dogs can kill livestock if their hunting instinct takes over.

Moving and Selling Livestock

Pigs being loaded into a truck for transport.

Many livestock animals are herd animals, meaning they like to stay in groups. In the past, they were often driven to market "on the hoof" (walking) to a town or central place. This method is still used in some parts of the world today.

Now, in many developed countries, trucks are commonly used to transport animals. Local and regional livestock auctions and commodity markets are places where people buy and sell livestock. In other areas, animals might be bought and sold in a bazaar, like in many parts of Central Asia.

In developing countries, making it easier for farmers to sell their livestock has encouraged them to invest more in their animals. This has helped improve their lives. At stock shows, farmers bring their best livestock to compete with other farmers.

Images for kids

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  Sheep in the Parc National des Ecrins (France)

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  Biomass distribution of humans, livestock, and other animals

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  Global distribution data for cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Ganadería para niños