Livestock

Livestock are domestic animals that are kept by people. Their uses are for meat, milking, wool, leather, or labor. Taking care of livestock is animal husbandry. Some types of livestock are: cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Chickens produce eggs; pigs produce meat; cattle, goats and sheep create milk, and sheep also create wool. Horses, cattle, camels, llamas, water buffalo, and other large animals do work for people, such as pulling wagons and other vehicles.

The breeding, keeping alive, and killing of livestock is called animal husbandry. Animal husbandry have been practiced by humans for a long time. There are different animal husbandry practices used by different cultures. It is an important part of the economy and culture of many countries.

Intensive animal farming, which is sometimes called "factory farming" is mostly used today. 99% of livestock in the US are now raised with intensive animal farming. Intensive animal farming increases the amount of things we can get from the livestock but it has also led to bad effects on animal welfare, the environment, and public health.

Etymology
Livestock as a word was first used between 1650 and 1660. Today, cattle means domesticated bovines, while livestock now means domesticated animals.

 History 
Animal husbandry started when humans stopped hunting and gathering and settled in farming communities. Animals are domesticated when the way they breed and live are controlled by humans. After a long time, the way they act and the way they look changes. Today, many farm animals cannot live in the wild.

The dog was domesticated in Europe and the Far East from about 15,000 years ago. Goats and sheep were domesticated between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago in Southwest Asia. Pigs were domesticated by 8,500 BC in the Near East and 6,000 BC in China. Domestication of the horse dates to around 4000 BC. Cattle have been domesticated since approximately 10,500 years ago. Chickens and other poultry may have been domesticated around 7000 BC.

Some common livestock
ImageAnimalWild ancestorWhere it was domesticatedUsesthumb|right|HorseTarpanMongoliaFor meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racing thumb|right|DonkeyAfrican wild assAfricaFor meat, milk, hide, work, and ridingthumb|right|CattleAurochsEurasiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|ZebuIndian aurochsEurasiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|Bali cattleBantengSoutheast AsiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|Domestic yakWild yakTibetFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|Water buffaloWild water buffaloIndia and Southeast AsiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|GayalGaurIndia and MalaysiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|Domestic sheepMouflonIran and Asia minorFor meat, milk, and fleecethumb|right|Domestic goatWild goatGreece and PakistanFor meat, milk, and fleecethumb|right|ReindeerReindeerEurasiaFor meat, milk, hide, workthumb|right|Bactrian camelWild Bactrian camelCentral AsiaFor meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racingthumb|right|Arabian camelThomas's camelNorth Africa and Southwest AsiaFor meat, milk, hide, work, riding, and racingthumb|right|LlamaGuanacoAndesFor meat, milk, hide, and workthumb|right|AlpacaGuanacoAndesFor meat, milk, hide, and workthumb|right|Domestic pigWild boarEurasiaFor meat, hidethumb|right|RabbitEuropean rabbitEuropeFor meat, skins, Angora wool, and as a petthumb|right|Guinea pigMontane guinea pigAndesFor meat and as a petthumb|right|Domestic pigeonRock doveOld WorldFor meat, eggs, and as homing pigeonsthumb|177x177pxBarbary doveAfrican collared doveAfricaFor meat and eggsthumb|165x165pxChickenRed junglefowlSoutheast AsiaFor meat, eggs, and cockfightingthumbDomestic turkeyWild turkeyCentral AmericaFor meat and eggsthumbDomestic duckMallardSoutheast AsiaFor meat and eggsthumbDomestic Muscovy duckMuscovy duckAmericasFor meat and eggsthumb|165x165pxDomestic gooseGreylag gooseNorth Africa, Southern Europe, or Western AsiaFor meat and eggsthumbChinese goose
African gooseSwan gooseChinaFor meat and eggsthumbDomestic guineafowlHelmeted guineafowlAfricaFor meat and eggs

 References 

Category:Domesticated animals