202
fARM ANIMALS
Female chickens are called hens.
Males, like the one shown here, are
usually more colorful. They are
called roosters.Female sheep are called ewes, males are
called rams, and the young are called lambs.Poultry
Many people keep chickens as a
source of meat and eggs. these
chickens scratch around in
farmyards and fields, eating seeds,
worms, insects, and scraps. they lay
their eggs in a small chicken coop or
any other secluded place. this is
called free-range rearing—the
chickens are able to wander freely.
Most chickens are raised indoors,
under controlled conditions.HaMburgers, sausages,
butter, and cheese are
produced from animals
that we keep on farms. Many
other foods, including eggs,
bacon, and yogurt, also come
from farm animals. Farm
animals include pigs, cattle,
sheep, rabbits, goats, and chickens.
People keep these animals for their
meat, milk, fur, and skins. We use
the skins, or hides, of cattle, pigs,
and sheep to make shoes, and the
wool of sheep, goats, and rabbits
to make clothes. People have been
keeping animals on farms for at least
9,000 years. Many are kept in small
enclosed areas called pens, others
in fields, and still others in cages.
the first farm animals were wild
creatures that people captured
and domesticated, or tamed.
today’s chickens are descended
from tropical forest birds of southeast
asia. throughout the ages, farmers
have bred (mated) the healthiest,most
docile animals with the best milk,
meat, or wool production, to produce
the breeds that we know today.The Suffolk is
an English
breed of sheep
that was first
developed
over 120
years ago.Meat from adult sheep is called mutton.Chicks are sold for
meat from when
they are about eight
weeks old and weigh
about 4.5 lb (2 kg).The Rhode Island
Red is named after
the state of Rhode Island.
It is a good egg layer and is
well-known for its meat.PlyMoutH rock
there are about 19 billion
chickens around the world, and
about 500 breeds. the leghorn
is one of the most common
breeds. the Plymouth rock
shown here is a fast-growing
chicken that produces tasty
meat in a short time.HaMPsHire Pig
the Hampshire pig has little fat
on its body, so the pork and
bacon from this pig are lean
(that is, they have little fat).The female pig is called a gilt before she has
any young, and a sow once she has young.
Male pigs are called boars.sHeeP
Wool comes from sheep, goats, rabbits, camels, alpacas,
and vicunas. young sheep, or lambs, produce the softest,
finest wool. the largest flocks of sheep are in australia,
where there are about 75 million sheep. the sheep we
farm for wool are sheared for their fleeces (coats) once
a year. an expert shearer with electric clippers can shear
one sheep every 40 seconds. the wool is washed and
combed, and then stretched and twisted into yarn for
woollen fabric. Here, a woman in Nepal is spinning
wool by hand to make into carpets and rugs.Merino sheep originated from the
Iberian peninsula and, due to
the quality and quantity of their
wool, have been taken
all over the world.US_202_Farm_Animals_1.indd 202 05/02/16 12:34 pm