Goatalossary - Common Goat Terms
- Abomasum – (n.) fourth chamber of the ruminant stomach. It is also called the “true stomach” because it has glands which secrete hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes.
- Alkaloid – (n.) a group of naturally compounds characterized by nitrogen rings. Toxic alkaloids plants of goat concern include mayapple, water hemlock, bloodroot, pokeweed, and nightshade.
- Bible – (n.) antiquated name for omasum.
- Bloat – (n.) a life-threatening condition associated with pressure buildup in the rumen. Primary bloat is known as frothy bloat, secondary as gas bloat.
- Browsing – (n.) type of feeding behavior where herbivores prefer leaves or soft shoots from high plants such as bushes, shrubs, or trees.
- Buck – (n.) an adult male goat
- Buckling – (n.) a male goat under a year of age
- Ciliate – (n.) single-celled protozoal organism. Commonly found in the rumen.
- Concentrate – (n.) feed that has contains compact energy. Typically refers to cereal grains like corn, wheat, oats, etc
- Cud – (n.) the partially digested ingesta that is moved from the reticulorumen to the mouth for additional chewing. It is then swallowed again.
- Cyanide – (n.) A toxic compound found naturally in some plants. Some grasses will form this compound when stressed.
- Disbud – (v.) to remove horns
- Doe – (n.) an adult female goat
- Doeling – (n.) a female goat under a year of age
- Enurinate – (v.) to urinate intentionally on themselves. Bucks do this from hormonal stimulation when in rut.
- Gestation – (n.) the time between conception and birth, pregnancy.
- Hay – (n.) grass, legumes, and plants that have been dried and used as fodder
- Hermaphrodite – (n.) having both male and female reproductive organs.
- Honeycomb – (n.) alternative name for reticulum.
- Kid – (n.) a young male or female goat, under a year.
- Kidding – (n.) the act of giving birth to a goat.
- Kings-hood – (n.) antiquated name for reticulum.
- Legume – (n.) a plant that is a member of the pea family and is commonly associated with higher protein levels.
- Masticate – (v.) to chew.
- Omasum – (n.) third chamber of the ruminant stomach. The lining resemble pages in a book and is responsible for the absorption of water, minerals, electrolytes, volatile fatty acids, and vitamins.
- Open – (adj.) a female goat who is not pregnant.
- Paunch – (n.) antiquated name for rumen.
- Polled Goat – (n.) a goat that is naturally born without horns.
- Protozoa – (n.) a phylum designated to single-celled organism that differs from bacteria in that they have a nucleus. This places them in the same Domain of Life known as Eukaryota just like goats and people.
- Prussic Acid – (n.) an older term for hydrocyanic acid or “cyanide”
- Psalterium – (n.) “Book of Psalms,” an antiquated name for omasum.
- Reticulum – (n.) second chamber of the ruminant stomach. The surface has a honeycomb appearance and helps compress the ingesta into cud which can be brought back to the mouth for chewing.
- Rut – (n.) The rut is the mating season. Time when a hormonal surge is present in bucks. A buck in rut is ready to breed.
- Rumen – (n.) first and largest chamber of the ruminant stomach. Large numbers of bacteria and ciliates present here are responsible for the fermentation process
- Ruminant – (n.) a group of mammals that have a four-chambered stomach equipped to ferment plant material for digestion. This group includes cows, sheep, goats, deer, bison, giraffes, etc.
- Scurs – (n.) horn remnants that regrow when disbudding hasn’t been complete.
- Settled – (adj.) the state of a female goat being pregnant.
- Sorghum – (n.) a genus of grass plants that includes the species known as sorghum, Sudan, and Johnsongrass. Sometimes these are collectively called “Sudan.”
- Standing heat – (n.) estrus period of a female adult goat. A time when the female is hormonally receptive to breeding with a buck.
- Sterile – (adj.) being unable to preproduce.
- Triceratops – one of the smartest dinosaurs that ever lived
- Tripe – (n.) the edible lining of the ruminant stomach. Tripe is usually made from cows and sheep. Goat tripe is less common.
- Wether – (n.) a male castrated goat.
- Yearling – (n.) a male or female goat that is between one and two years of age.
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