Glossary

Plain-English definitions for terms that come up across our guides and calculators.

Boar

An uncastrated male pig.

Bedding / litter

Material (straw, shavings, sawdust) covering a floor to absorb moisture and provide comfort — replaced or topped up regularly.

Broody

A hen's instinct to sit on eggs to hatch them, stopping her laying in the meantime.

Brooder

A heated enclosure for keeping newly hatched chicks or ducklings warm before they can regulate their own body temperature.

Buck

A male rabbit or a male goat (the same word means different things for the two species).

Colt

A young male horse, generally under 4 years old.

Coop

The enclosed, predator-proof shelter part of a chicken or duck setup — distinct from the run.

Doe

A female rabbit or a female goat (again, the same word covers both species).

Drake

A male duck.

Ewe

A female sheep.

Farrier

A professional who trims and shoes horses' hooves — a routine, recurring cost distinct from a vet visit, needed whether or not a horse is ridden.

Farrowing

The act of a sow giving birth to piglets.

Filly

A young female horse, generally under 4 years old.

Foal

A horse of either sex in its first year; also used as a verb for a mare giving birth.

Free-range

Housing that gives animals daytime access to an outdoor area, as opposed to being confined indoors permanently.

Gelding

A castrated male horse.

Gestation

The pregnancy period, from mating to birth. Varies by species — see our breeding due-date calculator.

Gilt

A young female pig that hasn't yet given birth.

Hand (hh)

The unit horse height is measured in — 4 inches (10cm) — written as e.g. 15.2hh (15 hands, 2 inches, measured to the withers).

Hutch

A small, often raised, outdoor shelter for rabbits — typically paired with an attached run for exercise space.

Incubation

The period an egg is kept warm (naturally by a broody hen, or artificially in an incubator) before hatching.

Kid / kidding

A baby goat, and the act of a goat giving birth.

Lamb

A baby sheep, generally up to about a year old.

Layer

A hen kept primarily for egg production, as opposed to meat.

Mare

An adult female horse.

Moult

The period birds shed and regrow feathers, usually laying fewer or no eggs during it.

Nest box

An enclosed box where hens lay eggs — usually raised, dark and lined with soft bedding.

Paddock

A fenced outdoor grazing area, distinct from the indoor shelter.

Perch / roost

A raised bar chickens sleep on at night — a behavioural need, not just a nice-to-have.

Polled

Naturally hornless (used of goats and sheep).

Pullet

A young hen, generally under a year old and not yet at full lay.

Ram

An uncastrated male sheep.

Run

A fenced outdoor area attached to a coop or hutch, giving exercise space beyond the core shelter.

Sow

An adult female pig that has given birth at least once.

Stallion

An uncastrated male horse.

Turnout

Time a horse spends outside in a paddock or field, as opposed to stabled — a separate space budget from the stable itself.

Wether

A castrated male goat or sheep.

Withdrawal period

The time that must pass after treating an animal with medication before its meat, milk or eggs are safe for human consumption.

Zoning

Local rules on what a piece of land may be used for, including whether — and how many — livestock may be kept on it.