farm animals

Animals

2022

We explain what are the farm animals, their characteristics, types and examples. Also, its benefits for humanity.

Farm animals have accompanied humans since the Neolithic Revolution.

What are farm animals?

Farm animals are the domestic animals that are usually part of the rural populations, that is, they are born and raised on farms, herds or farms. These are animals very accustomed to dealing with the human being, since they have been accompanying him for a long time, since the invention of the farming and the cattle raising during the so-called Neolithic Revolution, more than 9,000 years ago.

Farm animals play different roles in human production of food and goods, either through their meat and their hides, or other derived products such as milk, eggs and wool, or even carrying out certain activities, such as pack animals or guardian animals. In the contemporary world, farms are the places of greatest and closest contact between humans and animals.

There are different types of farms, and the animals that inhabit them, therefore, can vary, not only according to economic activity, but also according to geography and climate. Thus, there are commercial farms, in which cattle are raised, but also fish farms (fish farms) in which domestic fish are raised, among other types.

All, however, have in common that they are outside the cities, located in rural lands suitable for raising animals and growing food.

Types of farm animals

Fish farming is also carried out on farms that are located in the water.

Farm animals can be classified in many ways. Previously we have differentiated between animals for food purposes, that is, those from which we obtain direct food, and animals for work purposes, whose use is not directly related to food.

But its most usual classification is the one that distinguishes according to the type of cattle that they make up, thus being able to speak of:

  • Cattle or cattle: cattle, that is, cows, or other similar species.
  • Poultry: birds, usually chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, etc.
  • Equine cattle: horses, donkeys and mules, mainly.
  • Pigs: pigs of different types.
  • Sheep: sheep and lambs, mainly.
  • Goat cattle: goats and similar animals.
  • Fish cattle: edible domestic fish such as trout, salmon, etc.
  • Exotic cattle: in certain regions of the planet different animals are raised, such as camels, alpacas, ostriches or buffalo.

Benefits of farm animals for humanity

Since ancient times, farm animals have contributed to making human life more comfortable and durable. These benefits can be summarized as:

  • They contribute meat, eggs, milk and other foods to the human diet, displacing riskier activities such as hunting and allowing us to produce food in abundance and in a very controlled environment.
  • They provide hides, horns, wool and other non-food materials with which humans can make coats, tools and other goods.
  • They serve as beasts of burden, to transport large quantities of goods, or as transport for the human being himself.
  • They are used to carry out work by force, such as plowing and other tasks of sowing and agriculture.
  • They provide protection and company to humans and other animals, and hunt species along the way. parasites or intruders.

Examples of farm animals

They are typical farm animals in the West:

  • Cows, bulls and oxen.
  • Horses, mares, donkeys and mules.
  • Roosters and chickens, as well as ducks, geese, and turkeys.
  • Sheep, rams and goats.
  • Pigs
  • Dogs and cats.
  • Trout and salmon (on fish farms).
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