Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Sausage teats:
Teats that are exceptionally wide
Scurs:
Misshapen horns that can twist down into the goat's face
Settle:
To become pregnant
Soiling:
Confinement feeding
Sow mouth:
A condition in which the lower front teeth protrude beyond the edge of
the upper dental palate
Stanchion:
A head restraint used to hold a goat during milking, hoof trimming, and
inspections
Star milker:
A system exists whereby a goat is given a star rating depending upon
her consistent yield (measured day by day) and the percent of butterfat her milk
contains. A star milker generally must give 10 to 11 pounds of milk in a day.
Stays:
The horizontal wires on a wire fence that hold the vertical wires in place.
Step-in fence posts:
Posts made of metal, plastic, or fiberglass that can be inser-
ted into the ground using body weight
TDN:
Total digestible nutrients, provided by carbohydrates and fats in a goat's diet
T-posts:
Metal fence posts used to fill in the spaces between wooden corner posts
Teat dip:
A disinfectant applied to teats after each milking to prevent mastitis
Wattle:
A fold of skin under the face on the side of the neck
Wether:
A castrated buck
Teat:
The opening through which milk comes out of the udder
Topline:
The line of a goat's spine
Udder:
The part of the goat containing the mammary glands that produce milk
Udder attachments:
The ligaments that attach the udder to the goat's abdominal
wall
Udder supports:
Another name for udder attachments
Urinary calculi:
Bladder stones
The History of Goats and People
Goats have been companions to man almost since the beginning of human civilization. The
goat was one of the earliest animals to be domesticated. (Both goats and sheep lay claim to
being the earliest herd animals.) Early hunter-gatherers drank goat's milk and soon learned to
