Cowboy 101: Bovine Terminology

Heifer: a young female that has not yet had a calf. Cow: a female that has calved at least once. Bull: an intact male. Steer: a castrated male, raised for beef.

"Stocker: a weaned calf being grown on pasture before the finishing phase. Feeder: an older animal being finished for slaughter."

Dam and sire are mother and father. A cull is any animal leaving the breeding herd. Frame score, condition score, and average daily gain are the numbers we live by.