Stud (animal) facts for kids
A stud animal is a special animal kept for breeding. This means they are used to have babies and help create more animals, often to improve a specific breed. For example, a male horse that can have foals is called a stallion. A male cow that can have calves is called a bull. These names usually mean the animal can still produce young. There are also different names for animals that cannot have babies, like a gelding (a male horse) or a steer (a male cow).
Female stud animals are usually used to have more stud animals. But male stud animals can also be used in programs where different breeds are mixed. Both male and female stud animals are often part of special breeding programs where humans help them have babies.
A stud farm is a place where animals are carefully chosen to breed. This process is called artificial selection, because humans decide which animals will have babies to get certain traits.
Paying for Breeding: Stud Fees
A stud fee is the money paid by the owner of a female animal (like a horse or a dog) to the owner of a male animal. This payment gives them the right to use the male animal for breeding. Stud fees can be small for local animals, or they can be very large. For example, a champion racehorse like Storm Cat once earned stud fees of up to US $500,000 for each breeding!
What is a Live Foal Guarantee?
Many owners of valuable male animals, like stallions, offer a special promise called a live foal guarantee. This usually means that if the female animal (called a mare for horses) is confirmed to be pregnant by a veterinarian and then leaves the stud farm, she is guaranteed to give birth to a baby animal (a foal) that can stand up and drink milk. If the baby isn't born healthy or doesn't survive, the stud farm will let the mare breed again for free the next season.
Remember, any extra costs like medicine, vet visits, or travel for the female animal are usually paid by the owner of the female animal.
See Also
- Dog breeding
- Horse breeding
- Sheep farming
- Stud farm
