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Cattle raised for human consumption are called beef cattle. Within the beef cattle industry in parts of the United States, the term beef (plural beeves) is still used in its archaic sense to refer to an animal of either sex. Cows of certain breeds that are kept for the milk they give are called dairy cows or milking cows (formerly milch cows).
Cattle breeds fall into two main types, which are regarded as either two closely related species, or two subspecies of one species. Bos indicus (or Bos taurus indicus ) cattle, commonly called zebu, are adapted to hot climates and originated in the tropical parts of the world such as India, Sub-saharan Africa, China, and Southeast Asia.
This is a list of some of the cattle breeds considered in the United States to be wholly or partly of American origin. Some may have complex or obscure histories, so inclusion here does not necessarily imply that a breed is predominantly or exclusively American.
The United States grades feeder cattle that have not reached an age of 36 months on three factors: frame size, thickness, and thriftiness. [7]Frame size evaluates feeder cattle' height and body length as determined by their skeletal size in relation with their age; frame size affects the animals' mature size and weight gain composition as they are fed into fed cattle.
[1] [2] The breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef production. Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher percentages of bison genetics are called "bison hybrids". [3]
The production cycle of the animals starts at cow-calf operations; this operation is designed specifically to breed cows for their offspring. From here the calves are backgrounded for a feedlot . Animals grown specifically for the feedlot are known as feeder cattle , the goal of these animals is fattening.
Cow with calf (standing behind her, parts of its body creating the illusion of supernumerary teats "on" the mother). The cattle are generally small, with weights in the range 360–550 kg (800–1200 lb) for bulls and 270–360 kg (600–800 lb) for cows; in the past there was a still smaller or dwarf type within the breed, known as the Guinea, which weighed about 230 kg (500 lb) or less.
"Calf" is the term used from birth to weaning, when it becomes known as a weaner or weaner calf, though in some areas the term "calf" may be used until the animal is a yearling. The birth of a calf is known as calving. A calf that has lost its mother is an orphan calf, also known as a poddy or poddy-calf in British.