Write several of the terms for this lesson on the chalkboard or overhead before students enter the classroom. Have students write down the meanings

CLASSIFYING ANIMALS

Interest Approach

Write several of the terms for this lesson on the chalkboard or overhead before students enter the classroom. Have students write down the meanings of as many of the terms as they can on a sheet of paper. After a few minutes, have the students share and discuss their answers. After the discussion, continue with the lesson about the classification of animals.

Student Learning Objectives. Instruction in this lesson should result in students achieving the following objectives:

1 Understand how agricultural animals are utilized.

2 Explain the terms used to identify different animals within livestock species.

3 Explain the differences between digestive systems.

Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics):

Abomasum Barrow Boar Breed Bull Calf Chick Cockerel Cow Crossbreed Cud Ewe Ewe lamb Farrowing Gilt

Heifer Hen Lamb Omasum Piglet Polled Pullet Ram Reticulum Roan Rooster Rumen Sow Steer Wether

OBJECTIVE 1: Understand how agricultural animals are utilized.

Anticipated Problem: What are some of the factors and terms used to classify animals in the agricultural industry?

I. Animals can be classified based on use, breed, or age and gender.

OBJECTIVE 1 continued

A. Animals can be classified based on whether they are used for work, food, clothing, technology, or recreation.

1. Many times, animals in the agricultural industry are used to perform tasks. a. Before the invention of machines, like

tractors and combines, horses were used to pull plows and harvesting equipment.

b. Some animals, such as dogs, may be used to help herd sheep, cattle, or other animals.

c. Animals may be used to protect other animals from predators, like coyotes.


2. Many of the animals in the agricultural industry produce food for human consumption. a. Dairy cows provide milk and dairy

products like ice cream, butter, and yogurt. b. Beef cattle are used for meat products,

such as hamburgers, roasts, and steaks. c. Swine, or hogs, give us meats like bacon,

ham, sausage, pork chops, and ribs. d. Chickens and other poultry produce both

meat and eggs. e. Sheep provide meat called lamb or

mutton.


3. Some animals in the agricultural industry are raised to provide materials needed to make clothing. a. The hair on a sheep is

called wool and is used to make warm clothing like sweaters, coats, socks, and gloves to protect humans from cold weather.

b. Shoes, jackets, and other leather items are made from the hide of a cow.


4. Some animals can be used to make advancements in technology. a. Many of the medicines and other

products we use today were developed with the help of animals.

b. Many common medicines are by-products of animals. For example, chicken eggs are used to make a flu vaccine, and the heart valves of pigs are being used to replace diseased heart valves of humans.

c. Some animals are used to test medicines to make sure they are safe for human use.


5. Some animals are enjoyed by humans for recreation. a. Horses are widely used as a recreation

animal in the United States. Many people ride horses to relax. Some people enjoy entering their horses in racing or jumping events.

b. Many companion animals—dogs, cats, and other small animals that live in the home—play an important role in the daily lives of humans as companions.


B. Animals in the agricultural industry can be classified by breed. 1. A breed is defined by common

characteristics of animals, such as color, size, maternal instinct, muscle quality, disposition, and structure.

2. Many times producers will cross two different breeds of animals in order to gain good characteristics from each breed. The offspring of this mating is called a crossbreed.


3. Some popular breeds of beef cattle in the United States are Angus, Shorthorn, Simmental, and Hereford. a. Angus cattle originated in Northern Scotland

and are one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. They are black, medium-sized, trim, and well-muscled. They are also known to give birth to smaller calves, which reduces the amount of difficulties during birth. Angus cattle are also polled, which means they naturally do not have horns.

b. Shorthorn cattle are large, rectangular, and well-muscled. The Shorthorn breed was the first breed established in the United States and originated in northeastern England. They range in color from red to white and can be spotted or roan. Roan means light speckles in a dark coat. Roan Shorthorns have a dense mixture of red and white hairs.


c. Simmental cattle originated in Switzerland and may be black, red, or cream colored with white faces, underlines, shoulders, or legs. They are a large breed known for muscling, calm dispositions, and good milk production. This makes them a popular breed to use in crossbreeding.

d. Hereford cattle are known for their red body color and white faces. They are natives of England and can be found with horns or polled, without horns. A Hereford without horns is called a Polled Hereford. Herefords are muscular, trim, and smooth and have good dispositions and maternal traits. They are known for their ability to adapt to and graze in many climates.


4. Popular dairy cattle breeds in the United States include Holstein, Jersey, Brown Swiss, and Guernsey. a. Holstein cattle are what most people

think of when they think about dairy cows. They are black and white spotted and make up more than 80 percent of all registered dairy cattle. On average, they give 20,000 pounds of milk in a 305 day period with a milk fat rating of 4.7 percent.

b. Jersey cattle are originally from Jersey Island and make up 13 percent of all registered dairy cattle. The average weight of a cow is 1,000 pounds. Jersey cows give approximately 15,000 pounds of milk in a 305 day period. They are light brown in color with black noses and eyes. Their milk is desirable because its high fat content is needed to make ice cream and butter.


c. Brown Swiss cattle originated in Switzerland and range from dark brown to light brown. They resemble dark Jerseys in color but are larger and more sturdily built. The average Brown Swiss cow weighs 1,400 pounds and gives 16,000 pounds of milk in a 305 day period with a milk fat rating of 4.7 percent.

d. Guernsey cattle are golden brown to light yellow in color and have white spots or bands. The average Guernsey cow produces 13,000 pounds of milk in a 305 day period. Guernsey originated from Guernsey Island.


