Chapter 01

Chapter 1
Domestication and Importance of
Livestock
Copyright © 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Objectives
• Discuss briefly the history of the
domestication of farm animals
• List and explain the functions of livestock
• Describe the size of the livestock industry
in the United States

Terminology
• Domesticate- adapting an animal’s behavior
to fit peoples needs
• Selection- identifying breeding traits
considered desirable to a breeder
• Crossbreeding- the mating of animals of
different breeds

Terminology (cont.)
• Draft animal- used for pulling loads
• Homeothermic- ability to maintain a fairly
constant body temperature
• Nonruminant- animal having a simple, one-compartment
stomach

Terminology (cont.)
• Ruminant- animal having a stomach divided
into several compartments
• By-product- a product of significantly less
value than the major product

Terminology (cont.)
• Soring- the prohibited practice of using
chemical or mechanical irritants on the
forelegs of the horse
• Food irradiation- the treatment of food with
radioactive isotopes to kill bacteria, insects,
and molds that are present in the food

Terminology (cont.)
• Radura- the international symbol that must
be placed on all foods treated by irradiation
• Sanitizing- making a surface sanitary by
using a sanitizing agent such as chlorine or
quaternary ammonium compound

Domestication of Animals
Cattle
• Descendants of Bos taurus and Bos indicus
• Tamed in Neolithic Age
• First brought by Columbus in 1493
• Major growth in Great Plains states

Domestication of Animals (cont.)
Swine
• Descendants of Sus scrofa and Sus vittatus
• First used for food in Neolithic Age
• Tamed by Chinese about 4900 B.C.
• First brought by Columbus in 1493
• Major growth in Corn Belt states

Sheep
• First tamed in early Neolithic Age
• Probably descended from Moufflons and
Asiatic urial
• Big Horn sheep native to North America
• Present-day domestic breeds first brought
by Columbus in 1493

Goats
• Descended from Pasang, Grecian ibex,
Markhors, and Tahrs
• Tamed in Neolithic Age
• Closely related to sheep
• Early goat importations from Switzerland
• Milk goats brought to the United States by
John Smith and Lord Delaware

Horses
• Evolved from Eohippus – native to North
America
• Domesticated in Central Asia or Persia
• 1493 – brought to New World by Columbus
• Originally used for pulling loads and riding
• Today, used mostly for riding and racing

Poultry
• Chickens
– Raised by Chinese about 1400 B.C.
– Domesticated in India by about 1400 B.C.
– May be descended from Gallus gallus
• Turkeys – tamed by Native Americans
• Ducks – descended from Anas boschas

Domestication of Animals
Poultry (cont.)
• Geese
– Tamed shortly after chicken
– Regarded as Egyptian sacred bird
• Poultry brought by early explorers and
colonists
• Most growth in southern states

Classification of
Common Farm Animals
• Kingdom Animalia
– Phylum Chordata
• Subphylum Vertebrata
– Class Mammalia (livestock) or Aves (poultry)
» Order, Family, Genus, Species
• Can be divided into subcategories
• Scientific name: Genus species

Classification of Common Farm
Animals – Class Mammalia
• Four-chambered hearts
• Warm-blooded, or homeothermic
• Have a diaphragm
• Bodies covered in hair
• Embryos develop in mother’s uterus
• Animals are born alive
• Mammary glands

Classification of Common Farm
Animals – Class Aves
• Four-chambered hearts
• Warm-blooded, or homeothermic
• Bodies covered in feathers
• Light, hollow bones and air-sac system
• Lay eggs
• Do not secrete milk
• Have beaks and gizzards instead of teeth

Functions of Animals
Converting Feed into Food
• Both nonruminants and ruminants convert
feed that cannot be used directly for human
consumption into human food
• Waste products are used as animal feed

Functions of Animals (cont.)
• Provide fiber and skins for clothing
• Use of animals for power
• Recreation
– Horseback riding
– Racing
– Livestock shows

Conservation
• Grass and legumes used as feed are soil-conserving
crops
• Animal manure can be used as fertilizer and
as a fuel

• Help stabilize farm economy by utilizing:
– Land
– Labor
– Capital
• Convert bulky feeds into a more
concentrated form

By-Products
• Edible: variety meats, oleo, gelatin
• Hides: leather goods
• Inedible fats: miscellaneous production
(cosmetics, soap, glue, brushes, etc.)
• Livestock feeds: blood meal, bone scraps
• Drugs: insulin, cortisone, thrombin, heparin,
epinephrine, rennet, corticotropin

Consumption of Livestock
Products
• Decrease in consumption of red meat and
dairy products
• Increase in consumption of poultry products
• Decline in consumption of cholesterol

Size and Scope of the Livestock
Industry in the United States

Size and Scope of the Livestock
Industry in the United States
(cont.)

Animal Health Products
• Feed additives
– Control and prevent diseases
– Enhance growth
– Improve feed
• Biologicals - vaccines, bacterins, and
antitoxins
• Pharmaceuticals
– Medicines used in disease control and
prevention

Trends in Animal Agriculture
• Trend of eating “out” will increase
• Concern over cholesterol levels affects food
consumption trends
• Swine and beef production growing toward
a few large operations

Animal Welfare and
Animal Rights
• Stem from beliefs of the ancient Greeks
– Animists
– Mechanists
– Vitalists
– Animals exist for the benefit of humans (largest group)

Animal Welfare and
Animal Rights (cont.)
• Animal Welfare
– Emphasize the humane treatment of animals
– Believe animals can be used for the human benefit

Animal Welfare and
• Animal Rights
– Varying views
• Some want animal liberation
• Others recognize the need to use animals
• Work to eliminate animal suffering

Animal Welfare and
• Federal, state, and local laws
– Enforced by the APHIS
– Address the humane treatment and care of
animals
• 1873 - first federal law dealing with the
humane treatment
– Mandated feed and water be provided for farm
animals being transported

Animal Identification
• Methods
• System of unique identifying numbers
being developed
• National Farm Animal Identification and
Records (FAIR)

Food Safety
• Zero risk does not exist
• Most food-borne illnesses are caused by
bacteria
– Most common: Salmonella
• Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

Food Safety (cont.)
• Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures
(SSOPs)
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
(HACCP)
• Food irradiation
• Proper sanitation

Endangered Species
• Many purebred lines almost gone due to
crossbreeding
• Selection for uniformity, crossbreeding, and
decline in purebred lines
– Results in a loss of genetic diversity

Endangered Species (cont.)
• Genetic diversity allows animals to adapt
• Loss of natural resistance due to
dependence on antimicrobials and
anthelmintics
• American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

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