5. Yorkshire, Duroc, Hampshire, and Chester White are a few of the popular breeds of swine in the United States. a. Yorkshire hogs originated in England

and are known to be large hogs that make good mothers but are slow growers. They are white and have very short, pugged noses and erect ears.

b. The Duroc breed of hogs originated in the United States. Durocs are very versatile and have a high rate of gain, which means they easily convert their food into weight or muscle. They are deep red in color and have drooping ears.


c. Hampshire hogs are very lean and produce a high quality carcass for meat. They are one of the oldest breeds in the United States and are black with a white band around their shoulders. Hamshires have erect ears.

d. Chester White hogs originated in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and are known for their white skin, large litter size, soundness, and excellent mothering ability. Chester Whites have drooping ears.

OBJECTIVE 1 continued 6. Some popular sheep breeds in the United

States include Suffolk, Dorset, and Southdown. a. The Suffolk breed is the most popular

breed of sheep in the country. Suffolks are identified by white bodies and black heads and legs. Their wool is short and coarse. They have fast growth rates and produce high quality meat.

b. The Dorset breed is the second most popular breed in the United States and produces a clean white fleece, or wool. The wool is very strong and usually weighs 5 to 9 pounds when sheared off. Dorsets are known for having two or three lambs at a time and quality meat.

c. The Southdown breed originated in Sussex England and is light gray in color. Southdowns are medium to small in body size and are known for their lambing ability and milk production. A Southdown ewe usually weighs 130 to 180 pounds, while the ram weighs 190 to 230 pounds.

OBJECTIVE 2: Explain the terms used to identify different animals within livestock species.

Anticipated Problem: What terms are used to identify animals within livestock species?

II. There are proper terms used to distinguish between animals of different ages and gender.


A. In beef and dairy cattle, a baby when first born is called a calf. The female calf is called a heifer, and the male calf is called a bull. Once the heifer matures and has her own calf, she is then called a cow. A bull calf can grow to be used for breeding or be castrated at an early age to produce better quality meat. The castrated male calf is called a steer.


B. A female hog that has produced babies or offspring is called a sow. Sows have litters of baby pigs. A baby pig is called a piglet. The act of giving birth is called farrowing. A young female that has not farrowed is called a gilt. The male hog is called a boar while the castrated male is called a barrow.


C. A male sheep is called a ram while a castrated sheep is called a wether. A baby sheep is called a lamb. A female sheep that has not given birth is called a ewe lamb. A female sheep that has given birth is called a ewe.


D. A baby chicken after it hatches from the egg is called a chick. The female is called a pullet before she begins to lay eggs and is called a hen afterwards. A young male is called a cockerel and grows into a rooster.

OBJECTIVE 3: Explain the differences between digestive systems.

Anticipated Problem: What are the two types of digestive systems in animals?

III. Animals have either a ruminant digestive system or a monogastric digestive system. The digestive system an animal has determines the type of foods the animal eats.


A. The ruminant digestive system allows ruminant animals to break down heavy grasses or hay and use them as an energy source. This is an important process because ruminants are able to take large quantities of materials that cannot be used directly as food for humans and convert them into human food in the form of meat and milk.


1. Examples of ruminant animals in the agricultural industry are cattle, sheep, and goats.

2. The ruminant stomach has four compartments, or sections: the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum.


a. The rumen is the largest of the four sections and is the first place food travels after it is swallowed. Ruminants eat very quickly and do not chew their food completely before swallowing it. The half-chewed food enters the rumen and is mixed with bacteria to begin breaking it down. When the rumen becomes full, the animal lays down and begins forcing small amounts of the food in the rumen back up the throat to be chewed again. This is called chewing the cud. Cattle chew their cud about six to eight times per day, and a total of five to seven hours each day is spent in rumination.

b. Once the cud has been chewed, it is swallowed again and enters the reticulum where bacteria and muscles continue the breakdown of the food. From this section the food moves into the omasum.


c. The omasum is the third section of the stomach and has the strongest muscles. It continues to squeeze the food to break it down and remove water.

d. The abomasum is the true stomach. In this section, the feed is mixed with gastric juices and digestion takes place just like it would in a nonruminant animal.


B. A monogastric system has a simple stomach. The stomach is a muscular organ that stores ingested food and moves it to the small intestine. Dogs, cats, chickens, and swine have monogastric stomachs. These animals eat feeds that are high in nutrients and digestibility, but low in roughage and fiber.

The ruminant digestive system .........

R u m e nE s o p h a g u s

S m a ll in te s tin e

A b o m a su m

O m a su m

R e tic u lu m

A monogastric digestive system…..

M o u th

E s o p h a g u s

C r o p

P r o v e n tr i c u l u s

G a l l b la d d e r

S p l e e n

L i v e r

G i z z a r d

P a n c r e a s

S m a l l

i n te s ti n e

C l o a c a

L a r g e i n te s t in e

D u o d e n a l

l o o p

C e c a

A monogastric digestive system…..

L a r g e I n t e s t i n e

S m a l l I n t e s t i n e

P a n c r e a s

S t o m a c h

M o u th

R e c t u m

A n u s

L i v e r

E s o p h a g u s

REVIEW

1. What are some of the factors and terms used to classify animals in the agricultural industry?

2. What terms are used to identify animals within livestock species?

3. What are the two types of digestive systems in animals?

Documents

Write several of the terms for this lesson on the chalkboard or overhead before students enter the classroom. Have students write down the meanings